I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember — quite literally from the time I was old enough to hold a needle.

I grew up watching my mum sew clothes for me, and before long I was making things of my own. By my early teens I was designing and sewing my own clothes, usually without a commercial pattern. As the years went by, my love of sewing grew into a career, with a particular focus on home furnishings and soft furnishings.

I went on to study curtain making and soft furnishings as an adult, learning how to work with everything from curtains and cushions to blinds and lampshades. I later ran my own bespoke soft-furnishings business, taught adult sewing classes and workshops, and was even invited back to teach the very course I had once taken myself.

Over more than four decades of sewing, teaching and creating, I’ve learnt that knowing how to sew is only part of the story. Understanding your fabric, choosing the right materials and knowing why a particular technique works can make all the difference between struggling with a project and enjoying the process.

That’s why I’ve created these online classes.

My aim is to take the things that can sometimes seem confusing — fabrics, threads, techniques, measurements and all those little decisions that come with sewing for the home — and explain them in a clear, practical and approachable way.

Whether you’re completely new to sewing or simply want to build your confidence and understand your materials better, I hope my classes will help you feel more comfortable at your sewing machine and, most importantly, enjoy making things for your home.

After all, there’s something rather special about creating something with your own hands.

So, grab your fabric, thread your needle and let’s get stitching.