In May this year UK-born embroiderer, Catherine Howell, made her debut appearance as a guest artist at the 2008 Craft & Quilt Fairs. She will be front and centre again at the Canberra Fair in August, in New Zealand in September, Brisbane in October and Adelaide in November. She’ll fit in numerous other teaching sessions for other audiences throughout the year and will, of course, somehow fulfill her other starring role - as wife and mother.

Catherine’s career began as a designer for Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom after completing her 1st Class Honours in Textiles and Fashion Design at Cheltenham College of Art. Her teaching career began in Australia 15 years ago when she was working as a pattern designer and wedding dress maker. One of her clients saw the hand embroidery she was crafting on the dresses and encouraged her to teach wool embroidery.

Her involvement with the Craft & Quilt Fairs came around after Judy Neuman from Expertise Events, organising company behind both the Fairs and of the Australasian Quilt Convention,  saw Catherine’s ‘Fabulous Bag’ collection featuring Colour Streams hand dyed threads.

Catherine is known for her  three-dimensional embroidery. Her technique produces life-like, delightful images with plenty of colour, movement and whimsy. She moves between charming Beatrix Potter style creatures that cavort throughout her work to glamorous, eye catching bags.

Her work featuring cute creatures is probably inspired by her childhood in the Cotswolds where she had a hedgehog as a pet and could spend many hours walking in the fields and woods around her home. Since moving to Australia in the early 1980s our local fauna has begun appearing in her work.

“I love drawing,” says Catherine, “and I will often print onto fabric and then embellish the illustration. Three dimensional work is my forte, my background is in stitchery.”

With one child now aged 16 and the other 21, Catherine - who is married to a television hair and makeup artist - says she feels like it’s her time to get out and teach and work and she feels it’s important for everyone to make time for creative pursuits - “time to slow down”.

For the past six years she has been teaching at the Koala Convention, a QLD needlework retreat with a seven-year history. The 2008 event took place in July at Brisbane Girls Grammar School and included a choice of 75 projects to make, access to 23 local and overseas tutors, a large display of needlework and a ‘Show & Share’ competition.

“Initially I was a little nervous about teaching,” Catherine says. “I trained in pattern making and design but found the professional fashion world a bit soul destroying. Now I like coming  up with ideas on the spot, alongside my students.”

Catherine keeps stretching her own talents and endeavours. Her bag collection is a show stopper and she’s recently been experimenting with a Venetian collection using art deco colours and, often when teaching, she’ll lead people through tassel making using hand dyed threads. She also teaches students how to make “luscious” pin cushions covered with embroidered strawberries and blackberries. “They’re quick, colourful and cheerful,” she says.

At the Craft & Quilt Fairs students receive a kit for a class that takes three hours and sees them leave with a completed tassel. Rather than acting like an instructor in her classes, Catherine prefers the idea of working alongside her students as a mentor, encouraging them to seek personal inspiration and methods to create what they want.

Her hope is that by the end of 2008 many Australians and New Zealanders will share her passion for colour and for trying new things with fabrics and fashions. Ultimately she’d also simply like to see them enjoy doing “something for themselves”. Catherine is in the process of setting up some websites linked to her work. Keep an eye on the web for www.catherinehowelldesign.com [colourstreams.com.au]. Who knows what you’ll discover?

Teacher profile:
Catherine Howell

Her specialty:
3-D embroidery

Where she teaches:
Australia & New Zealand

Find her at:
chowelldesign@optusnet.com.au

Websites of interest:
www.koalaconventions.com.au [koalaconventions.com.au]
www.colourstreams.com.au [colourstreams.com.au]

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