Hello, my name is Angela and I am a sewing addict!
Welcome to my blog Angel Sews.
I get so carried away and go off at a tangent that I thought it was time to keep a record of projects completed, in progress and on the horizon.
A blog seemed the ideal way forward as there seems such a buzz in the sewing community and it will be great to be able to share my passion/obsession with others.
It did all start when I was very young. The middle of three girls, with very practical parents, I was equally at home with a needle as I was with a power tool. From making dolls clothes to my school uniform (fortunately there are no pictures), to respraying cars and laying drives I tackled anything.
All went quiet when I went to University, then studied to be a Chartered Accountant and had 2 children. I have always had a sewing machine but only used it occasionally for repairs, costumes, home furnishings etc.
Everything changed when my children went to University and I dabbled with knitting, crocheting and jewellery making. A friend recommended a fabric shop as I was looking for some Japanese fabric to cover buttons for a costume jewellery project. I walked into the shop, Patchfinders, and thought I was in heaven.
For the following 2 years, having bought a Janome sewing machine geared towards quilting, I made so many quilts and bags that I didn't know what to do with them. Many went to a suitable home, others remain in "stock".
During a visit to Bambers, to get my sewing machine serviced, I saw an overlocker course run by Lorna Knight of the Lorna Knight Sewing Academy. I had previously bought an overlocker to make curtains for my son's new flat but never really got to grips with using it. Life got even better when I upgraded to the Janome AT2000D.
Meeting Lorna reignited the spark for dressmaking. At her sewing studio outside Leek I did courses in jeans making, bra and lingerie and dress fitting. She recommended Beverly Johnson’s Craftsy (now Bluprint) classes and off I went on another journey into bra making and pattern drafting.
At the same time knit fabrics became more popular and having tried my hand with these I got a Janome coverstitch machine to give my clothes a professional finish.
After seeing one in action at a Lorna class I got the embroidery bug and purchased a Brother embroidery only machine. So I went off in that direction making embroidered t shirts for all the family, decorating towels (and anything else I could practice on), freestanding lace, designing logos for my creations as well as "in the hoop" projects.
Looking for embroidery designs I came across HTV (heat transfer vinyl) for clothing. Researching heat presses I found Cricut and more specifically the Cricut Maker and Easy Press. I had no idea what I was buying but the possibilities are endless. To complement the Maker I added the Sizzix Big Shot Plus.
So, today, I have a room full of fabric, patterns and tools of the trade and not enough time in the day.