Hi Sue, it’s wonderful to have you collaborate with us! I love how you have translated the prints and turned them into these magnificent creations - they look amazing.
We wanted to share with everyone a bit more about you and your career. Tell us a bit about yourself and how you first became interested in textiles.
“I learnt to knit when I was about 5 so I suppose that was my very first experience of textiles! Then when I was a teenager I started trying to make clothes - out of anything I could get my hands on (including a set of brand new towels I found in the airing cupboard!). I think I decided that I wanted to be a fashion designer soon after that.”
Where & what did you study?
“I studied my BA Degree in Fashion and Textiles at the Art College in Cheltenham, and then a Master of Design at the Royal College of Art where I specialised in knitted textiles and started producing some very experimental work.”
How did your career start out?
“I made my first small knit collection as part of my final degree show and sold it to Fiorucci - then I started designing hand-knit patterns for magazines and yarn companies whilst I was still at the RCA. As soon as I left college I started making twice yearly collections and found an agent with a London showroom to help me sell my work”.
You’ve worked for some big names in fashion, What have been some highlights of your career so far?
“I’ve had such a long career - there have been so many highlights, things like creating a collection of gothic knitwear for the Royal Academy (including knitted crowns) appearing on morning television and Women’s Hour to promote my knitting books and selling work to amazing companies such as Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Missoni and Etro."
I find my inspiration from holidays and traveling, seeing new places - the architecture and colours. How do you find inspiration for your work?
“I’ve always been inspired by visiting museum collections, two of my favourites are the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford which has the most amazing collections of ethnological artefacts’ and the V&A in London. I also love to use florals in my work and have a large collection of vintage fabrics and needlecraft magazines which I inherited from my great aunt.”
In our conversations you’ve mentioned times when you had many hand knitters all working for you and making up your designs from paper patterns that would be going off to orders from the States, can you tell us about this?
“I used to sell my collections at shows in London and New York, we would take orders from shops all over the world and each garment would be individually knitted by hand. Each design was drawn up on a large sheet of graph paper and then photocopied - there were no computers! My garments were very highly patterned and complicated to knit, sometimes with 15-20 colours per row, and it took many years to build up a good team of 150 reliable outworkers”.
I love how you have played around with my designs, how do you do this, do you make a paper pattern first?
“Sometimes I draw the patterns onto graph paper by hand, and I also have an amazing computer programme called Designaknit which allows you to select your own colour palette and draw onto an on screen graph which I can then print out. I really enjoyed working with your patterns and colour range - which is very different to my usual style.”
How long do the pieces take to make?
“My hand knit pieces take many hours to make - a sweater around 100-200 hours and smaller accessories 10-20 hours each. Machine knits are much quicker but the finishing process can be lengthy since there are many ends to sew in, and the lambswool needs washing and pressing.”
Where can we find your work?
“I sell my work through the Gloucestershire Guild Shop in Cheltenham - and also at Eleven Bibury. I make every piece myself and each design is a one off - so production is limited and I sometimes work on commissions”.
Thank you so much for collaborating with us on this project!
Alice xx
Sue's work is available in our Stroud shop, with selected pieces also available online. Every piece is unique and a one-off.
