The Certificate Course precedes the Diploma Course. If you wish to register with City and Guilds to obtain the qualification you will need to start with the Certificate and then progress onto the Diploma. The Certificate Course is designed for the student who wishes to build up skills of design as well as embroidery techniques so this would suit you well.

Your previous work can be inserted into appropriate stages within the Distant Stitch program. Each tutor will arrange their own program to cover the requirements of the City and Guilds syllabus. The Distant Stitch program is based around a different design aspect in each of the six Modules and all the embroidery within each one relates to the designing. You might therefore be more comfortable starting afresh with Distant Stitch and using your previous knowledge and skills to help you work confidently through the Modules. Certain technical samples might easily fit in to the Distant Stitch coursework. If you have already completed a whole assessment piece and have this signed off in your log book, then it will be possible to skip that entirely. Your registration with City and Guilds can be transferred if you can provide your candidate number. If that registration runs out (after three years) before you complete with Distant Stitch, you will be required to re-register. This can then be done through Distant Stitch. If you would like to discuss this further with your own personal circumstances, please email or phone Sian Martin.

On enrolment you will be sent an Induction Manual which contains all the background and practical information on how to proceed through the Course. It will explain the commitment that Distant Stitch promises to deliver and also what is expected of you to complete the Course. You will also receive a full colour Course Module book for each Module which is divided into Chapters or sections of work. These are progressive and each Chapter builds on the skills acquired in the previous ones. Clear instructions and advice are supported by diagrams and colour images to enable you to understand the processes and ideas you are being asked to develop

No, but the logistics of communicating between you and your tutor will be quicker if you do have a computer. You can email Siân and receive a reply often the same day. You can send images via your own blog or as email attachments. Your work can be looked at within a few days and you will receive a response immediately. See Question Below

You can correspond with the tutor by post or phone and receive your Module book by post. (A printed Module book will incur an extra charge after 1st April 2009.) You can send your work through the post for tutorial guidance and it will be returned to you by second class post with the tutor’s printed response. ( The return postage will incur an extra charge after 1st April 2009).

Many students are in this position but the more often you use the computer to send an email or write a few notes each day, the quicker you will learn and become more confident. You will need to be connected to the internet to set up your own blog and ideally to have a broadband connection and not a dial-up one. You can create your own blog for free and there are simple steps described in your Induction Manual.

It is much quicker to download large files if you have broadband. There will be slower download facility so you can download the Module in separate sections if you only have a dial-up system.

The Foundation Module is designed to give you a ‘taster’ of learning by correspondence rather than in a class. It is a single Module, which is about half the size of each of the six Certificate Modules. This is an option you can choose or you may prefer to start straight away with Module One of the Certificate Course. The Foundation Module asks you to collect visual information about a chosen wall surface: photographs, rubbings, colour and shape studies. You are then asked to try out different stitches and use different threads. A simple design exercise leads you to completing two small resolved samples to bring together the whole series of studies.

The Distant Stitch student can make their own time frame of study, although they are encouraged to send in up to half a Module every three months to maintain a steady pace of work. This will enable them to complete within three years

Each Module is paid for one at a time as you progress through the Course. You can pay in £ sterling by cheque (drawn on a British bank) or by credit card via PayPal. You don’t need a PayPal account for this.

Please refer to the information on the Price Structure sheet Button On Right.

You may enrol at any time to suit you.

The initial assessment is done during the process of your tutor looking and commenting on your coursework within a detailed report and ultimately accepting work produced as satisfactory. The second stage of assessment takes place via an internal college assessment. A sample of Distant Stitch students work is monitored by an accredited Urchfont Manor Internal Verifier on a regular basis. This takes place with students’ work that is currently in my studio being marked so no special posting is required. The third stage is an external verification by an official, highly qualified in textiles, from City and Guilds who makes a verification visit to Urchfont Manor College once a year to inspect a chosen sample of students work. The Distant Stitch student will be notified in advance if a sample of their work is required for this inspection.

City and Guilds Registration fee is paid with the second Module. Please refer to the Price Structure sheet for the current fees.

To find the prices click the Pricing Structure button found on any of the C&G Course pages.