DCG Success Stories

Enrolling on Derby College Group’s crafting course in Ilkeston has helped adult learner Selina Charlton discover another engaging new hobby in retirement. 

Selina, a former business development manager, was already a keen sewer but has always been interested in trying different creative crafts. 

She said: “Sewing and dressmaking has always been my escape, and I still enjoy doing that with a circle of friends I’ve known for years.  

“Joining the Derby College level 1 crafting course last September though, introduced me to crafts I’d never tried before.  

“In the first week we did ragwork, something I’d always wanted to do, then we moved on to embossing tin cans.  

“I learned a lot. Using the colour wheel, for instance, made me see why certain contrasting colours go well together, which was something I hadn’t known about before.  

“I love things like that. I wore a corporate hat for so many years, and the course has presented me with a new challenge.” 

And Selina put her newfound crafting know-how into a college project influenced by a recent trip to Iceland – a country renowned for its traditional thick handknitted jumpers. 

Selina added: “I loved digging into a country’s culture for inspiration then sharing my ideas with the course tutors.  

“It’s nice to get feedback from them and the other people on my course. I think I’ll be moving on to level 2.”   

Selina set up Cloth and Candle, a sewing and candle making hobby business, just last year after retiring from a career in international logistics.  

Drawing upon the new crafting skills she’s learned at college, she’s extended her product range to include handmade items such as e-reader cases, cosmetic bags and rag wreaths which she sells via her Etsy online shop.  

Selina also exhibits at craft fairs, posting images on Instagram of the makes she’ll be selling in the run up to an event.