Claire Bessel

My lessons are hands-on, interactive, and tailored to your learning style.

I teach the technical aspects of weaving and other textile construction techniques alongside how fabrics, yarns, and fibres behave—and break down complex concepts into practical, understandable parts. Whether you’re studying for A-levels, a degree, or just improving your skills, I focus on building both technical knowledge and creative confidence.

For online lessons, I structure each session with theory, demonstrations and discussion and provide homework to reinforce learning. I often recommend additional reading or exercises to deepen your understanding.

With years of experience teaching in schools, adult education, and 1:1 tutoring, I adapt to your needs and help bridge any knowledge gaps. My goal is to ensure you not only master techniques but also feel confident applying them in your work.

An example introduction lession is: Develop a basic understanding of fabric structure.

In this session we brainstorm fabric construction techniques and I present each of their key features. Then I provide fabric samples for hands on tactile experiencing. Students learn the qualities to look for in determining the construction technique and the student must then use the newly acquired information to identify how a range of fabrics have been constructed. Homework is to look at textiles at home and find examples of different construction techniques. In the following session we discuss the observations the student has made about each fabric, their reasoning (whilst referring back to the key features of each technique) and we discuss any identification challenges that arose. In this session we also look at specific items and why a particular construction technique would have been used.