Making a film with Jenni Smith

I'm so lucky that my job has led me to meet such fabulous people as Jenni Smith and Kay Walsh.  We all have a lifelong love of sewing and making, fulled by being brought up in the textile rich heritage of the North of England.

Jenni runs her own studio in Ikley and with help and input from Kay, teaches classes, writes books and creates patterns, recently in collaboration with Liberty.  I first met them both through Instagram and they have been really supportive as my business has grown over the years.  Now we often meet at events and shows and there is always much laughter, smiles and cake to be had!

One day I mentioned that I might have made a full sized quilt many moons ago.  Jenni asked me if she could make a film of me talking about it and I think I stopped laughing for a minute - I'm not very good at film!  But I'd seen some of Jenni's Just one Quilt series already - the campaign is a series of films celebrating the motivation behind making and it is such a great project.

So a few weeks ago, Jenni and Kay came to Todmorden and I got my quilt out and we made a film and ate cake.  It really was great fun and they both made it very relaxed!

Jenni's dream is to inspire everyone to make Just One Quilt in their lifetime - regardless of their skill level. All the films are hosted at www.justonequilt.com in the films section, and each one is accompanied by a blog. It started last April and there are approximately 40 films so far.  

It made me think a lot about my motivations for making and how they might have changed over the years - and how we don't always need to be so precious - done is better than perfect!

READER OFFER!
If you feel inspired, Jenni is running an offer on her amazing online quilt courses  - they would make a fabulous present or treat for yourself!  

Her Ultimate Quilt Course has 31 lessons and includes every process to make a patchwork quilt, by hand or by machine. It’s ideal for absolute beginners, or a handy reminder for people who have done it a long time ago or lost their confidence. The cost is £60 or £100 for VIP which includes one to one online consultation with Jenni.  You can get £10 off either if you use the code BEYONDMEASURE for basic course and BEYONDMEASURE1 for VIP - which lasts until May 31st.