About

I’ve always had a love of making things, whether that was cakes, crochet or soap, I always wanted to be creative.

I had my first taste of embroidery in primary school when I back in 1992 making a small table mat with a variety of simple embroidery stitches. When the project was finished we got to make patchwork gym bags out of fabric scraps cut into squares. No lining just bare seams and a drawstring cord to close it. That was my first introduction to sewing with a sewing machine.

In high school, we got to make pencil cases in Home Economics. They even had a fancy sewing machine so you could embroider your name into the case. For those of us that managed to complete the project quickly, we got to make sweatshirts with an overlocker. I was 1 of 4 people that finished in time to make it, but I knew then that I loved sewing.

Back in 2009, I lived in a 110-year-old flat with single glazed windows that were very draughty in the winter. I wanted to make a blanket that was going to be warm for cosy evenings but it had to look good. A little bit of googling later I found quilting and my love for quilting was born there. I had learned to do crochet a few years before that but often got sore hands sitting for hours making stitches. I could never pick up knitting for some reason, it just didn’t click with me, but crochet took me 10 mins and I was off.

I found the Missouri Star Quilt Company on YouTube and watched all of Jenny’s videos in one evening. I was so excited to get started and couldn’t wait!

Luckily for me, there was a local fabric shop beside the office where I worked so I eagerly purchased fabric, a rotary cutter and mat. I bought the first sewing machine I saw and at 8 pm on a Saturday night I sat down to try and make a baby quilt without a clue what I was doing.

I didn’t know how to measure, create a pattern, or how to cut and sew accurately. I didn’t even have a ruler, just a piece of wood. Three hours later, I had a very wonky, oddly sized quilt top that I had no idea what to do with.

Over the next few weeks, I slowly figured things out. I bought a ruler and a 1/4 inch foot for my sewing machine. I followed a few videos and got some advice from the local fabric shop that had a quilting department and managed to produce a baby blanket like this

A bit more research and I found an online quilt-a-long that had finished to make a sampler quilt. It had everything I needed, so I ordered my fabric and supplies and got stuck into making the quilt.

All in all the quilt turned out not too bad for a first proper quilt. I had never made half-square triangles before, and I think my naivety actually benefitted me here because I didn’t doubt I could do it, I just got on with it.

After 2 weeks of making it, I was fed up and just wanted it to be finished. The cold nights were going to be over by the time it was done, so I started rushing, making bad choices and just doing things for the sake of getting it finished.

But I finished it and it still gets used every now and then. But in the 12 years since I made that quilt, I have learned so much, and in fact I learn something new every time I sit down at my sewing machine.

In my day job, I am singing teacher and I know that I never stop learning about the voice; how it works and how to help singers, and I think the same is true for quilting. You never stop learning and improving and the best thing you can do is to practice. Which means we get to make more quilts (not that we really need any more excuses)!

I started this blog and YouTube channel to share my love of quilting and to try and inspire others to enjoy it as much as I do. 

You can follow along with my journey on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and by subscribing to the newsletter using the sign up below.

Here’s to your quilting journey,

Tom