The designer

In the Folds - photo 1.jpg

I'm a Sydney-based designer maker who has been sewing for as long as I can remember. At the very beginning of my sewing journey, I fell in love with the new-found ability to turn a two dimensional piece of cloth into a three dimensional object that fits the body with an array of tucks and seams. I have been exploring that principle in one way or another ever since.

My background is in fashion design - I hold a Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textiles - from Sydney’s UTS, where I spent four years honing my skills in pattern making and construction. So involved in my studies, and the plan to start a career in the fashion industry, I had no idea that there was a flourishing online sewing community, until I accidentally stumbled upon it a couple of years after finishing university. I had moved to London and the move had made me really think about what I wanted to do long-term. Fashion no longer felt like the right fit for me as I had realised that a career in fashion would mean disconnecting myself from the hands-on side of making - the thing I loved the most. With a path that was a bit of a zig-zag (the best stories aren’t ever straight lines, right?), I decided to return to where it all started for me - the world of home sewing.

IMG_0006.jpg

In the Folds came from a love of the creative making process, and the dream to share this experience with others. I now spend my time making thoughtful and detail-rich sewing patterns and resources for modern makers. Taking things slowly is in the foundations of my business, as I believe it’s important to take my time to create work that makers will love and cherish, and hopefully take their time with too. I aim to create patterns that makers can keep coming back to, season after season, regardless of changes in trends.

I love taking the concepts and techniques required to sew garments and making them as simple as possible. I believe that sewing great garments is just about learning the basic principles (sewing a seam) and then applying it over and over - in different ways, shapes and forms. Having a few basic fit adjustments under your belt helps too!

In the Folds - photo 2.jpg

Want to know more? Here are 10 more facts about me:

  • I like to keep things really simple in my sewing practice. I own very few fancy tools and only a couple of different sewing machine feet, and that suits me just fine!

  • I sew on a Janome My Style sewing machine, circa 1994. My mum was gifted this machine for her 30th birthday and passed it along to me when she realised I was much more interested in sewing than she had ever been (I was about 10 years old).

  • My favourite fabric to work with is linen, although it can be a treat to work with a silk crepe de chine to make something a little bit special.

  • I am still learning how to ride a bike. For my 30th birthday (just last year) I was gifted a bike and it is the first bike I have owned since I was a child.

  • I am an avid tea drinker. I’ve had less than ten cups of coffee in my life and have accepted that coffee is not the drink for me (hello massive headaches). I’m not very experimental with my tea choices and my regular tea is English Breakfast with a dash of milk.

  • My go-to pattern is the Acton dress. No matter how many times I make this dress, I never get tired of it. I love the combination of the racer back and A-line skirt (with pockets). It is the perfect summer dress!

  • I share a workspace with a group of awesome creative women - two other sewists and five artists. I love being surrounded by creative people and am in awe of how much we can learn from each other. We recently started a ‘Deadline Club’ so that we can work through hard parts of the journey together and hold each other accountable.

  • I have been learning Spanish for the last 4 years. My partner is Spanish and I am working towards being able to have a conversation with his mother that goes beyond the basics. I don’t speak to my partner in Spanish as much as I should, so paying for classes ensures that I do!

  • People often assume I would be a great cook because I can sew (I have no idea why these two things would go together), but I only learned to cook in my late twenties and am still working on it. I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy cooking as much as I enjoy sewing!

  • I listen to a lot of podcasts and can think of nothing better than a whole day of sewing and podcast bingeing. Some of my favourites at the moment are: Modern Love, Ear Hustle, Savage Lovecast, Death, Sex and Money, The Moth and How I Built this.  

IMG_0087.jpg

If you would like to know more about me, you can learn more:

To learn more about In the Folds and the vision behind the brand, look here.