 | About Us |  |
![Threads and Patches - the story]() | Threads and Patches - the story
Threads and Patches was started by Sally White in February 2001. Having spent years dabbling with various needlecrafts Sally was finally hooked on patchwork and quilting and decided to spread the word!
Initially running a fairly unsucccessful market stall while on the hunt for shop premises, during the cold and damp hours on the stall, she had time to hone her vision of what Threads and Patches should be.
When premisies were finally found at 48 Aylesbury Street in Fenny Stratford. This shop was lovely but too small and we soon expanded at first using the church hall for classes, then a slightly grotty garage and finally one of the large offices above.
In May 2009 Sally purchased a local failing Pub (previously called The Entertainer and proceeded to turn it into the 'vision'. A large shop, with 2 classrooms and two further shops upstairs - The Knitting Basket and Craftability (card making and scrapbooking) there was also room for the Tea Room plus it has loads of parking - ideal.
With lots more plans for the future Threads and patches is really going places! |
![Meet the Team]() | Meet the Team
Threads and Patches greatest asset! A wonderful mix of individuals who make up the delightful team of cheery faces you will meet if you come in to take part in a class or do some shopping. |
 | Rowena Allsopp
Rowena has enjoyed crafts of all sorts from an early age and comes from a local family of 'makers'. First quilt was a 'Roman Stripe' inspired by a book bought when delayed at Perth airport in 1990, addiction then swiftly followed. Likes fast and bright patchwork, especially strip and scrap quilts and thinks all children should have a memorable quilt. Easily seduced by any batik fabric. Has 2 children; 2 cats and 2 sewing machines.
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 | Lucy Billington
Lucy is our hard working Saturday Girl, who loves fabrics. |
![Steph Griffin]() | Steph Griffin
Hi, I'm Steph, I started with TnP in Jan 2011 - you will most likely find me hunched over a laptop in a quiet corner of the shop beavering away at updating information on our website. After many years of working in rather nondescript admin jobs it is an absolute delight to be working in an environment that buzzes with so much creative talent - here's hoping some of it rubs off on me! I am married to Ken, we have one son, Sam, who is at Uni in Liverpool and we are all owned by Troy, the cat. I recently completed my first sampler quilt and I have started on another now which I hope to complete in 2012 - Love it - I'm hooked! My ambitions change constantly and I am an eternal student - just love to be learning new stuff. |
 | Chris Harris
Chris Harris is a retired paediatric nurse, married with 3 grown up children and I live in St Albans. I inherited my mother's rotary cutter and cutting mat and "googled" what to do with them - and a class at Threads & Patches came up! From that I did the Beginners Sampler Quilt and got offered a job! I enjoy machine patchwork and applique and anything using scraps and try not to do any hand sewing. I have recently bought an embroidery machine and loving it especially using it to do quilting. |
 | Wendy Porter
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 | Heather Richmond
Heather Richmond - recently (Feb 2010) became addicted to patchwork and quilting. Sewed all my own dresses many moons ago, so knew how to use a sewing machine. Had a go at lots of crafts including knitting, watercolour and oil painting, card making, and scrapbooking (my other addiction). I am semi-retired and after many years of sitting in front of a computer screen and being a reluctant secretary, I now look forward to coming into work, to be surrounded by a rainbow of colours. My ambition is to have a cupboard full of quilts and I try to finish one project before I start another, but that aim is beginning to slip. Would love to win the Lottery and emigrate to USA to maybe buy a patchwork shop! I teach Seminole patchwork and anything else that Sally throws at me!
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 | Margy Johnson
Working with fibre in one form or another has been part of my life since I was 7,although quilting made a comback and stayed about 11 years ago and has stayed ever since, and I have the stash to prove it. I really truly love starting new projects and planning them, the problem is there's always another string of them that Need to be started before the last one is finished. Quilting and the lines and textures of stitch really give me pleasure which is probably why I teach Sashiko and quilting.
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 | Nicole Reynolds
Nicole Reynolds. I have been making things for as long as I can remember. It all became a bit of an obsession when I was presented with The St Michael Book of Handicrafts for my 14th birthday which included sections on tie dyeing and paper piecing. Since then I have studied a foundation course in art and have completed City an Guilds in creative embroidery, machine embroidery and ceramics. In my professional life I was a project manager for a software house - I wish I was as good at managing my current soft wear projects! I work part time at the shop and for the most part I teach the dyeing, designing and machine embroidery classes. |
 | Sally White
Loves fabric, has been sewing since approx. age 7. Loves all types of patchwork - both hand and machine, has hundreds of UFOs but they will all be done eventually! Has a tortoise called Pebble and a husband called Tony. Stuff I would like to do before I die - make a large feathered star quilt, learn how to hand quilt properly visit New Zealand and Asia and win the lottery. I have no preference in which order these things occur! Teaches a range of classes including the Beginners Sampler, Beautiful Baltimore and Easy Tangled Quilt plus many more. |
 | Jean Duffy
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