A bit more info

A woman with short gray hair and glasses smiling against a green background.

Stitches & Seams is Emma.

Born in the North but South London for many years now. I love clothes, making, and being nosey about people. I also have a thing about anything orange and green (but wear mostly blue.)

I am a maker and lover of fabric, with a background in teaching, people, and interiors.

I strongly believe that everyone is capable of creating something beautiful with their hands, and this ability makes us happier humans.

I also believe that everything has potential, and by learning to make and create, we can use the resources already existing in the world instead of creating new.

A woman wearing glasses and a green t-shirt is sewing fabric using a small sewing machine in a room with framed photographs and a bookshelf.

I started Stitches & Seams after getting back into sewing when my children were little.

What I wanted to make quickly outgrew the space available in my wardrobe, and so Stitches & Seams was born - making items to order for friends and family.

When Covid hit things changed a little, and I started making up my own designs to sell at markets - which I still do.

Since 2022, I have challenged myself not to buy ‘new’ fabric that isn’t either deadstock, vintage, or remnant. The interesting thing is, this isn’t as big a challenge as I originally thought it would be.

There is so much fabric in the world - whether it be rejected because of flaws, or it already exists as something else (duvet covers and flat sheets anyone?), and someone needs to use it up. A challenge I am willing to take a run at.

To this end, my workshops, and clothes I make, are as zero waste as possible, and I will always be looking at new ways to use up scraps and save them from landfill.