Speaker: Sue Maton
Craft: General
Experience: All abilities
Summary: Using examples of her designs, and course members’ work, Sue will explain her design process, what inspires and drives her, and how she sees her work developing in the future.
Description
The talk will describe Sue’s journey in textiles from her early education in textiles and knitwear design, through her teaching years and the time she spent on sabbatical and how all of this has impacted on the work she does now.
Sue will discuss how, and why, she learnt to crochet and describe how this craft has been fundamental in finding hew own creative voice and creating a global network of crafters.
Sue will also describe how she built her business from a small sole trader doing the occasional local craft fair into an International Limited Company with nearly 2,000 course members from all over the world.
Sue will explain why she thinks crafting, generally, has a role to play in helping people feel and stay connected and she will talk about how her business is as much about community as it is about learning a craft and making a product.
Using examples of her designs, and course members’ work, Sue will explain her design process, what inspires and drives her, and how she sees her work developing in the future.
About the speaker
Sue trained as a knitwear designer in the mid 1980’s and after graduating began a twenty year teaching career in Further Education and Higher Education, teaching on a broad range of Textiles and Art & Design courses.
A two year sabbatical spent at Goldsmiths University and NUA ignited a broader interest in creative practices including writing and installation work.
In 2011 Sue left her formal teaching career to start a business, The Mercerie. Since the pandemic Sue has built an online platform of crochet courses for a global audience and continues to combine her love of designing, making and teaching.
Instagram: @themercerie
Facebook: themercerie
Pinterest: themercerie
