Like many of us, Sally started stitching as a child. Her enjoyment of the art was developed as a teenager whens he took an A/S Level in Textiles. She hand embroidered this beautiful jewellery box.
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From this point on she became a prolific cross stitcher producing countless birth charts, wedding samples and pictures for family and friends. Sally started to sell her work at craft shows and she designed kits for Bircornu. It was a chance meeting with Sandra that led to Sally teaching.
Sally's first creation for her new class was a blackwork butterfly.
For many years Sally has tutored a group - Stitich Along with Sally - with regular new patterns and creations in blackwork for her students,
Don’t know what Blackwork is? Well, traditional Blackwork (which is sometime known as Spanish Blackwork) originated from the times of Henry VIII to Elizabeth I. It was used to decorate collars and cuffs of garments to simulate lace and appears in various portraits. Normally the work was stitched in silk thread onto linen or cotton fabric with a very little metallic or coloured thread to accent.
Today it can come in many shapes and forms with all sorts of colours, thread types and metallic threads being used to create style and texture which can be seen in Sally's designs. While Sally has only been designing since 2011, her keen eye for detail and her self-taught technique has allowed Sally to experiment and express herself through her work. You will see in many of her designs the basic Blackwork techniques on charted designs as well as different metallic threads, charms and buttons to bring her designs to life and add that special Sally twist.
More recently, a new group was created - Stitching on my Mind. Sally spent some time researching and creating a portfolio so students can now learn candlewicking and red work.
