I was born and raised in the market town of Derby, home of Royal Crown Derby, Rolls-Royce and Thorntons chocolates. (I’d rank Birds the Bakers amongst them too but its doubtful many people will have of heard of them outside the area!)

I left school at 16, much to the disgust of my head mistress but started work for Rolls-Royce Aero-Engines as a clerical trainee. But this steady solid job suitable for any young girl was rapidly turned upside down when I was invited to become a technical apprentice. I really enjoyed this time in my life and learnt a range of skills such as milling, turning and welding as well as technical drawing and basic design engineering.  Skills that in the mid 70’s, were not necessarily considered so suitable for a girl!  Non-the-less I completed my apprenticeship and went on to study at degree level and qualify as a Power Engineer. Some years later I completed a post-graduate Msc in Advanced Manufacturing Technology whilst working for multi-national company IBM. 

During my corporate career I was lucky enough to travel and experience many cultures but by the mid 90’s family life took priority and my husband and I decided it was the right time for me to stop work.  Oh if only I knew what was ahead of me!  Stop work I did not - change careers I did! 

By the late 90’s an overseas assignment to the USA with my husbands job enabled me to find ‘quilting’ and in 2000 we returned home to the South of England with a longarm quilting system!

Trained by Beryl Cadman of Custom Quilting I spent the next 3 years working a lonagrm business. Hard work in those days as much of the time was spent educating a new European market about this specialist area.  With the arrival of baby no 4 in late 2003 and the growing demands of family life I closed my business to spend more time with them.  But of course I did not stop sewing!

In 2006 I was a co-founder of the European Machine Quilters Expo held in Castletownbere in Southern Ireland each year. This expo was set up to promote and educate a growing longarm community. I still teach at this venue each year although I am no longer  part of the administration team.

In 2008 I qualified as an accredited judge with the Quilters Guild of the British Isles. This 2 year course with a stringent art based educational foundation has opened up a whole new area of interest for me.  I would like to spend more time working on Art Quilts. In the meantime I am currently available as a patchwork and lonagrm teacher. I also design and digitise quilting designs, accept both full quilt and longarm commissions and run a small on line shop with completed textile items called Chubby Mummy.

For further information contact Tracey here