I’ve sewn forever! Starting as a child I watched my mum, Jan, making soft furnishings for some of the great and good: you can still admire her handiwork in grand homes in the Lake District.

 

My sewing skills were nurtured as a hobby during an international career in nursing before I turned full-time to quilts in 2008. After a teaching course I embarked on a new career as a quiltmaker-tutor.

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I’ve taught hundreds of students all over England; there have been awards - one of my quilts was commended as ‘Exquisite’ at the prestigious Great Northern Quilt Show in Harrogate.

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There have been extraordinarily challenging commissions including one celebrating the stellar career of a GB swimmer; another featured Premier League stardom! There have also been special challenges: the severely damaged heirlooms painstakingly dismantled and repaired by hand, restoring a priceless family link.

 

And my favourites? I just adore simple, free-flowing expressive designs: There’s usually a hint of William Morris somewhere in my own quilts!

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Three years ago, a friend asked if I would be able to create a bespoke bag from Yorkshire Tweed and a new strand of activity took off! 

 

Then, as the pandemic brought lockdown – and with it a desperate shortage of PPE – I turned my hand to helping. It started with a swift supply of handmade masks for neighbours near the studio and then a small local distribution network was established.

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While the masks are much needed now, it’s the quilts and teaching that remain my first love and will continue. I still lead – safely distanced – small quilt classes, always wearing one of my masks!