My mother was an amazing seamstress and taught me to sew from 3 years old. I upcycled clothes from charity shops from 14 and funded my way through university by selling my creations. I have spent most of my working life NOT sewing! So it is a huge relief now to be able to enjoy what I love doing most and showing others how to do it too.

Thrifty Couture started as a community project in King's Cross and now we are doing lots of different projects around upcycling for new and established brands. I get to work with amazing students at City & Islington College and University of the Creative Arts and they teach me more than I could ever show them! I also work with a truly brilliant local inventor who has redesigned the bra for larger women - watch this space and soon I will be able to show you what it is all about!

My goal is to scale up the social projects we have created here in London so that they can look after themselves then do it all over again in Brittany with JP!

In action at One Amazings Day sewing a purse