About us
learn about our team
Our Team
Hawthorne & Heaney is led by a small team of passionate embroidery designers from a range of backgrounds including hand embroidery, digital embroidery design, costume, ceremonial, fashion and art.
With over 20 years of collective experience in the industry, our core team is ready to work with clients on exciting new projects, however challenging. We offer design, consultation, management and production services.
Our vibrant team enjoys experimenting with new embroidery techniques and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with stitch.
Claire
Founder & Owner
Claire is the founder and owner of Hawthorne & Heaney and the London Embroidery School both of which she is very passionate about. After significant development on both companies during the recent lock down hiatus she is very excited for their future. She was dubbed ’embroidery girl’ during her Fashion degree at Kingston University (around 20 years ago!) and hasn’t looked back. Claire founded Hawthorne & Heaney in 2011 and the London Embroidery School in 2013 after seeing a demand for affordable, professional embroidery classes. Her favourite embroidery technique is Gold Work (seeing a magpie theme here with the team) specifically military and ceremonial gold work which she still works with today, making ceremonial pieces for the military and for the Royal Household by hand in London. Being a little bit of an adrenaline junkie in her spare time she enjoys Motorsport with her husband @heaneymotors, horse riding and in massive contrast has taken up a keen interest in gardening after moving out of London to a rural village in Surrey.
Natasha
London Embroidery Schools Creative Director
Natasha not only manages the production of all digital embroidery projects, she has also been the driving force behind the London Embroidery Schools bold steps into the world of digital. Having worked for Hawthorne & Heaney and the London Embroidery School for 7 years, after starting with us as an intern, Natasha just hasn’t been able to get away! After studying foundation at the Chelsea College of Art and her Fashion Degree at the prestigious London College of Fashion, she has developed a bit of a thing for ‘sparkly’ and if you ever need to find her she will be digging about in piles of sequins looking for inspiration. “Taking Time with Tasha” is her crafty you tube channel where she shares videos of her embroidery practice and other projects (check it out here). Though it’s not all arts and crafts, Natasha is also a keen open water swimmer. After enjoying swimming for many years Natasha took the plunge (…) and took it outdoors which makes for a bracing break from the daily detail of embroidery.
Natasha
London Embroidery Schools Creative Director
Natasha not only manages the production of all digital embroidery projects, she has also been the driving force behind the London Embroidery Schools bold steps into the world of digital. Having worked for Hawthorne & Heaney and the London Embroidery School for 7 years, after starting with us as an intern, Natasha just hasn’t been able to get away! After studying foundation at the Chelsea College of Art and her Fashion Degree at the prestigious London College of Fashion, she has developed a bit of a thing for ‘sparkly’ and if you ever need to find her she will be digging about in piles of sequins looking for inspiration. “Taking Time with Tasha” is her crafty you tube channel where she shares videos of her embroidery practice and other projects (check it out here). Though it’s not all arts and crafts, Natasha is also a keen open water swimmer. After enjoying swimming for many years Natasha took the plunge (…) and took it outdoors which makes for a bracing break from the daily detail of embroidery.
Sarah
Office manager, production manager, HR, bookkeeper, LES Class Designer
With us very nearly from the beginning, Sarah studied at the Royal School of Needlework and a Masters in Textiles at Goldsmiths before working 15 years in the industry. Claire and Sarah met at their previous employers and forged a connection that would see Hawthorne & Heaney and the London Embroidery school through one recession and one global pandemic. Being the most organised one of the H&H and LES outfit she is the scaffolding that holds the studio together as office manager, production manager, HR, bookkeeper, LES Class designer and occasionally councilor. She is also the hands behind many of our advanced classes as she also (I know, overachiever) is our professional hand embroiderer for our in house work at H&H. Another of the team with a keen interest in gardening, she likes to grow her own veg at home and isn’t keen on having her picture online. So we have popped in a placeholder of her lovely hand instead!
Connie
Client Relations, Embroidery Machinist, H&H Social Media Manager & Events Co-ordinator
Our front of house representative also gets involved in digital embroidery design & production and events management. With a wealth of different experiences after graduating from Birmingham City University with a first class honours in embroidered textile design, she is now a member of the Hawthorne & Heaney team. Connie has worked in couture bridal embroidery, developed her own embroidered fashion brand ‘Connie’s World’ which she ran for 5 years, returned to her old university as a Visiting Lecturer and even released a book called ‘Customising Clothes with Embroidery’ back in 2022 in which she introduces her favourite technique, free-motion embroidery. Passionate about sustainability, one of Connie’s hobbies is finding hidden gems in charity shops and online resale websites to update and upcycle, which is also the inspiration behind her publication. Outside of fashion and embroidery, Connie is a keen festival goer and will do anything she can for a set of Glastonbury tickets! When she isn’t working for H&H, camping in a festival field or paddle boarding on a lake with her family back in North Wales, she also likes to create stunning portraits of people’s pets in stitch form during evenings and weekends.
Connie
Client Relations, Embroidery Machinist, H&H Social Media Manager & Events Co-ordinator
Our front of house representative also gets involved in digital embroidery design & production and events management. With a wealth of different experiences after graduating from Birmingham City University with a first class honours in embroidered textile design, she is now a member of the Hawthorne & Heaney team. Connie has worked in couture bridal embroidery, developed her own embroidered fashion brand ‘Connie’s World’ which she ran for 5 years, returned to her old university as a Visiting Lecturer and even released a book called ‘Customising Clothes with Embroidery’ back in 2022 in which she introduces her favourite technique, free-motion embroidery. Passionate about sustainability, one of Connie’s hobbies is finding hidden gems in charity shops and online resale websites to update and upcycle, which is also the inspiration behind her publication. Outside of fashion and embroidery, Connie is a keen festival goer and will do anything she can for a set of Glastonbury tickets! When she isn’t working for H&H, camping in a festival field or paddle boarding on a lake with her family back in North Wales, she also likes to create stunning portraits of people’s pets in stitch form during evenings and weekends.
Ellen
Digital Embroidery Machinist
As our machine embroiderer, Ellen has a passion for experimenting with an array of digital embroidery techniques and styles. Having recently graduated with a first class honours in textile design from Nottingham Trent University, she is the newest member of our team. Outside of studying she has had fun getting involved with various competitions – for example, placing as a finalist in the 2022 Hand and Lock prize for embroidery, the Fashanne award for young designers, and has given talks with various embroidery guild groups. Since her family recently moved to the Devonshire coast, Ellen’s own practise has centered around building awareness around sustainability within our seas. From this she loves to create ocean inspired 3D pieces, exploring manipulating sculpture by layering and marrying together intricate beading with digital shapes. Outside of embroidery, Ellen is obsessed with animals and any fluffy dog that comes her way. She also enjoys an array of creative outlets through playing in various orchestras and sinfonias as a violinist, as well as spreading a love for American tap, having been a dance teacher for a number of years.
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If you have a project you want to get started or have a general question you want some clarification on then get in contact with us today and we will get back to you as soon as we can!