"The retreat sounds wonderful, and I’d love to be involved."

The Joy of Stitching

Ali will gently lead you through her personal making process of using words, motifs, meaningful materials and slow hand-stitching to create a beautifully tactile cloth book or a series of small cloth collages. The inspiration behind the pages will be the thing that brings us together for the week - The Joy of Stitching.

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Ali will share the stories behind some of her own work before demonstrating her relaxed approach to cloth collage where fabrics and papers are ripped and layered, printed words are highlighted, and personal words are hand stitched. You’ll be shown how to add simple stitched motifs - all adding to your storytelling.

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Your book pages, or collages will be formed from a vintage French torchon and to this you’ll add a delicious selection of materials, old and new. Choose from a selection of vintage cottons, old table linens, patchwork quilt pieces, old dressmaking patterns, vintage haberdashery and fabric printed with handwritten text from old school sewing notes as well as any personal bits & pieces that you may wish to bring with you.

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Ali will provide templates to create your motifs, or you can draw your own. She’ll share her collection of words, gathered from vintage needlework books, magazines and old school jotters as well as her enthusiasm for hand stitching - working from the heart rather than perfection. As well as demonstrating her methods, Ali will work with you individually to create your own personal piece.

During the week you’ll also have the opportunity to work on a small secret project.

Ali’s stitching is simple, intuitive and expressive. Her teaching is relaxed, fun and supportive with storytelling at its heart. She will lead you through her process of making where thought, emotion and passion is at the heart of every stage.

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Ali Ferguson is a textile artist, author and tutor working from her quirky studio in a small village just outside Edinburgh in Scotland.

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Her nostalgic textile work takes inspiration from home & family life, past and present. She stitches stories of ordinary people and everyday things using handwritten words, vintage materials, personal motifs and a whole lot of heart.

She’s continually gathering inspiration. A favorite family recipe falling apart through use, snippets of life found in the words of strangers’ letters or a line from an old needlework book have her delving into her stash of vintage linens and old garments.  A cloth collage emerges as fabrics are ripped, layered and patched together before the story telling continues with needle and thread.

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She teaches in person across the UK and internationally and is the author of two books:

Life Stories – Textile art inspired by people & memories.

To be published by Batsford in October 2026.

Cloth Stories – Exploring domestic life in textile art. published by Batsford in 2024.

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Find more about Ali, go to these resources:

Website:  https://aliferguson.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePurpleThreadShed

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepurplethreadshed/