I really made a splash in the sewing world at the age of 12, when asked in our textiles class to design and make a 6"x6" square decorative cushion. It had to incorporate the use of photo transfer paper, fabric paint, at least two colours, and be something I was passionate about. I'd been watching a lot of films about the Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara with my dad at the time, so it seemed to make sense that I would make red an black revolutionary pillow with the words 'Hasta La Vittoria Siempre' fabric painted onto the front. I'm not sure I got the nuance of the politics at the time but it was certainly a break out moment...

​

I started taking sewing seriously when I studied it with my best friend, after school with our teacher Mrs Hully, amongst cups of orange juice and a pile of custard creams. That year my Mum and Dad bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. It is the same one I use today - we've been through a lot. 

​

It wasn't until I was 22 that I properly uncovered my sewing machine from beneath the stairs. I stitched up 3 dresses that year, from the same pattern, but had to leave my sewing machine behind when I went to study my Masters Degree in Scotland.

​

At 24, leaving academia behind and moving to a city with not very many friends, the sewing begun all at once like a huge wave. I started @GiveHerPockets on instagram to connect to other sewists in April 2019 and it was one of the best decisions I could have made.