Hello Ann! Can you tell us a bit about you and Designer Stitch?

I come from a lineage of couture dressmakers and business women. Both my grandmother and mother were very fine dressmakers and for a while worked in the fashion hub of Melbourne – Flinders Lane – in the 40s and 50s. I don’t think a day went by when I didn’t see my mother at her sewing machine or designing a new pattern. It was a natural progression to take over from where my mother left off.

I have worked as a freelance designer for many middle tier clothing companies over my career and have also taught for a number of years, firstly as a lecturer at both a TAFE and university level. Then in 2000 I decided to open my own fashion school [where] I would make patterns for my students to use. They were always telling me I should run with them on a larger scale so that is where it has lead me: designerstitch.com.

I won’t develop any pattern unless I have thought about the sewing process and how it would come together. Hence the Camelia. She is flattering on all shapes, quite easy to sew together and looks AMAZING on. You just have to bring your own SASS and CONFIDENCE to the mix.