MEET OUR TUTORS

Life-long maker and lover of the fibre arts. Passionate spinner and knitter, along with garment sewist and beginner weaver.

I’m a member of the Knitters’ Guild NSW and have tutored at their state conference for the last two years.

I love learning new skills and sharing them with others, and I especially love providing a warm, cheerful and welcoming space for you to learn too. My goal is for you to enjoy the class and learn new skills which you can then use on your own knitting journey.

Vera Marcu learned knitting as a child and is still fascinated by this mindful and rewarding activity that brings joy to so many people. The first patterns she was exposed to were written in the European style, with minimal instructions and explanations. As she progressed and started to understand how charts presented the knitted fabric, how certain yarns worked better for certain textures, Vera found herself diverging more and more from patterns, and in the last 20 years she has mostly knitted her own designs. During the quiet times of lockdowns an idea of sharing these patterns with the knitting community became a reality and in 2021 Vera published her first pattern on Ravelry. Since then she has published more than 10 patterns independently, had patterns appear in knitting magazines and is now collaborating with several yarn companies, developing knitwear patterns. Vera likes to design things that are fun to knit but also stylish and practical to wear.

Teaching is also close to her heart, as Vera is a violin and viola teacher with many years of experience. These skills help her understand how people learn, how practical knowledge is shared and explained, and what methods work best for each individual.

I have been an artist and craftsperson since I was a small child; I was always drawing or creating something from the time I could hold a pencil.

As a young adult I completed an Associate Diploma in Creative Arts and a Diploma in Fine Arts, majoring in painting and minoring in ceramics.

I’ve continued to paint and share my creativity with people young and old through workshops and it was well into my creative journey that I discovered polymer clay, which is a wonderfully versatile and colourful medium with a wide range of applications. For me it’s a perfect union of paint and ceramics, combining both colour and form in a simple to use way that doesn’t require a lot of equipment. I make polymer clay jewellery, charms which can be used for stitch markers and covered crochet hooks.

Currently I am based in Blayney where I paint, create with clay, garden, and crochet.

Jane has been knitting ever since her grandmother taught her at 8 years of age, and knitting has been Jane’s passion ever since. As a Danish Australian and under the brand mindfulmaking, Jane has designed and published several accessory and garment designs all rooted in the simplistic elegant aesthetics of Danish design. In her teaching Jane meets you where you are and focuses on establishing a learning environment of collaborative sharing, motivation, and achievement.

I learnt to spin when I opened The House of Wool with my sister in 2012. What started out as ‘just something to do’ quickly became an obsession and I have since built up my stash of fibres to spin ‘one day’. These days, I offer full-day workshops or two-hour tasters of spinning, using my trusty traditional Ashford spinning wheel, at The House of Wool. Spinning truly is a craft that is both relaxing and intriguing, as the fibres and colours marry together to create a yarn that is unique. I am always excited to share this skill with my spinning students and start them on their journey into the world of spinning.

I started spinning in my early 20s as an adjunct to my knitting. I wanted to make my own yarn and a spindle was absolutely the cheapest way to get started. Starting with a spindle and wool allowed me to gain a great understanding of how this fibre behaved and how it could be manipulated. When I started spinning it was only possible to get raw fleeces and you quickly learnt what was a bad fleece and what fleece would give you a yarn that was soft and sturdy. Nowadays, while wool is still my favourite fibre, there are so many options to use as your fibre you can design and spin lots of special yarns. Now, I have a small business called FIibreMist knitting and spinning various yarns for sale and teaching knitting classes. I have always loved teaching and sharing the joy of spinning and knitting, and in 2023 I will be teaching Spindle Spinning at The House of Wool in Leaura. Trish

I’m a 26 year old new Mumma who is crazily enthusiastic about all things yarn. While studying a diploma in knitting I discovered my love for crocheting. Each project is a learning experience, even after 4 years of hooking. There is no limit to crocheting.

Rebecca Muscat is a Blue Mountains Fibre Artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The University of Newcastle. Rebecca works primarily in various forms of weaving, eco dyeing, Macrame, crochet and embroidery.

Using the natural environment as a source of eternal inspiration, Rebecca favours a sparse, neutral palette to highlight the texture and form of her two & three dimensional works. Natural fibres such a wool, silk & hemp are her preferred mediums.

With a particular interest in slow fashion and the maker movement, Rebecca’s aim is to promote each person’s creative process as a form of mindfulness & self care. Sharing her passion for fibre crafts with others brings great joy.

Rebecca is a very hands on educator with a warm & practical style of teaching. Each student is encouraged to express their individual creativity using the techniques and skills they learn in her workshops.

I have always loved creating, starting from a young age by stealing my mother’s fabric to make doll’s clothes, then making my own clothes as a teenager. In recent years I have beaded, created in polymer clay, felted, printed and woven.

My felting journey started about 15 years ago when I undertook some classes using alpaca. Since then, I have been inspired by undertaking both face and face and online workshops by both Australian and International professions. The peak of my career last year was my felted piece in the Sydney Royal Show being placed first, Standard of Excellence, and being sold.

I continue to expand and enhance my crafting activities, but also teach felting, polymer clay, printing and collage.

I have been making bobbin lace for nearly 40years and in more recent years have worked more with wool. I grew up on a merino sheep station out west and couldn’t see why we were not using our own natural fibre to make lace. Using very fine wool can look like a slightly heavier cotton but produces a wonderful article. Using 4ply makes great scarfs and shawls,.

I have taught bobbin lace for many years and love helping others see what a wonderful craft it is.

Kathryn is a semi-retired primary school teacher with a passion for making – anything! Lover of all things textile, fibre, colour and making, she began her textile journey as a young child growing up in Yorkshire, England. Her mum worked in a wool mill and she spent her school holidays ‘helping’ at the mill.

Kathryn is a passionate quilter and although learned to knit and crochet as a child, has more recently ventured into more complex projects.

Kathryn considers herself a life-long learner and is always happy to share and discover with others. She has designed a few projects in the last year or so to be made as samples for her daughter Elisha’s yarn business “Natural Yarn Co”.

Amanda has been teaching beginner’s amigurumi and crochet workshops in Sydney since 2013.

Since she was small, Amanda was always making something with her grandma and her mum. They encouraged her to try everything from painting, hand sewing, embroidery, paper craft to knitting and even making ribbon soap baskets! Whilst most were passing hobbies, knitting and sewing were always her go-to… until about 15 years ago when she discovered amigurumi.

Not having an ounce of knowledge in crochet, Amanda taught herself to make an amigurumi octopus by watching a youtube tutorial in 2008. This was the beginning of it all

Her obsession with making cute handmade things coupled with her love for mathematics motivated Amanda into the designing & writing amigurumi patterns. You can find Amanda’s free patterns in Ravelry and video tutorials on Instagram @stitchymanda.

With an aspiration of spreading the stitchy & crafty love to the world, it was a natural next step for Amanda to take up teaching when the unique opportunity arose with a visionary creative workshop space Sew Make Create in 2013.

When Amanda is not teaching at Sew Make Create, honing on her multicraftual skills or hanging out with her husband and their fur baby, she works full time at an investment management firm.

Naomi Thennig is an Engineering Drafter by trade and a Woodwind and Brass Tutor for the Blue Mountains primary school band programs.

Naomi opened St Georges Studio in 2019, an artisan studio, encompassing all forms of textile and fibre arts, leatherwork, woodwork, ceramics, fine art, technical drawing and music.

Naomi’s spinning journey started over 20 years ago when her aunt gifted her a spinning wheel to further enhance, and foster, her love of knitting. Spinning classes soon followed with the Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild of NSW, Burwood branch, introducing Naomi to the wonderful world of spinning.

Naomi spins almost exclusively using the long draw technique and is looking forward to sharing her skills with you.

Robynn-El is a retired educator (MEdCA etc) and published cross stitch designer (Milner Craft Series) who quilts and stitches when she is not madly drop spindling or carrying on her knitting addiction. Being the sub-editor and team member of three Aussie fibre magazines (eg. Indie Road), her work included designing knitwear, illustrating, interviewing designers, tech editing patterns of contributors, test knitting, reviewing craft books and writing instructional and promotional articles about techniques and business profiles.

She runs two Guild groups in the Southern Highlands each month and demonstrates at shows, festivals and woolly groups. Cognizant of different types of learning, Robynn is able to cater for all students in an uplifting learning environment where success is achieved. Being a believer in the ‘pay it forward’ philosophy, Robynn is always willing to teach others the skills to be creative or better in their chosen textile and fibre field.

Give Robynn her wolf to hug, a handful of merino/silk sliver and her drop spindle, or some Aussie wool and knitting needles, and she is a happy girl.