The Potted Bio

The embarrassing bit, where I write about myself...

I love anything to do with art - I can remember that I drew before I could read and write, and my mother assured me that I could draw before I could walk or talk (none too sure about that one!)

I do remember her teaching me how to embroider (very wobbly satin stitch and a rather better buttonhole stitch) when I was around 5.  When I was around 7 years old, I fell in love with French Knitting (with one of those funny little wooden dolls with nails around the top) and created miles of multicoloured woollen string - I never really did anything with it but I did enjoy the process of making it. This activity took up a lot of school playtimes and lunch hours - when I wasn't beating the boys playing marbles.

This progressed to little gusseted felt animals stuffed with kapok - dogs and elephants were my favourite. Aged 10, all my Christmas presents that year were felt animals and oven gloves - my maternal grandmother kept hers until the day she died! (I was SO touched). My paternal grandmother taught me to crochet, and I taught myself patchwork. I never really got on with knitting though: too long to finish a row.

Age 14, I made my first skirt (with one of those old Singer hand-operated machines) and then progressed to an electric machine.

Once I learnt to sew, my father stopped buying me clothes - and gave me fabric instead! Many a night I sat up until 2.00am finished an outfit to wear the following day. So I've been drawing and painting and sewing every since.

I went to Trent Poly in the 70s but got married instead of finishing my art degree.

From running a small antique stall on Portobello Road Market in London at the weeknd, selling vintage jewellery, I taught myself how to refurbish and repair it.. progressing to owning my own company in the '80s and '90s. This specialised in handmade pearl and crystal jewellery and hair accessories (beaded & embroidered head bands etc) which I had to give up due to RSI (threading seed pearls are killers for the hands). So from the jewellery, I switched to designing and making traditional nightwear and robes.

Then ... full circle... back to the paper arts and bookbinding etc. And blogging (I'm addicted)!

I'm also designing a stamp range for BladeRubber Stamps.

Here's what I'm up to now...