Sewing 

I first encountered a sewing machine as a student at Montego Bay High School and instantly fell in love with the craft. Kudos to my teacher, a lovely woman from the UK teaching in Jamaica. There was an easy going understanding between us that just clicked. I was an A student in her class. 

Eight years passed, and I was living back in the UK. I purchased my first machine and made outfits for my very first vacation! I used patterns and although nervous,  I began, something opened up like a portal and all the skills I’d learned in high school came rushing back. The end results were pleasing. 

Six years after that, life brought me to America, where I found myself facing serious financial hardship. I remembered the joy and recognised there to be a need and as luck would have it, the perfect secondhand sewing machine was found on my behalf; it was one of those black solid Singer machines.

I was so excited to start experimenting; making hats and bags out of old jeans. The technique of patchworking came more naturally to me than using a pattern. I was learning how to be open to the creative process. The feedback was incredible, and before long, I landed a paying opportunity at a charity shop in New York, making patchwork bags!