Terry Donaldson
I have been a stitcher from an early age, encouraged by a mother who made many of our clothes and her own, a father who was an architect, and interested in all aspects of design and grandmothers and aunts who sewed and knitted. My love of pattern and colour was fuelled by holiday outings to cathedrals and craft studios in the West Country where I grew up.
After I left home I dabbled in many crafts, and finally got hooked on patchwork and quilting after a trip to the USA (craft and fabric store Heaven!) and another to the Great British Quilt Festival in Leeds in 1990. Self-taught, I began making cot-quilts for anyone I knew who was about to have a baby (and there were lots at that time), and eventually enrolled on the City & Guilds course where I met the other Stitch Witches when my own sons were small and I reduced my working hours. Since then I have completed C&G part 2 (as it was then) and also taught C&G at Certificate level locally, with Julia and Kate.
I am a member of the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles and am currently the Newsletter Editor for Region 3 (Hampshire, Wiltshire, Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands). I am also a member of one of its special interest groups - Contemporary Quilt.
Working with the Stitch Witches quickly encouraged me to come out of my traditional, country-style, comfort-zone, and experiment with new techniques, although I still like piecing using many fabrics. I enjoy the design process, and my non- traditional style is based on my love of pattern and my eclectic tendencies. My current area of interest is adding texture through stitch, both hand and machine, to transform the surface of the piece.
Our challenges, and the friendship of the group, have provided my motivation to keep quilting, despite various personal challenges over the past few years. Thankfully there are many more creative avenues to explore!
I run a number of courses and workshops. Click here for details.
