Introduction

I'm Debbie Holland, founder of The Wandering Line. Taught by my mother and grandmother, I have sewn all my life. My love of colour and variety and a never-ending curiosity has led me to take numerous courses at the London College of Fashion, but patchwork and quilting has remained my passion. All those lovely fabrics and an infinite number of ways of stitching pieces together is a constant source of joy. Despite working full-time in London, studying with the Open University and having one cat, two Tibetan Terriers and three chickens I was prolific and managed to complete one double bed size quilt top a month.

My problem was I hated the process of layering the quilt, wadding and backing. I tried spray glue, I tried a frame in the garden (great fun when the Darling Other-Half is watering the plants and it's getting darker and darker). I tried the traditional method (on the floor). Then followed the wrestling match with the sewing machine and the bulky fabric.

What was I to do? I couldn't give up my hobby because of this. Besides I actually wanted to see those finished quilts on the beds and as gifts for friends and family. This was what I had in mind when I originally bought those fabrics.

So I took a giant step and ordered my Gammill long-arm quilting machine from the States. Dolores! (you’ll know why when you see her) is wonderful. She’s computerised with a Statler Stitcher and stores hundreds of quilting patterns. She was the answer to a prayer and I love working on my quilts and those of my clients. But...., I wanted to go further still and I wanted to learn what I could achieve without using the computer. So I jumped at the opportunity to learn alongside Linda Taylor, whose mantra "if I can do it, you can do it" helped me develop my freehand quilting skills. I love disconnecting the computer and letting the creativity flow. I love selecting from all the patterns I have. I’ve got the best of both worlds now.