You asked for it, and we heard! We are so excited because we can now offer you Lynette Anderson’s patterns right here at Fat Quarter Shop. Probably best known for her stitchery patterns, Lynette designs all across the board, from stitchery and quilts to buttons and now fabric! Read on about how this creative and VERY BUSY BEE Lynette Anderson got started, right onto what is up next for her!
Hello, thank you for inviting me to be a guest writer here on the Jolly Jabber.
Ok, so where should I start??
My patchwork interest started after the birth of my first son, David in 1981. Baby David may have looked sweet and angelic but he sure could wreck my fancy knitting and bobbin lacemaking in a moment! I decided I needed a hobby that was very portable and easy to pick up and put down so I took a night class and made a traditional sampler quilt which I thoroughly enjoyed stitching entirely by hand, I was totally hooked!
By now I was the mother of two gorgeous boys and in 1984 my family moved to the Channel Islands, UK. I started teaching from home, and as there was no quilt store on the island, we had to get all our supplies mail order. There was no internet to make our shopping easy, so we had to trust the wonderful lady at the quilt store on the mainland to send us things we would like. I was also able to sell some of my handmade pillows and small quilts at the local craft centre. I organised the making of several quilts for charity with the help of all the wonderful ladies in my classes. Can you find me in this picture?
Now the proud mother of three sons, I moved to Australia in 1990 and in 1995 I started designing and producing my own patterns under the label Lynette Anderson for The Patchwork Angel, the name chosen as my Dad always called my brother and I his angels! I am very fortunate as my patterns were popular immediately, some of those early patterns are as popular today as they have ever been.
In 1997 with the help of my Mum, Ruth we opened a quilt store, The Patchwork Angel in an old church, on Queenslands Sunshine Coast. Many people would be forgiven for thinking that the trading name was chosen because of the old church that now housed the quilt store but in fact that name had been chosen two years prior when I released my first patterns. I continued to design and produce patterns and also self published four books. After almost ten wonderful, busy years I decided it was time to focus full time on my designing and I sold The Patchwork Angel.
These days I live by the beach and I am very lucky as all four of my boys and my parents live here on the coast, so we get to spend lots of time together. This picture finds us in Mooloolaba after breakfast one morning. Hugo our Seeing Eye puppy in training has found something fun to sniff! Sadly, Hugo did not make it into the formal training program and he is now officially our dog.
The inspiration for my designs comes from everyday life, whether it’s a memory from my childhood, where I grew up in a small country village in Dorset, England, or from something that’s occurring in my life today. I have a wonderful studio in my home, it’s filled with all manner of ‘stuff’ that a stitcher needs, and of course it has a big armchair in the corner for the cat and dog to curl up in when they are helping me!
My newest block of the month quilt A Kitten’s Tale was inspired by our dog Hugo and Felix, an unweaned tiny fluffy kitten who was found in a tree at the end of our street. Hugo and Felix took to each other straight away and are totally inseparable, whether they are bug hunting, sharing a bowl of food, playing in the garden, helping me put the binding on a quilt or just sleeping snuggled together.
Give me a pencil and paper and I am one happy girl, of course that then leads to needing fabrics, needle and threads! The end result could be a simple design for a pillow or …
Besides patterns and books I also produce handpainted wooden buttons, you will find these adorning and enhancing several of my designs. The buttons are created by Leanne a friend of mine, she works from my drawings and then paints them in a style that suits my work, I just love them and I hope you do too.
This year I have had the extra excitement of working with Henry Glass & Co producing two fabric lines. It has been a wonderful experience, from posting off my little paintings to seeing how their design team interpreted them and now I am trying to be patient waiting to see the fabric! The team at Henry Glass have made me feel so welcome, and although I am a bit biased I think you will love the fabrics, be sure to look for Christmas Magic and Hedgerow next year.
I love coming to the US and have just had the most wonderful time at Quilt Market, catching up with old friends and making new ones. Thank you to everyone who once again made me feel very welcome.
You can visit me on my blog, dont forget to say hello.
8 comments
Thankyou for having one of Our Local Girls on your Blog…Lynette Makes Beautiful Patterns and Looking forward to seeing Her Fabric in the Stores.
cheers
maree
It’s lovely to read Lynette’s story …she is very talented. I’m sure her fabrics will be lovely as are her patterns.
It’s really nice to read Lynette’s story. I enjoy making her beautiful patterns and following her blog. Her stories about Felix and Hugo are so fun to read. It’s wonderful to get to know her this way.
Lynette’s patterns are so cheery and fun! She’s so very talented and it is wonderful to see her success grow! You can tell she loves what she does!! (as much as we love her designs and color schemes).
It was lovely to read about Lynette – the one who inspired me to start doing stitcheries by her beautiful patterns!
Lucy x
Thanks for sharing Lynette’s story … we are very proud of our Aussie designers and Lynette’s patterns are always wonderful.
Christine
Fat Quarter ladies – I am SO glad you’re now carrying some of Lynette’s goodies! I think she is so talented and I look forward to purchasing some of her new stitcheries from you! And it’s so nice of you, Lynette, to give us some background on yourself – how very interseting! Cheers!
Hi Lynette, I just found your storie here about how you started and so on. It was very nice to read about your background for all this sewing you are doing at this point in your live. Hope to meet you someday in the future, and maybe say hello to u down under. U never know who or what comes your way.
Thanx for everything
Hugs from someone you already know
Lone in DK.
Bee Happy and have fun
We are freezing here in DK minus 10 degrees celcius and a hell of snowpiles everywhere. We are drowning in snow right now