Who We Are
The Textile Workshop - Where creativity meets craft
At The Textile Workshop, we bring people together to explore the art of textiles. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned maker, our hands-on classes in sewing, tufting, embroidery, and more provide the skills and inspiration to create something truly unique. With expert tutors, a welcoming community, and a passion for craft, we make every stitch count.
Our Values
At The Textile Workshop, our core values shape everything we do. We are dedicated to creative confidence, empowering learners of all levels to explore and develop their creative practice with hands-on guidance.
Crafting Community
Bringing people together through creativity and craft! We create a welcoming space where people of all skill levels can learn, experiment, and share their passion for textiles. Through hands-on workshops, expert guidance, and a supportive community, we inspire creativity and connection.
Empowering Through Teaching
Sharing skills, sparking creativity. We believe in the power of hands-on learning, offering expert guidance and a supportive space for all skill levels. Whether you're mastering the basics or refining advanced techniques, our classes are designed to inspire confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of making.
Sustainability & Conscious Crafting
Creating with care, crafting with conscience. We are committed to sustainability and ethical making, with a strong focus on upcycling, recycling, and waste reduction. From repurposing fabric scraps to giving new life to old textiles. We teach classes that embrace creative ways to minimise waste and make every stitch count for both style and sustainability.
Heritage & Innovation
Honouring Tradition, Inspiring the Future. At The Textile Workshop, we celebrate the rich heritage of textile arts while embracing innovation. From time-honoured techniques like hand embroidery and natural dying to modern approaches such as tufting and experimental textiles, we blend the past and present to keep textile craft evolving for future generations.
Meet Our Founder
Karen Taylor
Karen Taylor is a passionate textile artist and dedicated educator, bringing years of experience and creativity to every class she teaches. Karen fosters a welcoming, supportive community where students of all skill levels can grow, experiment, and find joy in making. Whether guiding a beginner through their first stitches or helping an experienced maker refine their craft, Karen’s enthusiasm and expertise shine through in everything she does.
Our Story
Step into a class with Karen Taylor, and you’ll quickly see that she’s more than just a tutor—she’s the heart of the room. One moment, she’s guiding a student through the delicate art of hand-stitching, offering gentle encouragement as they master a new technique. The next, she’s on the phone with a learner who couldn’t make it in, walking them through a tricky pattern step-by-step, making sure they’re not left behind.
Karen’s dedication to her craft and her community is unmistakable. With years of experience in textile arts, she not only shares her technical expertise but also fosters an environment where creativity flourishes and every learner feels supported. Whether she’s teaching a class, checking in on a long-time student, or brainstorming ways to make workshops more accessible, her passion is woven into everything she does.
Karen’s love for textiles and creativity was sparked in childhood, growing up in a home where making was a way of life. Her father was a passionate gardener who grew all the fruit and vegetables the family needed, while her grandmother was always knitting. Karen’s mother, too, was endlessly creative—hand and machine knitting jumpers, sewing homewares, and constantly working on embroidery or rug-making projects. Inspired by this creative environment, Karen picked up her first embroidery needle at just six years old, creating cross-stitch and embroidery pieces that are still framed in the studio today.
Despite this early passion, Karen’s career initially took a different path. She spent years working in banking and retail, enjoying the fast pace and challenges but never feeling truly fulfilled. Deep down, she always dreamed of following her passion for textiles.
Eventually, she took the leap—completing her City & Guilds qualifications in embroidery, felting, dressmaking, and textile design, earning an HND from Nottingham College, and finishing her degree at Derby University. Alongside this, she trained as a teacher, gaining her PGCE, and finally stepping into the role she had always wanted.
In 2016, Karen co-founded The Textile Workshop, beginning with a handful of evening classes in sewing and felting. The demand for creative education quickly grew, and over time, TTW expanded into ten classrooms, providing work for 26 tutors and welcoming thousands of students through its doors.
Whether teaching embroidery, quilting, felting, or dressmaking, the mission has always remained the same—making hands-on creative learning accessible to all. Through partnerships with Nottingham College and the WEA, The Textile Workshop has helped countless people develop their skills, grow in confidence, and even embark on careers in textiles.
Like many creative businesses, The Textile Workshop faced challenges during the pandemic, leading to the closure of some spaces and tutors moving in new directions. But Karen remains as passionate as ever. Now, she is focused on growing the online side of the business, ensuring that students can continue learning, no matter where they are.
Alongside this, Karen hopes to dedicate more time to her own creative practice—exploring new techniques, developing her artistic voice, and perhaps even exhibiting and selling more of her original work. As The Textile Workshop continues to evolve, so too does Karen’s own journey as an artist and maker, proving that creativity is a lifelong adventure.