Looking Back at the Summer School of 2024

Every year, our Summer School offers a dedicated residential retreat—a rare space where makers can step away from daily life and immerse themselves fully in their craft. Surrounded by a supportive community and guided by leading textile artists, it’s an environment filled with fresh inspiration and creative breakthroughs.

The theme this year was 'Travelling Lines', featuring workshops led by tutors Jane McKeating, Polly Pollock, and Janet Edmonds. As we look back on our most recent event, our tutors share their reflections and celebrate the incredible work, energy, and achievements of everyone who joined us.

Polly Pollock

"It was exciting, but also a venture into the uncertainty of teaching a basketry course to students who usually enroll on textile courses. The group I worked with was so open to exploring something new, learning fresh skills, and working with unfamiliar materials. We spent the first two days working in a fairly structured way while thinking and talking about how each student wanted to take their ideas forward.

It was incredibly interesting and inspiring to see how each person brought something of themselves and their own interests to the project they chose to focus on over the remaining two days.

Not everyone completed what they started during the summer school, but after returning home, several students finished their pieces and sent me photos. It is incredibly rewarding to know they were enthusiastic enough about what they had started to go home and finish it. Several students have since emailed to share what they want to do next, along with photos of things they made after the course concluded."

Janet Edmonds

"I was pleased to be able to stand in for Dorothy at short notice. The students were all very accommodating and understood that life happens and changes have to be made. I planned a course that fitted as well as possible with Dot’s original requirements list.

Together, we made zigzag books and filled them with a range of different marks, bearing in mind the overarching theme of ‘Travelling Lines’—whether lines of communication between people, railway lines, phone lines, or Ley lines; there was lots to choose from. Many students chose pathways through the countryside and referenced their own neighborhoods.

We used a variety of tools to draw lines that extended across the paper. Students even made their own brushes and tried drawing with spaghetti, in addition to using more traditional pens and crayons. Small areas were then selected through a viewfinder to interpret into stitch.

There was a wonderful atmosphere among all the participants, and everyone intermingled with the other workshop groups during breaks and mealtimes."

Jane McKeating

"My group of 16 looked at how we narrate journeys through drawing and textiles. Everyone arrived prepared with an idea of a journey they wanted to explore, ranging from exciting international trips and inspiring walks down their own gardens to deeply personal family journeys. We explored these through both observation and imagination, using collage, simple prints, and hand stitch. Each participant created a series of small works, supported by myself and the rest of the group to explore their own ideas.

We had a wonderful mix of first-time participants and two long-standing members who had been attending Summer School for 34 and 38 years! We also welcomed several international members. This mix gave the group a really special quality, fostering great discussions and mutual support. The room was busy with activity from early in the morning until late at night, and the range and quality of work produced was incredibly creative and innovative. Everyone arrived at a very personal solution to capturing their journey while contributing to a fantastic group dynamic."

Thank you so much to our three brilliant tutors and all of our enthusiastic students!

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