I have been sewing and stitching my whole life, having been introduced and encouraged by my Mum who was an exquisite dressmaker and embroiderer. Having graduated from Teachers’ College and later university in Brisbane, I spent many years teaching in primary schools in southeast Queensland before deciding to leave the teaching profession. My teaching now is limited to patchwork, quilting and stitchery. Much less stressful!

Home is on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with my husband Lance (lovely), 2 teenage sons Simon and Rowan (why are teenagers so stressful?), poodle Peat (named after a peat bog cos he’s black, or at least he used to be – I may need to change his name to Smokey soon) and cat Charcoal (also black and not fading in colour despite being the same age as Peat).