About Sallieann
The first thing Sallieann ever made was a cotton bikini top from her mums cast off work when she was 9!
After leaving school Sallieann flitted from “number” based jobs in insurance, banking, and tax (she wasn’t bad with numbers!). She married in the 80s and had two boys in the 90s. Then, the big change in her life came in 2000 when we moved to the USA for a three-year period so that her hubby could work on a military base.
It was there in New Bern, North Carolina that Sallieann found her very first Patchwork and Quilting Store. She walked in and was totally bowled over and knew this is what she needed in her life! She started with classes, mentoring from the incredible Shelly May of the “Raspberry Rabbits,” then some teaching, and by the time she left the USA, Sallieann was a prize-winning exhibitor!
When Sallieann and family moved back to the UK, she taught private Patchwork & Quilting, classes, as well as little gigs here and there for John Lewis and the American Museum in Bath. By 2016, she was designing for magazines, exhibiting more widely and started to work with Denman WI College teaching residential courses.
In 2018, Sallieann joined Sewing Quarter TV. One of the things that she loved about the Sewing Quarter was the genuine sense of community with the channel and feedback on the fan page, adding: “when people posted pictures of what they made following one of my shows, or what they made from my pattern, I can’t help but do a ‘Happy dance’!!”
Sallieann enjoys traditional quilting techniques and has won several quilt show awards both in the UK and USA.
Signature Technique
Felted wool appliqué on a sewing machine using speciality threads
Top Tips
- Run dental floss through your machine to get wool fluff out.
- To get a “touchy feely” vintage effect dip and tea dye the piece then tumble dry.
- Unpick seams with a Wahl trimmer. Works like a charm!
Videos
Patterns
Posts
October 2013
Out & About: Autumn is definitely here and with it [...]
9 Supercool quilty things on the internet
Hi Val, Congratulations!! You are listed as #4 Super Cool Quilty Things on the Internet by Martingale. Well done!!! Izzy 4. 40-Minute Scrap Quilt with Valerie Nesbitt This is a great little twist on the 1600 Jelly Roll quilt that is so popular right now—except that you don’t need to use a Jelly Roll! Just use 2½" strips that you’ve cut from your own scraps.
A great idea for recycling that old blazer (that’s not worn out!)
Taking inspiration from one of our videos Jo made this great cushion for her son on which she managed to use the pockets to embellish the front: and she also took the opportunity to use the labels from the blazer, which included not only Ben's name but also 'Made in England' - isn't that cute!!!! If you like this idea - have you seen our video: Easy Closure for a Cushion with Valerie Nesbitt