city & guilds frequently asked questions

frequently asked questions for city & guilds

who are the city & guilds certificate courses designed for?

The City & Guilds certificate courses run by stitchbusiness are designed for anyone wanting to make hand crafted items to a high standard, and to study, explore and expand skills and gain knowledge of:

specific embroidery techniques
materials and processes applicable to the level of course chosen
traditional and modern approaches to textiles
the distinctions of the main design elements
designing textile projects from scratch

Level 1 certificate courses - ideal for complete beginners. These courses run for one week only and give a comprehensive introduction to the subject. Choose from:

hand stitch (7716-06)
machine embroidery (7716-18)
goldwork (7716-19)

(NB we are trialling these courses in summer 2011, so at first they will only be available to on site students)

Level 2 certificate courses - ideal for those with some basic experience of the craft. These courses run for three terms and are a good foundation, and practice, of a range of skills within the chosen subject. Choose from:

stitched textiles – a mix of hand and machine stitch (7716-39)
machine embroidery – no hand stitch included (7716-45)

(Courses are available for on site and distance learner students)

Level 3 certificate course - ideal for those with a fair experience of the craft, who want to push their design and embroidery skills further. Our course runs for six terms, over two years, and provides a solid grounding to a very wide range of hand, machine, traditional and contemporary stitched textile techniques. One course offered:

stitched textiles (7716-61)

(this course is available for on site and distance learner students)

who is the city & guilds diploma course designed for?

The City & Guilds diploma run by stitchbusiness is designed for anyone wanting to study, explore and expand skills and gain knowledge of:

hand and machine embroidery techniques at a more advanced level
the application of materials and processes at an advanced level
historical, foreign and contextual embroidery techniques
contemporary approaches, including construction methods, in stitched textiles
more in depth design theory and practice from personal research
designing stitched textiles from a researched theme

Level 3 diploma course - ideal for those who have already gained a Level 3 certificate, or equivalent, in stitched textiles, and want to advance their skills in the craft of design and embroidery. Our course runs for six terms, over two years, and provides an opportunity to expand and advance skills in hand, machine, traditional and contemporary stitched textile techniques and contextual studies. One course offered:

stitched textiles (7716-64)

(this course is available for on site and distance learner students)

who can apply for the course?

It is not necessary to have any previous experience in design or stitched textiles before applying for the Level 1 courses. Level 2 course applicants should have a basic knowledge of the subject. Level 3 course applicants may have completed workshops in design or embroidery, and have some subject knowledge, but all skills are still taught from the beginning, so can be recapped.

It is expected that applicants for the diploma will have already completed the Level 3 certificate, or will have the necessary/relevant experience in design and stitched textiles, as these skills are built upon in the diploma.

how are the courses structured?

Level 1 courses
Each course is taught in an intensive week of study. A structured plan for the week will be sent to you outlining what topics you will cover. Illustrated handouts will be given to back up your learning. Assessments will be carried out during the week, and verification as soon as possible thereafter.

Level 2 courses
Each course is taught on a weekly basis, over 25 weeks of the academic year. You will receive a year plan, outlining the design and stitch topics to be taught alternately by Julia Triston and Tracy A Franklin. For each session (in class or by email) you will receive information about the technique being taught – this is usually in the format of a handout with images to illustrate the topic. We aim to give you images of other current students' work, so you are able to see different interpretations of the methods and techniques. There is a lot of work to get through in the syllabuses, so you must expect to work outside the 'classroom' times. Notification of internal and external verification dates will be given in advance.

Level 3 certificate and Level 3 diploma courses
Each course is taught on a weekly basis, over 25 weeks of the academic year, so there is a total of 50 sessions over the two-year course. Three times a year, you will receive a term plan, outlining the design and stitch topics to be taught alternately by Julia Triston and Tracy A Franklin. For each session (in class or by email) you will receive information about the technique being taught – this is usually in the format of a handout with images to illustrate the topic. We aim to give you images of other current students' work, so you are able to see different interpretations of the methods and techniques. There is a lot of work to get through in the syllabuses, so you must expect to work outside the 'classroom' times. Notification of internal and external verification dates will be given in advance.

what is the timescale for working and completion?

Once registered with City & Guilds, students have a specified time to be taught their chosen syllabus (one week for Level 1 courses, one year for Level 2 courses, two years for Level 3 courses). Completion for Level 2 and 3 courses may take longer – City & Guilds builds in an allowance for this.

what do I present for assessment?

There are two elements for all of the courses – the first element is design, the second element is stitch. There are briefs to complete for each element, as well as course work samples and experiments. To see a full breakdown of what to present for each course, go to course information.

how and when do I get assessed?

Assessment is continuous. Every student is issued with a 'tick list' upon enrolment with stitchbusiness, and a logbook upon registration with City & Guilds. When you complete a piece of work it is signed off on the 'tick list' with the agreement of a tutor. When all ticks are gained, the logbook is filled in and the relevant Certificate/Diploma applied for.

Twice a year we have a visit from our internal verifier, who checks selected work from every student, to make sure we are meeting the high standard City & Guilds expects.

Once a year we have a visit from our external verifier, who also checks selected work from every student. Our EV checks that stitchbusiness is meeting the centre criteria for City & Guilds, and that we are teaching the correct course content at the correct levels.

what happens on completion of the course?

Once you have met all course criteria, and your work has been passed by the internal and external verifiers, you will be awarded your certificate or diploma by City & Guilds. This can take a few weeks at peak times.

what are the distance learner days?

The Distance Learner Days are designed to give extra support for students who are completing the course by correspondence. They are run throughout the year, and give our distance learners the opportunity to meet other students, work in our studios, have face to face tutorials, and catch up on any course or project work, in a supportive environment. Please see the Distance Learner dates on our website. Here are some further details:

Distance Learner Days run from 10.00am to 4.00pm
places for the Distance Learner Days will be open to all City & Guilds correspondence students, and will be booked on a 'first-come, first-served' basis (booking details will be available when enrolled)
we need a minimum of 4 students for each Distance Learner Day to run
if we need to cancel the day, we aim to give at least 2 weeks' notice
you can come to as many Distance Learner Days as you want
the purpose of the Distance Learner Days is for you to bring in your own work , and to catch up on any design or stitch techniques that you may be uncertain about; you also have the opportunity to have a one to one tutorial

what happens if I can't come to a distance learner day?

The Distance Learner Days are not compulsory – it is up to you if you want to attend them or not, and we appreciate it is not always possible or appropriate for our long distance/overseas students to attend.

what happens if I want extra support?

A one to one tutorial service is offered to all stitchbusiness students, by arrangement. The cost is £25 per hour. Many students take up this offer to have private, individual mentoring and feedback on their work.

when can I apply?

At stitchbusiness we accept applications throughout the year for all of our courses. Start dates for Level 1 courses are variable, but all Level 2 and Level 3 courses start in September each year.

how do I apply for a city & guilds course?

If you are interested in applying for on of our City & Guilds courses please:

fill in our application form, which can be downloaded here
send us a CD of 15-20 images (or printed photos) of your recent work – which are non returnable, this helps us see what your strengths/favoured techniques are
include a £10 payment (£12 overseas students) for the process of your application, which is a non-refundable fee

We regularly meet to discuss applications, and will let you know as soon as we can if your application has been successful.

how much does it cost?

the costs for each individual course are listed under fees
registration with City & Guilds, logbook and certification costs are included in our fees
upon a successful application, you will be sent a Payment Plan from stitchbusiness, which will detail when and how much your instalments will be
each Distance Learner Day is free to our correspondence students
individual tutorials can be arranged at our standard rate of £25 per hour, for students wanting or needing extra support
the costs for sending work to and from stitchbusiness will be borne by the student
there is a £10 processing fee for each application (£12 for overseas students)

how can I pay?

We accept payments by cash, cheques, bank transfers and via paypal.

where is STITCHBUSINESS?

We are based on the riverside in the heart of Durham City, with full disabled access, and within a few minutes' walk from the national rail station, bus routes (including park & ride) and city centre car parks. A map for Fowlers Yard can be found on the contact us page of our website.