From wind to thread: How Sara found her creative voice with Debbie Lyddon
When Sara stumbled upon Fibre Arts Take Two, she wasn’t looking for a new path – she was searching for reconnection.
“I was quite lacking in confidence,” Sara reflects. “When I finished an arts course in Norwich, I felt a bit lost, deflated, and directionless.” Despite completing an MA in Fine Art and holding a long-standing relationship with creative practice, Sara needed a spark. And she found it, quite literally, in the wind.
Formal education, while valuable, left gaps in her creative spirit.
“I’d lost that sense of play and improvisation,” she says. “Debbie’s course brought it back—no judgment, just exploration.”
What followed was a creative awakening, one that speaks directly to artists at any stage of their journey – especially those seeking freedom, play, and a deeper sensory connection to their environment.
Discovering Sensing Place
Living part-time on a boat in North Essex, Sara was immediately drawn to Debbie Lyddon’s work and her Norfolk-based practice.
“When I saw the Fibre Arts Take Two courses online, I was excited,” she explains. “Debbie’s course resonated with me. Her video, speaking from boats, deeply connected with me.”
Having already been exploring how to visualise wind through mark making, Sara found Debbie’s sensory-based approach – focusing on sight, sound, and touch – to be the perfect fit.
“I knew I had to do it.”
A course that changes everything
From the moment she started Sensing Place, Sara approached the material with an open heart.
“I didn’t have specific expectations. I wanted to go in with an open mind.”
She was met with exercises that encouraged stillness and presence – listening to the wind, observing textures, and translating those sensations into visual marks. This was followed by deep experimentation with wax, thread, and fabric – new territory for Sara, and exactly the invitation she needed.
“Debbie’s course has had a huge impact on my current practice. I’ve been experimenting with various fabrics, stitch types, and paints.”
Two key turning points shaped her transformation: the early sensory exercises, and seeing Debbie’s own deeply textural work.
“Her stitch, texture, and layers were powerful and inspiring. It made a big impression on me.”
A new body of work emerges
Sara’s artistic output has been prolific since completing the course.
“I’ve become bolder and more confident. It helped me push through a creative block.”
Sara’s practice, once rooted in black-and-white wind drawings, now includes fabric panels layered with pulled threads, seed stitch, French knots, and dynamic overlays. The colours of her boatyard surroundings – teals, blues, oranges, and even turquoise – have made their way into her compositions.
“I started painting pulled thread work, using oranges, turquoise, even black... Debbie’s techniques gave me a new way to work with colour and texture.”
Inspired process, inspired future
Most importantly, Sara’s creative fire has been reignited. “I feel energised and excited about my work. I have many ideas and I’m developing a series of panels – some in black and white, others in colour.”
Though exhibitions are on the horizon, her focus remains on the process, a philosophy shared by Debbie herself.
“Debbie regularly encouraged experimentation and play. Her attitude was to ‘try it and see’ – you might like it or not, and that’s okay. That freedom to explore really resonated with me.”
Sara’s piece for the Sensing Place course exhibition.
A message for fellow artists
For anyone considering Fibre Arts Take Two, Sara’s advice is simple and passionate:
“I’ve studied a lot over my life, and I’d say without hesitation – do it. The value is exceptional. The artists are amazing. Debbie’s course was incredibly well structured and thoughtfully designed.”
With lifetime access and a go-at-your-own-pace format, Sara found the course fit seamlessly around her working life. And she’s not stopping there – she’s already eyeing up her next course.
“I’m looking at Cass Holmes’ on-demand course and a couple of others – which I’m on the waiting list for and watching for enrolment to open.”
Finding home in the process
Today, Sara is immersed in what she calls her “creative phase” – and it’s exactly where she wants to be. With a body of work underway and new tools of exploration at her fingertips, she’s crafting not just fabric and thread, but a life of artful, sensory engagement.
If you’re standing at your own creative junction – whether burned out, stuck, or simply seeking the next evolution – let Sara’s story be your sign.
