No Rules Member Spotlight - Sophia Roberts

I come from a family of formidable needlewomen and artists. Whilst in my case, much of this talent skipped a generation (!) I nevertheless inherited a passion for making art.

I would have applied to Art School, but my art teacher advised me that I wouldn’t get in because I didn’t have the sort of talent they were looking for. For one thing, I couldn’t draw!

That said, he kept a piece of my art on his classroom wall for years!

I made my children’s clothes and became proficient at hooking, crocheting and folding origami, despite being medically retired with MS in my early 40s. And when suffering from an acute relapse some 15 years later, I discovered a flair for art journalling.

It wasn’t until we moved to Teignmouth that I began to consider how I could pursue art journalling with fabric and stitch. I confess that this interest arose because I no longer had a room where I could make a mess. Ergo, I needed to keep paint off the carpet!

And so, shortly after my husband retired, a new and exciting phase of my life began when he bought me a digital sewing machine for my 60th birthday. Whilst I now had an all-singing, all-dancing machine, capable of embroidering text, I didn’t have a clue how to use it. And then, after some basic lessons, I needed to learn how to machine embroider.

So, in the autumn of 2020, I signed up with the School of Stitched Textiles for a Level 2 course. I thought I could manage this, because I’d already worked my way through their Beginner Course and managed it.

I enjoyed the Level 2 course so much that I didn’t hesitate to sign up for the Level 3 course. But, after completing the first module, I realised I had made a dreadful mistake: I was exhausted. Not only was I not well enough to continue, I couldn’t cope with the demands of the course, because I had insufficient sewing machine experience.

I had no choice but to withdraw.

After I was diagnosed with two (!) more chronic illnesses in 2022/3 I was unable to undertake anything of significance for a while. I fiddled around with various projects, and I signed up for a lot of courses, two of which were taught by Isobel Moore and Gina Ferrari.

They had a podcast called ‘Izzy and Gina in Stitches’ that ran for two years. I wasn’t a regular listener, but I did tune in

for Jayne Emerson’s guest appearance. I was intrigued by someone who described herself as an Impatient Textile Rebel! Without listening to the episode again, I can’t recall exactly what she said, but I remember that making samples—and not things—really appealed; as did her 'suitcase of wrongness’! I’m paraphrasing, but her advice to “Stop trying to do all the things—it doesn’t work,” was just what I needed to hear.

I immediately looked at Jayne’s courses and was intrigued by No Rules Patchwork. I could manage this, and indeed I could—I’ve cut work up and rearranged it ever since I can remember. Jayne was—and is—the teacher I wish I’d encountered years ago.

Anyone who advises me to, “Embrace the wobble” has earned my lifelong devotion. I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, let alone sew one. I’m not joking!

It didn’t take me long to realise that there was a wealth of resources to be had, were I to sign up and become a member of her group, the No Rules Textiles Society, and I did. I’ve never looked back.

I’m neurodivergent divergent so I can’t manage the Zoom calls, but when I can, I watch the recordings. I’ve now attended several meetings—IRL—and been blown away by how incredibly friendly everyone is. And talented, I might add! I typically use the NRTS prompts as a steer to explore a medium or a technique.

They are invaluable.

I’m tempted to say that I still feel like an impostor. But, after buying Jayne’s course Water Soluble Magic and using my work on that course to form the body of an exhibition—where I sold a lot of my work—I think I’ve qualified!

The piece Foxgloves Rising was hard-won, but I consider it typical of my style; I often go over a substrate repeatedly until the art appears (!)

Even before joining No Rules my focus was definitely on making ‘things’. I’m tempted to say it’s in my DNA, although when I taught Creative & Expressive Arts in health settings and prisons, it was my job to promote process as much as product!

Now, thanks to No Rules, I’m much more inclined to practice what I used to preach: I experiment and ask, “What if?” My health limits the time I can spend ‘playing’, but in many ways it’s a more productive use of my time—and less wasteful too. I’m not committing all my resources at once.

I’ve acquired a lot of resources and equipment since joining No Rules. I now have two (!) sewing machines and an embellisher. I’ve acquired a lot more fabric and haberdashery.

I also possess a large collection of charity shop finds and family heirlooms that I’ve put aside because of their potential, either for inclusion in my textile work, or because they look like gel plate fodder! In short I have become a collector of all sorts of things that I would never have acquired before joining NR: abandoned packaging, a pile of miscellaneous ‘debris’ that only I could find interesting, desiccated foliage, every single scrap of fabric or stray thread and, and, and…

The first NR prompt I tackled was Expand. When a fellow member said that fabric sprayed with Tetrial Magic behaved like paper, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

I used my origami skills to fold an expanding wall! I’m not sure if I have a favourite prompt, but this would be in my top ten.

My work is not normally as precise as this. I work intuitively, which usually means that anything I produce solves a problem I’ve set myself up for; the result could be described as a ‘resolved’ mess!

Unfortunately, planning anything in advance invariably doesn’t do it for me. I was always the sort of student who wrote her essay first, and her plan second!

Without a background in sewing, I have inevitably learnt a LOT of new techniques since joining. And whilst I have never set out to consciously mix-up techniques, looking back at my work I can see that I have on many occasions—in order to ‘save’ my work!

Currently, I’m in the wars again, post-surgery for cancer. When I felt well enough, at the end of January 2025, I thought undertaking the 100 Day Project would give me the kick-start I needed.

It was ideal—there’s nothing like the buzz of instant gratification! I used Jayne’s course, ‘Gel Printing On and With Textiles’ and produced several ‘keepers’.

I was only 7 days off completing the challenge when ill health struck again. I now needed to do something that I could either do sitting up in bed or reclining with my feet up.

As needlework work is not my forté (!) my interest was piqued when I learnt that Drew Steinbrecher was running a week-long Digital Art Summit. I had always wanted to learn how to use Procreate—I’d bought it years ago and had never used it.

I was hooked from day one! The potential to use my own photographs, gel prints, textiles, etc, to make digital art is so exciting. It’s helped to make me feel a little less disappointed about pulling out of the No Rules Retreat in September.

Whilst I’m out of action, I rather fancy designing fabric. I’m also looking forward to being in a position to print my more abstract digital artwork on fabric to enhance it with stitching.

Mind, if there’s an opportunity to take up where I left off before, I won’t hesitate to take it up. I might lack stamina, but I have lots of ideas!

For instance, I’d like to use NRTS prompts to explore the potential of using Pan Pastels with the gel plate; my initial forays look promising!

But, hey, I’m a born rebel who never gives up! Which is why the permissive membership of No Rules has enabled me to become the artist I always dreamt of becoming.

It’s shaped my creative journey, and I know it will continue to do so for many years to come.

Follow Sophia's art journey over on Instagram here

And continue to be inspired by her Manifesto below...