I sometimes wonder when I first became a sewer. I know I was quite a young girl. My first recollections are of the dressmaker my Mother used for her clothes, & ours (my 2 sisters & I) if we were lucky enough to be dressing up for a special occasion, which required 3 pretty matching outfits. Then it would be off to Mrs Richards, for fittings, & special girly times for us. For me this was the start of my love of fabrics & design. No not patchwork, dressmaking! I would never pass up an opportunity to drive to fittings with Mum, sitting quietly taking in every word that passed over Mrs Richards' lips. Straight skirt, full skirt, fitted bodice, zip or buttons. So many choices, this lady was creative, & how I admired her work. It was'nt long before I was sewing my own clothes & for others as well.
It seems, looking back, I was always going down the "Needle & Thread Path", thanks to my Mother & Mrs Richards.
I progressed to making all sorts of clothing, including formal & wedding gowns. Childrens clothing come when my two little ones arrived and I sewed for them as they grew. I was always creating something. Eventually my interest turned to hand embroidery, wool & ribbon work, candlewicking, smocking, anything to satisfy my creative mind.
While sewing for my granchildren I combined handwork with machine for their clothes, & discoverd my love of applique.
While I had dabbled in baby quilts, mainly applique, with polyester wadding, Yuk!! My friend Helen introduced me to patchwork. I admired her quilts intently, & while I knew I would love it, I felt too busy to start something new at the time.
Finally, when I did make my quilt with Helen, patchwork slotted easily into my busy life, & dressmaking is for the most part, a thing of the past now.
In the year 2000, I opened Boatshed Quilting in Lakes Entrance. By this time I was designing & creating quilts, bags, & many other small patchwork items. In 2002 Robyn became my business partner in the shop & we worked together for 8 wonderful years. During that time I taught classes & started my pattern line, designing projects for our Annual Retreats, Mystery Weekends, Block of the Month Quilts & Regular Workshops.
Since closing the shop, I am now teaching regular classes, & continuing to update my patterns. My aim is to share with my students all that I have learned & hopefully pass on the absolute pleasures of patchwork & quilting.
My husband Noel has retired & is free to travel with me for my classes. We are enjoying this special time in our lives & I look forward to continuing the patchwork journey.
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