Suzanne Fisher has been teaching patchwork and quilting for more than five years. She has been using fabric, needles and thread to create things since childhood. She made her first quilt from a kit bought at the Ardingly Quilt show in the early 1990s and has not looked back since. She studied and achieved City & Guilds courses in both Embroidery and Patchwork and Quilting.
She has made quilts from patterns, ideas gained from different cultures, the world around her and from random ideas scribbled down in a notebook. She uses dyes and printing to make her own fabrics or uses commercially made fabric.
Suzanne is a regular contributor to the UK Magazine Popular Patchwork both writing articles about making bindings for quilts and designing and making quilt projects. Suzanne is a member of the Quilters Guild and several small embroidery and patchwork groups in Sussex
Who/what inspired you to take up sewing and how old were you?
I was about three or four when I started sewing – and I think it was just having seen a needle, thread and a button that I wanted to try it out. My mum wasn’t keen on sewing and it must have been mending that she was doing.
Who can you remember doing your first sewing with?
My aunt was someone that showed me how to sew and I also did sewing at primary school with a teacher called Mrs McDonald.
What is the first thing you made?
I made little mats out of binca – the big embroidery canvas, cotton a broderie thread and a big needle. I learned to do cross stitch and other stitches that were suitable for the fabric. My mum had many little dressing table mats! I have no idea what happened to them. I also made a skirt when I was about eight. A simple A line skirt with a gathered waist band. I must have sewn it by hand as I didn’t have a sewing machine until my 16th birthday.
What is your favourite type of stitch?
As a quilter it has to be running stitch. I can use it to hand piece and to hand quilt.
What type of sewing do you like to do
I do a lot of English paper piecing as it’s so portable. It’s my favourite type of sewing to take away. I also dress make using the lovely fabrics that patchwork shops sell. I like trying out new patchwork designs and adapting them to make quilts or other items to teach my students.
What do you consider your best piece of work
I don’t judge my work so this is a really difficult one. A piece of work that challenged me and I consider to be a great achievement is the
Storm at Sea quilt.
What is your very favourite thing that you have made
I really enjoy traditional block piecing – American block patchwork. So probably one of my sampler quilts would be a favourite.
What is your favourite tool or gadget?
Every quilter’s friend – the seam ripper! Following that a good sharp hand sewing needle.
Do you have a favourite colour to work in?
I like autumn tones and love brightcolours.
What type of fabric would you choose to work with?
100% cotton fabric – love the crispness of new fabric.
Do you prefer hand work or machine work?
I have no preference. Many of may sample quilts are machine made but I really enjoy the flexibility of where you can hand sew too.
What’s your dream sewing machine
One of the new Bernina quilting machines
My advice to a newbie would be ………………….?
Use good quality tools and materials – sharp pins and needles, sharp rotary blades and good mats and fabric that has a good feel to it. If you use anything else you will get frustrated and disheartened. Work with others too – it’s a great way of learning tips and technique.
Drove you to tears? What is the piece of work that has driven you mad/been a disaster
Foundation piecing! Many samples have hit the bin. I just cannot work back to front.
Do you make things for other people?
I make gifts for friends and family – quilts for weddings etc. I occasionally take on a commission. Pictured below is a quilt made from a Jelly Roll for a wedding gift.
Who (famous person alive or historical) would you love to create something for would have loved to have made a quilt for? Jane Austen! Big fan of her writing and have been to see the quilt she made with her sister. I also followed the blog about the new community quilt that has been made to celebrate 200 years since her death.
What’s your best sewing background music?
I don’t listen to music when I am sewing. I am a great listener to audio books or radio 4 extra. I find it quite scary when I get to the end of an audio book and realise I have been sewing for far too many hours!
Are you an early riser or a night bird – when is the best time for you to sew?
I sew in the day time – I put aside a whole day and don’t answer the phone or door. It’s my work so I treat it as such. If I am sewing for myself it’s often on my knee in the evening in front of something like Poldark – this is when I do my hand sewing.
What other hobbies or interests do you enjoy?
I am a keen gardener and visitor of gardens. I also enjoy visiting historical places. I love seeing potential designs in the shapes of flowers and buildings.
Who in the sewing or crafting world do you most admire?
I love Kaffe Fassett’s colour palette, I admire June Barnes’ machine quilting and am ever grateful for the skills she taught me and I admire the work of Gillian Travis as again it uses bright colours and repeating shapes.
A sampler quilt made by Suzanne Fisher
Pictured here is one of my favourite quilts tied badly to a fence in the garden – two loves in one place.
The quilt normally lives on the back of the sofa!