Mary Broddle Embroidery

Nottingham’s Premier Embroidery Teacher

Embroidery for wellbeing

classes for all ages & abilities | in person & online

I share the joy of embroidery with people aged 4 to 104

I work with all ages & abilities, individuals, public & private orgarnsations and community groups.

I bring traditional hand embroidery expertise and it’s soical history to contemporary workshops for cultural organisations.

I work with children of all ages building skills, confidence & reslience.  

My classes focus on the process not perfection.  

white woman with long blonde hair, wearing a white hat and a pink coat. She is sitting a green leafy garden with embroidery in her hand.

My Story

I’m Mary, mum of two, an avid embroider and a chartered mechanical engineer.  

I want to share my passion for embroidery and help others find the joy, wellbeing benefits & community it has given me.  

White woman with long blonde hair wearing a purple hat, blue jeans and a leather jacket. Sitting on a mobility scooter with a bunch of flowers in a wicker basket at the front.

Embroidery has helped me cope with over 20 years of chronic pain & fatigue.  

I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which has left me isolated and disabled.  

I have spent thousands of hours embroidering and it has helped me cope being unable to get out like I used to. 

Back in 2004 I gave up smoking and had an epiphany in John Lewis’s haberdashery section. Yes, I’m that middle class!  I picked up a needlepoint kit and it  rekindled a childhood love of embroidery.  It became my passion hobby.

I love hand embroidery and I have learnt many traditional techniques, taking classes lead by the Royal School of Needlework and renowned textile artists.

In 2019 I had to leave my successful 20 year career in Rail Engineering as my health declined.  I was too disabled for a normal job. 

So I started Mary Broddle Embroidery to share my passion for embroidery, be a meaniful part of my community and give me a job!

    Get In Touch

    try embroidery

    Want to Find Out More?

    Contact Me

    "“Embroidery is brilliant for depression because it allows you to have something to show for your time. So even though it could be small, when you hold something in your hand that you have made it is a symbol of value. It says ‘you have value’. It says ‘this is something I have made’.

    Emma Kenny - TV Psychologist and Presenter

    "In our social media age, as we become more physically distanced from each other, sewing is a safeguard to isolation, a way to stay in touch with each other: hand and mind working in harmony to convey what lies in our hearts. For me and others, it sustains not just a sense of self but of belonging."

    Clare Hunter - Threads of Life: a History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle

    "The physical act of stitching also means we cannot dither around online, being sucked into social media rabbit holes. Nor are we watching television. This screen-free time is immensely important to our sense of wellbeing. When we employ mindful stitching, we are also making time for ourselves. This is crucial, especially for the perpetually busy."

    Laura Turnbull - The Crewel Work Company

    cushion
    2 blue and white embroideries of delicate motives from blue and white china bowl. That salad bowl is in the background of the photograph.
    embroidery hoops
    View More