Curriculum Vitae

Sarah-Jane Hocking

07971701271

E-mail: sarah-jane.h@hotmail.co.uk

Blog: http://sarah-janehocking.blogspot.com/

Facebook: Sarah-Jane Hocking Embroidery

Personal Statement

BA Hons Textiles graduate specialised in embroidery with a keen interest in hand-dyeing and contemporary quilting. With a strong work ethic, enthusiastic and works well as part of a team and individually. Extremely well organised with excellent time-management skills and always meets deadlines.

Exhibitions:

2012
L’Aiguille en Fête 2012 at Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris, 9^th – 11^th February
Top Drawer Spring/Summer 2012, Earls Court London, 15^th-17^th January
New Designers 2011 at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London 30^th June-2^nd July

2010

Knitting and Stitching Show, Harrogate.

Competitions:

2011

Ugg Australia: Design for a Cause - design a new Ugg boot to raise money for 'The Boys and Girls Clubs of America'. http://bit.ly/u7lSVu. 

New Designer Britain Awards 2012

Hand & Lock prize for embroidery, 2011.

Bradford Textile Society competition: Clothworkers’ Foundation Award – interiors category.

2009

Bradford Textile Society competition

 

Skills

CAD	Basic knowledge of Adobe Photoshop Advanced Adobe Illustrator.
Laser Cutting	Confident use of the Ethos programme.
Amaya	(Computerised sewing machine) Confident use of Design Shop and Amaya OS programmes.
Soft Furnishings	November 2011: Completed a part-time course learning basic construction of curtains, roman blinds, cushions, button-holes and zips.
Presentation	With an eye for detail only the very best will be settled for.
Time Management	Always meet deadlines on time and have developed an effective self-directed study plan to ensure always on top of commitments.
Communication	Working with the public through retail and hospitality roles has reinforced confidence and communication skills.
Young Enterprise Business	As Secretary, organisational, teamwork and communication skills grew. A profit of £400 was established during the short five months of operation.

 Education

2008 – 2011	University of Huddersfield 2:1 BA Hons Textile Crafts specialising in embroidery for interiors.
2006 – 2008	Cardinal Newman College, Preston, Lancashire 4 A Levels including Textiles (A) and Business Studies (B), Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) Level 2, Key Skills Level 2
2001 – 2006	Brownedge St. Mary’s RC High School, Preston, Lancashire GCSE’s: Seven A grades (including Maths, English, Science and Art), Three B grades

Experience

Sept. 2011 – Present	Marks & Spencer - Lingerie Part-time customer assistant and trained bra fitter: problem solving, influencing customers in the right product for their personal needs. Visual Merchandising.
May 2012	Craft Workshops I held a series of workshops with nine year 4 pupils at a local primary school. We created textile ‘Blood Bags’ to support ‘The Blood Bag Project’.
February 2012	L’Aiguille en Fete 2012 A four-day exhibition of final degree fabric collection designs and self-produced home accessories products in Paris. Installing and manning the exhibition in a foreign environment, dealing with language barriers and self-promotion, liaising with press.
January 2012	Top Drawer Spring Summer 2012 A three-day trade show event at London’s Earls Court. Displaying my designs and self-produced home accessories products. Installing and manning the exhibition, liaising with potential buyers and press and self-promoting.
September 2011	Freelance design Approached to produce a hand-drawn design for embroidered interiors textiles by a new business start-up in Italy after meeting the owner at New Designers (See below). My design is available from Cocoon Fabric Art.
July 2011	New Designers 2012 A four-day event at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London. A showcase of the best new design graduates from UK universities. Selected by tutors as one of three from the course of 30 potential graduates. Displaying my designs, self-promoting, liaising with potential employers, buyers and the press, and promoting the university.
June 2011	Craft Workshops During the degree show at the University of Huddersfield I held craft workshops making characters from fruit and vegetables for children aged 4-9 years.
Jul. 2009 – Sept. 2011	Marks & Spencer - Ladies Part-time customer assistant on ladieswear. First-hand experience in retailing, visual merchandising and customer relations.
Sept. 2007 – Sept. 2008	Next Part-time customer assistant. First-hand experience in retailing and customer relations.
Jul. 2005 – Jul. 2009	Shaw Hill Hotel Golf & Country Club Part-time silver-service waitress. Working as part of a large team for function dinners (e.g. weddings & corporate). Leading small teams of staff in service. Customer liaison.

Interests

Textile and fashion publications, browsing the internet for craft blogs, exhibitions and visits to London. A keen traveller hoping to expand cultural knowledge to influence future design collections. At school, appointed to the position of Deputy Head Girl by peers and staff. This followed on from strong charity work founding the school’s CAFOD group. Research and presentation to the school senior management team resulting in successful Fairtrade status. A clarinet player since the age of seven, now at Grade 5 standard.