About TSIA and Deborah Wirsu
Deborah Wirsu, owner and founder of TSIA, brings over 30 years experience in the arts and crafts world, and 15+ years of running online businesses.
Deborah’s strong history in the creative arts and business, combined with her teaching experience, authorship, positivity, and ‘leave no person behind’ attitude have earned her a dedicated following among her fans.
Thread Sketching in Action began in 2012 with the goal of inspiring quilters and textile artists to break with traditional designs and explore the wonderful world of thread sketching and thread painting.
This site is full of information, tutorials, and resources for complete beginners that will help you achieve your creative stitching goals.
About Deborah Wirsu (the short version)
Deborah Wirsu is a Certified Entrepreneurship and Business Coach with qualifications in Creative Textiles, Music, Freelance Journalism, Editing and Proofreading, Teaching, and (curiously) Medical Administration.
She is a best-selling author and has created several online courses to help people, worldwide, learn the fascinating art of thread sketching, thread painting, and art quilting.
Deborah is the owner and CEO of:
Deborah Wirsu (the full story)
A life of creative adventure through art, music, and writing.
I feel privileged to have been called a pioneer of freestyle thread sketching, having developed a new approach to stitching that had not been seen before.
Although I grew up sewing and crafting, as a teenager, I yearned to become a professional orchestral viola player, a dream I pursued until it became a reality.
Decades spent honing my craft as a viola player, securing a permanent seat in a professional opera and ballet orchestra, followed by a tenure teaching music, were challenging. As life would have it, adversity eventually demanded a change of course, which is when I reawakened my affinity for visual art and writing, propelling me into the realm of blogging and online teaching.
In my 50s, I weathered personal challenges and unexpected upheavals. However, the dream of starting an online business persisted. This unwavering vision paved the way for Thread Sketching In Action — my online platform for providing lessons in creative textile art.
As my reputation grew, I ventured into the world of writing Arts and Crafts books (amongst others). When my first books topped the charts, I knew I’d found another calling.
Living for Today
Age, in my opinion, should never be a deterrent to living life to the fullest. Rather, it serves as a reminder that the time for action is now, before it slips away.
This website and its resources are designed to help you on your creative journey.
I don’t always follow conventional routes, and I encourage students to explore new methods and push personal boundaries. Some might call me stubborn, but I firmly believe we should travel our own path and not blindly trail along behind others.
What you’ll learn here…
Use this site to learn all about thread sketching, thread painting, and freestyle appliqué techniques.
Find information for how to get started, tips for the best tools and resources, and inspirational articles.
Affiliate Disclosure
Thread Sketching In Action (TSIA) is both a resource full of free information and articles, but it is also my business, so please expect that some hyperlinks are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission (at no further expense to you) if you click through and purchase the product. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This is one of the ways I support myself and continue to bring you content and information. The decision about whether to buy a product or not is completely up to you. My reviews and recommendations give my honest opinion on the products or services mentioned, but make no claim to how well they will work for you. You can read my full Affiliate Disclosure and Privacy Policy via these links.
Books for Textile Artists
I have a range of books for textile artists available from Amazon or your favourite online bookstore.
Facts and Curiosities…
- I have formal qualifications in Freelance Journalism, Editing and Proofreading, Music (Performance and Teaching), Creative Textiles, and (curiously) Medical Administration.
- I’m a Certified Entrepreneurship, Business, and Life Coach.
- 4 x Amazon Best-selling author with eight (and growing) self-published books.
- My art has been exhibited and sold worldwide.
- Featured in the School of Stitched Textiles (UK) Inspiring Artists series; Quilting Arts magazine; and Quilting Arts Companion magazine.
- Commissioned to design and make bespoke art quilts and thread paintings.
- Keynote speaker at quilting functions and seminars.
- Self-employed for 15+ years.
- Multi-disciplinary niche market business owner.
- Founder and owner of ThreadSketchingInAction.com, DeborahWirsu.com, and SpoonbillPress.com.
- I started my career as a professional orchestral musician and instrumental music teacher. Since then, I’ve taught writing, editing and proofreading, ESL, creative textiles, music, and digital business strategies.
- I call Melbourne, Australia home.
- I love to: travel, read, write, keep fit, create art, and play music.
- Occasionally, I’ll go off on a tangent, doing something completely different — life would be so boring if we never stepped outside of the norm! There are so many fascinating things to do and ideas to explore, so why stop?
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