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Short course

Thinking Through Stitching Short Course

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<p>Thinking Through Stitching Short Course | On campus</p><p><span style=Image: Sukhwinder Sagoo-Reddy | Course Tutor

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Learn how to use stitching as both a practical skill and a reflective method for inquiry. Discover kantha stitching techniques through inspiring lectures and practical exercises.
Next start months
June 2026
July 2026
Tutor(s)
Sukhwinder Sagoo-Reddy
Price
From £720.00

Course description

Course overview

Taught through a combination of lectures and practical exercises, this course explores making, reflection and discussion and how this can add value to creative practice.

During the course, students gain an insight into both practical and reflective skills that will enrich their creative practice. Students learn the traditional technique of kantha stitching and apply it to create a personalised silk scarf, developing patience, precision and sensitivity to materials. Alongside this, they'll consider stitching as a reflective process, using metaphors of tension, pattern, repair and repetition to think about their own projects.

The slow, meditative rhythm of stitching will help students cultivate resilience and find new perspectives on creative blockages, while the communal stitching circle fosters dialogue, collaboration and peer support. Students finish the course with a completed artifact that embodies their journey of inquiry and a set of reflective tools they can take into future artistic and academic work.

Please note: there may be an off-site visit to an exhibition during the course.

Who this course is for

This course would be an excellent fit for creative arts students or practicing artists and designers, as well as interdisciplinary and postgraduate researchers looking for fresh approaches to creative blocks. The course could also suit community makers, craftspeople, or hobbyists interested in deepening the reflective dimension of their work.

The course would also be a great choice for professionals in fields like art therapy, wellbeing, or education who want to explore stitching as a reflective and communal practice.

Level of experience: beginners / intermediate

Desirable experience: some experience in stitching is desirable, but you will be taught how to do basic stitching.

Key information

Topics covered

  • Week 1 - Introduction: stitching as inquiry, reviewing Kantha and Sashiko stitching
  • Week 2 - Working with silk
  • Week 3 - Tangling and tension
  • Week 4 - Unpicking and letting go
  • Week 5 - Pattern and repetition
  • Week 6 - Improvisation and play
  • Week 7 - Repair and layering
  • Week 8 - Deep work session
  • Week 9 - Bringing it together
  • Week 10 - Completion and sharing
Learning outcomes

  • Have confidence in using kantha stitching techniques on silk
  • A completed hand-stitched silk scarf as a personal artifact
  • Understanding of stitching as a reflective and inquiry-based practice
  • Ability to apply metaphors of tension, repair, pattern, and repetition to the creative process
  • Strategies for working through creative blockages with patience and resilience
  • Appreciation of the value of slowness, rhythm, and imperfection in making
  • Experience of learning and reflecting within a collaborative stitching circle
  • A set of embodied tools and reflective methods to support future artistic and academic projects
  • Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials

  • Journal/sketchbook with pen
  • Old pieces of silk swatches

Tutor

Sukhwinder Sagoo-Reddy

Sukhwinder Sagoo-Reddy (Sukie) is a researcher, and an educator specialising in fashion, textiles and design. She has taught on the Better Lives program for students making a change for fashion future considering sustainability, diversity and social responsibility, preparing students on their academic essay writing for their degree and supported students in their learning journey through 1-2-1 tutorials and fulfilling student requests through the academic support department at UAL. Furthermore, she is a multidisciplinary practitioner for the University-wide Academic Support unit. Sukie is actively finding new ways to support students through creative practices and works by using engaging questions and creative pedagogical strategies leading into deep and meaningful learning. The ‘Thinking Through’ Series involves responding with crafts and textiles. In addition to delivering Academic Support workshop, Sukie also work for the 'Inside creative research' series, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at practice, learning and research with an increasing range of speakers from all UAL Subject areas. External speakers are invited to open up about their practice to UAL students, away from public-facing engagements.

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