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
Take 9 variation from Tina
Tina came to our weekend retreat with some wonderful turquoise fabrics AND a fabric with the pink ribbon logo of Cancer Rearch and wanted to make her dear friend a quilt; not only did we redesign the front blocks - a version of the Take 9 that others were working on - but we worked on the back too and while the quilt wasn't finished in the weekend - it is now!
Dresden Plate from Joyce
I would like to show you my Dresden Plate lap quilt which I have just finished. It is such a delightful pattern and I might try something with the tucks in as Jenny demonstrates. May I say how much I enjoyed today's workshop of Jenny's Origami Hexagon. we could not have a - it was just lovely. Many thanks.
Crazy Patchwork options
Question from Anna: Can one use an oblong or has it got to be a square? (You made yours 9 3/4 inches, I, on the other hand, could make mine 9" X 11.5")
I am aware that this then would limit the way one could put them together. With a square one can rotate 4 times, with an oblong it works only two ways.) Answer:
You can of course tinker with this as you wish but the 5 sided figure in the middle gives the more traditional look; sewing is much easier with a 4 sided centre but then you run the risk of it looking a little like log cabin - which again may be your choice.
As you say with a rectangular finish then you can only turn the blocks in the opposite direction rather than rotating them in your finished design.