For the last few years I have packed up my car boot several times a week and carried 4 sewing machines and all of my other kit down to the local theatre. I once counted over 15 bags of fabric, wadding and sewing samples! I have taught over 300 classes at Ilkley Playhouse and gained so many loyal customers. The management were amazingly supportive to me as a new business and allowed me flexible times and low rental. I am very grateful, especially to the late Walter Swan who encouraged me to give it a go. Joining the Entrepreneurial Spark programme in February this year was a big step forward for me. It made me realise that in order to...
I have had a really enjoyable Me Made May. It is the first time I have joined in with an online project like this, but I am sure it won't be my last. The idea is to wear a handmade item each day for the month of May. Some people record this with photos across social media, but it is much more about celebrating what you have stitched/ knitted, and discovering what lots of other creative people are up to in your local area, and across the globe. I have sewn a lot in recent years but often I finish a project and then pop it in the wardrobe and go back to my default, comfortable clothes. I do the...
I first met Karen Lewis a couple of years ago at the fabulous Chirpy store in Leeds. Karen had just published her book Screenprinting at Home and had an open workshop to give the basic techniques a go. Last November I also enjoyed a full day workshop at Karen's home studio with some of my quilt-loving friends. (My rather wonky logo templates ready for screen printing!) Karen is incredibly busy at the moment. She is working as a fabric designer for Robert Kaufman and this week she announced that she will be teaching and lecturing at Quilt Con 2017 in Savannah, USA. She has also set up The Thread House with Jo Avery and Lynne Goldsworthy to release patterns...
I am very pleased to have written a guest blog post for one of my favourite shops The Village Haberdashery. I first went there in 2013 and was giddy to see so many beautiful fabrics and patterns all under one roof. I also did a workshop there with my friends on a girly weekend down South the following summer, and I always try to visit when I am in London. The post is my top tips for sewing with double gauze. It is a lovely, soft fabric to wear but I have discovered a few things along the way and, most importantly I hope that you can learn from my mistakes! My most recent make is a Tilly and the...
Hello everybody, Here is a link to my interview in this month's Sew Magazine. I was very excited to pop down to my local shop and pick up a copy this morning, though it cost me a small fortune once all of the kids had also picked a magazine each. I am also going to have a go at the free dress pattern with some linen for summer as I doodled something with a similar neckline in my notebook not long ago. Coming up soon on the blog I have an interview with fabric designer and printmaker Karen Lewis so don't forget to sign up for updates. Please also stop by my shop whilst you are here - I am...
