Kitty is an experienced lacemaker and teacher based in Edinburgh.  She teaches around Scotland and northern England with her friend, Sue Clark.  Kitty set up and organised the annual Edinburgh Lace Course which had its 40th anniversary during Covid. Kitty has been awarded an MBE for services to lace.

 

Kitty originally learned her lace in Yorkshire before moving to Edinburgh. For many years she has benefited from an annual trip to Brugge where she absorbs all she can from the encyclopaedic knowledge of Anne Marie Verbeke.

 

Kitty first worked in colour and texture while working for the City and Guilds in lace.  This proved to be an inspiration.  Now colour and texture feature in much of her contemporary work, where she often develops thoughtful, even political, themes. 

 

Past work has included ‘Guantanamo Bay’, ‘Out of Kilter’, a reflection on the effect of George Bush and Osama Bin Laden on her world, and ‘If wishes were fishes’, which explores how wishes take the place of dreams as we grow older.  Recent work looked at the effect of mechanising lighthouses and effects of Covid on mental health.

 

Kitty is particularly excited by helping students stretch their horizons by developing their own contemporary lace, while encouraging the use of a wide variety of materials.