2026/27 EVENTS
Welcome to the School of Textiles, where practitioners and specialists offer the opportunity for students to experience different techniques and expand their knowledge of individual subjects.
Special Lectures at Christ Church, Stoneham Street, Coggeshall CO6 1UH
£20, REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED. CASH PAYMENT ON THE DAY IS PREFERRED – BUT YOU MUST BOOK IN ADVANCE
To book an event at Christchurch, please use the contact form below to email Diane and place the event name in the subject line.
Autumn 2026 Events
Detail of Barbara Springate's quilt, donated to the Warner Textile Archive in 2023
Quilts & Patchwork at the Warner Textile Archive
Wednesday 9th September
from 2:00-4:15pm £20
This inspiring afternoon explores historic quilts and patchwork with Sophie Jemma, Archivist at the Warner Textile Archive. Learn more about the hidden patchwork gems within the collection. There are wonderful quilts from the 1800s, alongside intricate patchwork made from Warner & Sons silks (one of which is shown above), and original artwork for patchwork textiles.
Hear about the people who made the patchwork quilts and the mysteries that remain to be solved. There will also be School examples and, on top of that, a special opportunity to see an exciting new contemporary patchwork quilt project created in collaboration with Mary Schoeser and volunteers at the Warner Textile Archive.
£20 PAYABLE AT THE DOOR – BOOKING REQUIRED.
Marianne Mahler, David Whitehead printed rayon, 1950s.
Marian Mahler: both famous and mysterious
Monday 26th October
from 2:00-4:15pm £20
Marian Mahler (1909-1982) was born in Wies, Austria and settled in the UK in 1937. She studied at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule as well as architecture, with Josef Hoffmann, from late 1928 until early 1933. His friendship with Alistair Morton of Edinburgh Weavers led to her first designs for a UK company, in 1939, with other influential British manufacturers following suit.
Postwar she became a respected and prolific designer, producing book covers, textiles, wallpaper and other graphic products, most notably for David Whitehead. However, she is only well-known as a 1950s' "star" and much of her work and life is difficult to pin down. This lecture by Mary Schoeser aims both to introduce her life and career, and to reassess her position and influence within the world of British professional designers.
£20 PAYABLE AT THE DOOR – BOOKING REQUIRED.
Anna Howlett - Textile Consultant @ Studio Thread
Anna Howlett: A day in the life of a designer
Wednesday 25th November
from 2:00-4:15pm £20
Anna Howlett will be known to many residents of Coggeshall because she’s lived in the village all her life. What many may not know is that she is a highly successful freelance designer. Having worked with the Indian textile industry and then for Sanderson Design Group - where she was closely involved in the Morris & Co. range, since Covid she has returned to work as an independent Textile Consultant and Creative.
This is a chance to get the inside story of what it takes to develop a broad range of products, from the initial brief to sourcing and manufacturing for residential and contract markets. Working with textile brands, architects and interior designers, Anna’s wide-ranging expertise leads to the creation of a vast array of patterns and cloths. She will be bringing along lots of samples and many will be on sale to inspire those making Christmas presents.
£20 PAYABLE AT THE DOOR – BOOKING REQUIRED.
Spring 2027 Events
John Minors: The Courtaulds/Sanderson Collection of Ancestral Fabrics
Wednesday 27th January
from 2:00-4:15pm £20
This presentation reveals the background of a collection of furnishing fabrics initially woven at the Samuel Courtauld & Company, Halifax Mill, latterly at Halstead, and marketed by Arthur Sanderson & Sons. It was conceived during the Second World War, launched in early 1952 and is possibly the first commercial collection of furnishing textiles taken from original fabrics in historic houses. We will handle a number of original samples held by the Halstead & District Local History Society, but stored at Braintree District Museum.
'Ancestral Range', Illustrated London News, Courtesy Sanderson Design Group.
With extensive experience in the textile industry, John set up his own business as a Textile Consultant in 1989. Among his many projects are those with The National Trust, English Heritage, and Historic Royal Palaces. He is consultant to John Boyd Textiles, the remaining horsehair fabric weavers in the UK.
£20 PAYABLE AT THE DOOR – BOOKING REQUIRED.
Laura Ashley dress worn in 'Butch Cassidy'; public domain.
Laura Ashley’s Creative Journey
Wednesday 24th February
from 2:00-4:15pm £20
Laura Ashley (1925-1985) launched her business on the basis of printed scarves, one of which gained attention when worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1953 film Roman Holiday. By 1959 the now-beloved smocks and floral designs appeared. In 1961, she and her husband Bernard moved their printing to Carno in Wales, where Laura Ashley Ltd. was created in 1962. The rest, it’s often said, is history.
However, there’s much more to the story. Laura was an avid quilt collector and many of these survive in the archive today. She also developed influential catalogues and books, and remained a member of the WI throughout. Forty years since her death, the brand has a restored popularity at all levels and price points. Hear the whole story and witness Laura’s artistic eye for movement and juxtapositions. If you have an Ashley item, do bring it to share!
£20 PAYABLE AT THE DOOR – BOOKING REQUIRED.
Raccolto, designed by Colleen Farr for Liberty & Co. Central St Martins Museum and Study Collection.
Keren Protheroe: A new tradition in chintz - modernity and heritage in post-war British design
Wednesday 17th March from 2:00-4:15pm £20
Keren Protheroe is just the person to walk us through the fascinating story of the constant presence and adaptation of chintzes over the past 75 years. She will examine the literacy of making and the historical role of designers and craftworkers in the British textile and wallpaper industries. The images will highlight the inspiration and adaptation of documents, showing many designs that have lived in more than one version at different times.
A design historian and independent researcher, previously the archivist at Liberty London and Sanderson Design Group, Keren has more than 20 years’ experience caring for and researching pattern design archives. Her extensive knowledge is underpinned through her PhD, ‘Bloom and Blotch...1910-1930’ on Winifred Mold and Minnie McLeish, and her publication, Floral Fashion and Women Designers at the Silver Studio (2011).
£20 PAYABLE AT THE DOOR – BOOKING REQUIRED.
Banner image: Sophie Pattinson screen printed and stitched shawl made in Bangladesh 2011, and vintage embroidery from Hazare Valley, Pakistan, photo Joe Mackay.
All images unless otherwise attributed are courtesy of and copyright the School of Textiles.