Today I’d like to introduce you to ED’s top sponsor for Feb, the lovely Anthea of Angel Lea Designs!

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I’m Anthea, a wife of 11 years, mother of two youngsters (6yo girl and 4yo boy), pattern designer and sewer among many other things!

I live on 40 acres of land at Charlton Gully, a rural area near Port Lincoln, South Australia. We love the rural lifestyle and the kids love having lots of space to run around and ride their bikes. I love jogging around our bush track, both for fitness and as a way to de-stress. It’s also a great time to think up new ideas.

I have been creative and crafting for as long as I can remember. As a child I made my own Barbie doll clothes and dolls house furnishings, and since then have honed my skills through years of experience at the sewing machine, sewing clothing for myself and my children and items for the home.

In 2008 I began selling my creations online, under the label Angel Lea Designs. I soon discovered that my passion lay in the design process rather than the repetitive sewing of items, so I decided to launch my own line of patterns. I design a range of fresh and fun patterns including children’s clothing, soft toys, bags, appliqué designs and anything else that takes my fancy! My patterns are easy to follow and include detailed step-by-step instructions, which are backed up by photographs, making them achievable for even the beginner sewer.

I love using designer quilting fabrics. There is such a great range of beautiful fabrics available and the quality of the fabric makes the finished project look so much nicer. I also love using ric rac and buttons to embellish my projects.

The fabric selection is one of my favourite parts of a project. I can spend hours going through my ever growing pile of fabrics finding the perfect fabric/colour combinations.

I also love designing and making appliqués. Raw edge fusible-web appliqué is the technique I prefer. I love how a simple appliqué embellishment can jazz up an item and take it from looking plain to looking like a boutique-bought item. Appliqueing is so versatile. There really is no limit to the things that can be appliquéd!

I feel extremely lucky to be doing a job that I love and that is also my hobby. I love the fact that I can work from home with flexible hours and still be there for my kids. Because my business is online, when I go away I can take my business with me. The down side though is that it’s hard to take a break from it. My sewing room is always there waiting for me and my to-do list never seems to get any shorter!

A large portion of my day is spent on the computer. I design all my appliqués and draw up my pattern templates on the computer, so between that, maintaining five online shops, emailing orders, dealing with inquiries, and somewhere in there looking after the house and two children, there’s not a whole lot of time spent at the sewing machine!

Website: angelleadesigns.com

Facebook: facebook.com/angelleadesigns

Twitter: twitter.com/angelleadesigns