Sew Inspirational

Sue Neall

Editor

Having come from a family of pattern makers, graders, designers and seamstresses I can't remember when my mother and her three sisters first taught me to sew. It was just always so and after spending my childhood playing on the factory floor of various manufacturing companies it was just a natural progression to East Sydney Technical College and a career in fashion.

This fabulous institution and training added to a natural love of textiles, patterns and the joy of constructing beautiful garments and has led to a thirty-five year career in the fashion sewing and craft industry. During this fabulous ride I have had the pleasure to work with many great people and companies in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States of America and both the learning and the teaching have never stopped. The great early years as a traveling TAFE teacher have led to challenges that have pushed me in new directions in writing and presenting and broadened my knowledge of the industry as a whole.

Many years of writing for great magazines like Better Homes & Gardens, Parents & Children, Family Circle, Australian Stitches and Palmer/Pletsch Publications has led to a part of my career that never ceases to surprise me and the past 12 years compiling and presenting the Stitches & Craft Shows Fashion Parades and eight years as the sewing presenter on ‘Today Extra’ TV still feels like it’s happening to someone else.

But one of the truly rewarding parts of my sewing life has been the past eleven years, spent with like minded friends, in the Australian Sewing Guild. Having been there since its inception I never fail to feel a sense of extreme pleasure as the Guild has moved from strength to strength to the fun, interesting, exciting place it is today.

I have, to date, already had a life filled with small triumphs and huge pleasures, shared with a wonderful husband of 27years and three great teenagers. I hope that you will now join me, come along on this ride too and gain as much satisfaction and as many friendships as I have from a life spent with the humble needle and thread.

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Kerrie Hay

National Sewing Promoter
Australia & New Zealand

Sewing has always been my passion and I remember many hours spent watching patiently and learning from both my grandmothers. They both had such patience and knowledge in all aspects of sewing and were my initial inspiration. My mother missed out on these fabulous skills but she, on the other hand, gave me all the encouragement a girl could ever need, for which I am forever grateful.

After completing my studies in fashion and design and working in retail part time, I launched my own fashion label, specialising in high fashion and wedding garments.

I joined the Bernina ‘family’ in 1986 as a sewing and sales consultant and worked my way through the ranks to take on the challenging role of National Sewing Promoter - Bernina Australia and New Zealand.

During this rewarding career journey I have had the wonderful opportunity to teach on behalf of Bernina Switzerland (FGAG) in America, India and Japan, training sewing machine dealers in a variety of subjects.

With teaching, writing and creating beautiful projects as my first love I launched into writing my first book, titled ‘Latte Quilt’. Latte Quilt is a step-by-step guide for every sewer, from novice to expert. It leads the reader through the wonders of modern technology, combined with age-old traditions, to produce a truly amazing quilt.

Robyn Allen

Webmaster