Story Journalling through Embroidery: Creating Your Own Story Reel with Helen Sill

In this full-day workshop, participants will use the rich world of Jane Austen’s novels and the historical charm of Jane Austen’s House and garden to create a unique embroidered story reel.

Inspirational stitch tutor Helen Sill will guide participants through an exploration of Jane Austen’s world, drawing inspiration from the charming cottage where Jane penned her iconic novels, set in its picture-perfect cottage garden, and elements from Jane Austen’s life and novels.

Weaving together historical embroidery techniques with a modern approach to storytelling through stitch, participants will engage in creative stitch journaling and embroidery to develop a textile story reel– a visual narrative crafted from hand-stitched images and words reflecting each participant’s unique responses to Jane Austen’s literary world.

By the end of the day, attendees will have created a one-of-a-kind embroidered piece that blends history, art, and personal interpretation.

All materials provided. Please bring a small basic sewing kit with embroidery scissors if you have one.

Refreshments will be provided, including morning tea/coffee and biscuits, and afternoon tea and cake. There will also be a lunchbreak when you can eat your own packed lunch or adjourn to get lunch elsewhere (we suggest the village cafe, Cassandra’s Cup, which is very close!)

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About the tutor:

Helen Sill is an artist, researcher, tutor and textile traveller combining a love of drawing with textiles. She explores questions of identity through her art and stitch practice, creating images informed by drawings of her surroundings and connections between communities and cultures.

Helen is an Embroiderers’ Guild Graduate and Guild Scholar and recently completed a Masters Degree in Fine Art where her research interests were around making and community focusing on the rich textile traditions of Gujarat in North West India and the North East of England.

Past commissions have included work for West Dean Gardens, the Petersfield Museum and being Artist in Resident at Chichester Festival Theatre. Her work is held in private and public collections.

Her love of talking about and working with textiles is infectious and inspiring, and she teaches a range of hand stitch classes with recycling and upcycling at their core.

Helen fell in love with India when she first visited Gujarat and Agra in 2018 and now leads textile tours there, including tours to Rajasthan, Kolkata and Nagaland. Tours planned for 2025 and 2026 include Odisha and Uzbekistan. Find out more!

Details:
Date: Sunday 11th May 2025
Time: 10am – 4pm (including a lunch break)
Location: This event is at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton. Find us
Tickets: £65

 This event includes refreshments, please let us know on booking if you have any dietary requirements.

 Tickets for this event include House entry for this day only. 

 This event is part of our Spring Fling: Sense and Sensibility Festival, running from 1 – 11 May 2025