The Beginning..

When I was at school I hated sewing.

It was a compulsory subject until 3rd form when you were allowed to change subjects, and I opted for learning Spanish instead!

My greatest achievements up to then were a PE drawstring bag and a cookery apron both made of regulation, school colour, green gingham, and both hand sewn. I never mastered the hand, eye and foot co-ordination needed to work one of the school treadle machines and was therefore delegated to the hand sewing corner. The mysteries of back stitch and double cord on the PE bag were an anathema to me, but I remember very clearly the regulation white aertex sports shirt, navy blue regulation PE knickers (with legs in them!) and the white lace up plimsolls stamped with “Made in India” on their soles and bought on the market for five shillings. We had never heard of Nike or Reebok trainers and what our PE mistress would have made of “thongs”, well least said. I am pleased to report that the PE bag lasted throughout my senior schooling but was not the motivation to start me sewing!

My mother made all the clothes for myself and my sister when we were growing up and bought for herself a then state of the art, green, Bernina, electric, sewing machine. This was a real electric sewing machine and not a converted treadle, and was the beginning of sewing basics. We learned to make our own clothes, emulating the trendy Boutiques of Carnaby street London, as high street stores that the youngsters take for granted now were just not available to us.

Moving On..

The turning point for me, was taking a two year City and Guilds course in 2000 which changed my perspective on sewing forever. The course opened my eyes, literally to the way I now perceive, and interpret colour, form and medium in general. During the same period, I was invited to attend a day workshop with Val Thomas making a panel of Double Irish Chain block piecing, something I had never done before so nothing like going in at the deep end! Like many of us it was the catalyst to get me hooked.

My first exhibition piece was made in 2004 when I entered the South West Challenge at Exeter, WestPoint, with a quilt based on the theme of “The four seasons.” This was the first piece that I won an award for and remains one of my favourites and so it seemed logical to use it as the header for my web-site. Since then I have continued to enter pieces for various shows and I would like to think that my horizons continue to expand. I have never been interested in making bed quilts and have moved more towards art quilts over the years. My roots are still firmly in traditional patterns and design and I try to incorporate these in my own way but in a way that is still recognisable to most of us. I only quilt and piece by machine and still fight shy of the dreaded hand work which I can only presume is a legacy of “that PE bag!”

I hope you enjoy looking at some of my work and at some of the “behind the scenes moments” during the making of them.