Blog — Jenni Smith RSS



My first trip to Quilt Market

Three years ago I wrote a little wish list for 2017 in my notebook (my 40th year) and at the top it said "visit Quilt Con with a purpose". I didn't make it to Savannah in February as we were in the middle of a house renovation, but I have just got back from my first Spring Quilt Market in St Louis, Missouri.  Market is essentially a trade show for businesses in the quilting world where shop owners and distributors buy for the next seasons. It is hosted in Houston every Autumn and moves around US cities in the Spring.  It was a huge opportunity to see how the industry works and to meet people, many who I have only...

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The mission behind Jenni Smith Studio patterns

The mission Nothing beats the feeling of saying "I made it myself",  yet 7 out of 10 young people don't know how to sew a button on. For a good 30 years these basic life skills have been completely scrapped from education, in the UK at least.  I am one of the forgotten generation who did not learn how to sew at school. I am a self-taught dressmaker who loves having the ability to create unique, well-made clothes that reflect my personality and style. I have taught over 250 people to sew in the past 5 years so releasing patterns seems like a natural progression. The aim is to try and help people gain the skills and confidence to build their...

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Jammy Jenni turns 40

Tomorrow, on New Year's Eve, I will turn 40.  I thought I would reflect on 2016, the first full year of sharing my sewing related adventures through this blog.  Firstly, thank you to everyone who has read it. I am not bombarded with comments but I can see in my page analytics that many come and take a look, and I really do appreciate it! It has been a year for going out of my comfort zone, starting with me joining the Entrepreneurial Spark programme in February. To begin with I felt very out of my depth discussing financial forecasts and all of the rest. However,  I also felt like I was amongst people with the same mindset as me,...

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All you need to know about sewing with two-way sequins

I was a bit over excited on our last trip to Empress Mills when I discovered the magic sequin fabric they have in stock. I had seen a Facebook video showing how this fabric changes colour when you stroke it, but I hadn't quite realised how cool it would be in real life. The excitement was enough to encourage me to overcome my fear of sewing sequins and try and run up something in time for the party season.  So I came away with three-quarters of a metre of bronze (turning to silver) fabric and a plan to make a simple skirt. This fabric has stretch so I knew I could eliminate a zip and waistband from the start.  I used...

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Jenni Smith Ltd is born and Beyond Magazine Feature

A lot has been happening behind the scenes in recent weeks. I have opened my new studio space and started to fill up all of my classes for the Autumn. I have also registered as a Limited Company, put in several trademark applications and started working on my branding and packaging.    My first garment patterns are in production (yippee) and this is a stage which I worried I might never get to.  It's very easy to have an idea, but to make it become reality takes a lot of work and even more bravery.  I think everybody is afraid of failure, and also the unknown but I am trying to not get too distracted by fear! I have also...

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