Susan Fletcher of Alderspring Design in British Columbia, Canada has just taken delivery of the new Autumn range of Colourshott (thank you FedEx!):
Susan’s speciality is Sashiko. She shares the technique on her blog A Threaded Needle, which is also her retail site for Oakshott fabrics. She is now getting ready to introduce the range to you all at the Creative Stitches exhibitions in Edmonton (12-13 Sep) and Calgary (26-27 Sep).
Designer Chatt: SusanClaire of Gourmet Quilter, NZ
When we heard that SusanClaire – the fantabulous designer and maker of the Lock Gate quilt – had forsaken her idyll in New Zealand for a few months exploring English waterways and visiting the Quilter’s Haven we grabbed the chance of a chat.
To begin at the beginning:
- she’s been sewing since she was five years old, but the teddy she embroidered and the doll’s clothes she made have long gone;
- as part of a travelling family she covered the globe (on holiday from boarding school, which she went to aged eight); but got off the family train in Australia, where she met her husband with whom she emigrated to New Zealand aged 20;
- she’s been teaching sewing and quilting for 30 years and lives over the shop/studio/classroom south of Wellington, where she still runs classes on demand;
- her small shop offers fabrics and patterns (and has been online for patterns some years now, so don’t despair that she’s not actually there).
Inspirational bits:
- have machine will travel; SusanClaire uses a Bernina 550QE on a SewEzi sewing table (see picture, looks like a giant quilt hung up behind her), and she obviously wouldn’t be without it [anybody out there travelled further with their machine?];
- she loves to use a whole variety of new fabrics, no old bits in her stash then; and isn’t it great when passion and business come together?
- a notebook with square paper accompanies her everywhere and she is forever scribbling and doodling – especially when she wakes up at midnight and wants to do something;
- she’s also a great fan of Electric Quilt software when it comes to designing.
Why is SusanClaire the Gourmet Quilter? Because her chosen craft is:
Fat free, sugar free, cholesterol free and full of fibre.
Sharing colour since 2010
We first met Fiona across a crowded exhibition aisle in February 2010 and have been having fun with her approach to sewing ever since!
Fiona Pullen runs the online sewing directory as a central UK online platform for sewing businesses to promote themselves and as a one stop site for people who love sewing so they can find details of suppliers, sewing workshops, free projects, sewing techniques, industry news, competitions, events etc.
She gets 60-70,000 visitors a month so she gets plenty of offers to contribute content, particularly if it involves free fabric 
since they get to keep and enjoy what they make. For instance there’s a husband wearing this tie to work now and loving it.
It was designed by keen crafter Miriam Faulkner. You can find Miriam blogging at moremiriam. Instructions are on the sewing directory site.
This was one of two projects The Sewing Directory ran as a fabric challenge with Oakshott. Fiona shared the details of the fabrics on her site and invited people to submit ideas of what they would make with them. She then chose her two favourite ideas and sent them the fabric to make up their items and write the tutorials (go to her original post here).
The second project was a perfect little evening bag (instructions here) by Anna Wilson (you can find more projects from her on her blog www.awilson.co.uk or find her handmade products on Etsy.
