Susannah Weiland is a contemporary hand embroidery artist living and working in Richmond upon Thames, UK. Inspired by the colours, textures and fleeting light of the natural world, she creates hand embroidered artworks that move between the figurative and the abstract — with nature as a constant thread.

Her figurative work combines tonal pencil drawing with delicate hand stitching, building detailed studies of birds and wildlife from a drawn foundation. Her abstract pieces take a different path: stitching directly into leather to create richly textured surfaces that translate observed moments of light and landscape into pure mark and thread. Every piece is unique and made entirely by hand.

Susannah discovered her passion for art early, beginning formal training on an Art & Design foundation course before graduating from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in Graphic Design. She spent 23 years as a graphic and textile designer in the fashion industry, developing her embroidery practice alongside her career before committing to it full time.

Awards & Recognition

In 2021, Susannah was awarded a QEST Scholarship — one of the most prestigious awards available to a British craftsperson — to study technical hand embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework. The following year she received a Newby Trust Award at Cockpit Studios. In 2024 she was selected as an artisan for Homo Faber, the Michelangelo Foundation’s showcase of the finest European craft, placing her work alongside some of the most accomplished makers on the continent.

Susannah is a registered maker with the Crafts Council and a member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen. In 2026 she was awarded an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant.

Exhibitions

Her work has been shown at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (2021), the Bath Society of Artists Annual Exhibition (2022 and 2025), The Broderers’ Exhibition (2022 and 2025), and the Royal Cambrian Academy Open Exhibition (2023). She has also exhibited internationally at ICFF in New York, and at London Craft Week, the London Design Festival and Decorex.

Collectors and interior designers seeking original hand embroidered artwork or bespoke commissions are welcome to get in touch.