Hanny Newton

Hanny is a hand embroiderer with a great love of stitch, especially gold work embroidery. She loves to find inspiration from the rich tradition of the art form and use this to find her own contemporary approach to hand stitch. She studied Hand Embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework, and then Contemporary Craft at Falmouth University, allowing her to combine her interest in both traditional and modern approaches. Since graduating 2014, Hanny has been working from her studio in Shrewsbury, exhibiting nationwide including at Art in Action, Handmade in Britain, The Knitting and Stitching Shows and a solo show at the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery. She teaches goldwork across the UK, including at Westhope College in Shropshire and Ardington School of crafts in Oxfordshire. "I am attracted to textiles because I love the immediacy and accessibility of stitch, anyone can pick up a needle and thread for very little money and you can stitch pretty much anywhere. Also, the fact that unlike ceramics or woodwork, for example, I did not need expensive specialist equipment or a designated space to stitch, I could take my embroidery on the bus, to the park, in the pub, it could travel with me and be a part of my life whenever I wanted to embroider. I also loved the fact that nothing is permanent with embroidery. If I made a mistake, I could easily unpick and re-do, this was the perfect jump-off point for me. It allowed me to explore and play freely."