About Helen
Helen can’t remember a time when she wasn’t making something. As a young child her greatest joy was the ‘useful box’ which lived in the cupboard under the stairs and was the repository for empty egg boxes, cereal packets and yogurt pots, all fantastic stuff to feed a creative mind.
When Helen was seven her Grandmother taught her to sew and opened her mind to a whole new avenue of creative expression. Helen designed and made her first full size cross-stitch sampler before she was nine, and made various garments for dolls and bears and eventually herself, creating patterns by the simple method of lying on the floor and drawing round herself, much to the amusement of her Mother & Grandmother – both accomplished dressmakers.
Helen worked in graphics, and then advertising, for ten years, until she and her partner had the opportunity to quit the London rat-race and move to Yorkshire to run the family’s marina business. During this time, Helen taught herself patchwork, quilting, beading, origami, marquetry, doll making and canvas work. She discovered that, not only does she love crafting and the challenge of learning something new, she also had a hitherto undiscovered competitive streak deep inside which prompted her to hone these new skills to the point where she regularly won awards in the handicrafts section of shows.
Fifteen years later, Helen decided to combine her experience of running a business with her enduring passion for crafting to start LITTLE PATCH POCKETS. Helen creates patchwork designs and writes patterns so you can make your own unique, lovely things. She also offers kits, classes and workshops where she teaches her designs.
Helen loves using three dimensional illusions in her work. According to Helen, “I love to create an illusion of three dimensions and many of my designs are based on this concept. I do occasionally use curved lines, but since my mind seems to work in straight lines I find lots of inspiration in architecture, engineering and even mathematical concepts. I like accurate piecing and often create my own foundation paper pieced blocks in order to achieve the precision I enjoy.”
Helen is an avid follower of the Modern Quilt Movement as well as a great believer that quilts are for using: “for your three-year-old to drag down the garden, for the dog to sleep on and to go in the washing machine.”
Signature Technique
Modern Quilting
Helen’s Top Tips
- Colour choice is key to 3D work. Always select three shades of the same colour, or light, medium and dark tones of the same colour.
- Auditioning fabrics is one of the most useful skills any patchwork artist can develop. A quilt needs contrast of tone, however subtle, to accentuate the design.
- Never use a fabric with a low thread count or a loose weave, however good the colour. Thinner fabrics do not handle well, will fray quickly and will not wear well in the finished quilt. It is worth investing in good fabrics.
- Many of the fabrics at the cheaper end of the market cover up this deficiency with excessive amounts of surface ink and stiffening treatments – the secret is to turn to the back and check.
- Always look for a fabric that is likely to shrink only minimally. Some shrinkage is to be expected, especially when combining fabrics from different manufacturers. Look on this as part of the charm of a washed quilt. However, cheap fabric with an open, loose weave will shrink hugely when washed, ruining your work.
Videos
Books and Patterns
Posts
War Horse Memorial Purple Poppy Appeal
We want to create Britain’s Biggest Knitted Purple Poppy to help us launch our 2019 Purple Poppy Appeal in support of animal and military charities – and we need your help…If you can’t knit but want to get involved then you can make poppies out of purple felt or fabric. All contributions welcome! We have reintroduced the purple poppy emblem to recognise and remember all animals – in war or in peace - that give service, support and companionship to people all over the UK and beyond. What we will do is sew them altogether to make a giant cloak and we plan to have a very special celebrity or two wear it for us ahead of our national day on August 23, 2019. There is a simple pattern which should make a good number of poppies from one ball of wool or yarn, Please send your poppies by Friday 19 July 2019 to The War Horse Memorial, 18, Ascot Towers, Windsor Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LG.
Quilt Now Readers’ Makes Competition Winner – Issue 63
Quilt Now magazine love to see what their readers have been making. This months Star Make winner for ssue 63, was Anna. She created this stunning long-tailed tit design using the exclusive pattern included inside Quilt Now’s RSPB Garden Birds Blocks book with issue 61. Doesn't it look stunning on the grey cushion!
justhands-on.tv website launch featured in Craft Focus
Our new website launch is highlighted in Craft Focus magazine. We are excited as they talk about the improvements we have made to the site. For example we have a new filter section that makes it easier to find videos. We have many new tutors on the site and they are in the article as well. You'll also find a quote from our CEO, Steve Barton.