Sara Dennis is our guest today on the Stitchery Stories embroidery podcast. Sara shares her interesting story of training to be a nurse, joining the Army and travelling the world with her husband.
Discover how she took the opportunity to study at The Royal School of Needlework and launch her second career as a hand embroidery tutor. Her current exhibition ‘An Apprentice’s Journey’ features her work whilst studying with the RSN.
Continue reading to discover the highlights of our chat and to see examples of Sara’s work.
Listen as Sara shares different ways in which her love of embroidery and museum curation, combined with her military background, has manifest itself in her new career.
Susan Weeks chats with Sara about:
- Her early art ambitions were thwarted by the Art teacher’s wig…
- Her delight at teaching in Williamsberg, USA with the RSN
- Going to University later in life – and loving learning again
- Her path to the RSN’s Future Tutor course
- Insight into training at the Royal School of Needlework
- The challenges of growing a teaching business
- Using locally produced Herdwick wool in her Goldwork pieces
- The highlight curating her own solo exhibition at Farfield Mill, Sedburgh ‘An Apprentice’s Journey’
- Supporting Combat Stress & SSAFA
- Hand embroidery helping service men and women suffering PTSD
- Silk Shading – a simple stitch, a very tricky technique
- And as for ‘Both Sides Alike’….
- Is it cheating to include your Grandma’s UFO?
- The amazing textiles in Military museums
Follow the Stitchery Stories Instagram channel at: https://www.instagram.com/stitcherystories_podcast/
Visit: https://saradennisembroidery.co.uk/
Look: https://www.instagram.com/saradennisembroidery
Like: https://www.facebook.com/saradennisembroidery
Other organisations & relevant previous episodes mentioned are listed below the Gallery:
Farfield Mill, Sedburgh, Cumbria http://www.farfieldmill.org/
Cable & Blake https://www.cableandblake.co.uk/
Combat Stress https://www.combatstress.org.uk/
SSAFA https://www.ssafa.org.uk/
Other episodes with some related themes:
Dionne Swift – Military Wives project
Iona Barker – Free Hand Sewing classes to promote mental wellbeing
Yvonne Fuchs – slow stitch to promote mental wellbeing