Modern Seamstress

Designer and blogger Caroline Hulse has crafted a varied career in sewing inspired by a lifelong love of beautiful textiles. We discover how she will be sharing her creativity in a new way with her debut sewing book.

Caroline Hulse of www.sewcaroline.com describes herself as a mama, wife, sewing enthusiast, pattern designer and fabric designer – mostly, but not always, in that order. Her fresh, modern approach to creating beautiful garments from the fabrics she dreams up makes hers a truly holistic approach.

It all makes sense when she admits that for her sewing began as an attempt to harness and focus her creative urges. “I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas 2008, with the intention of having a simple creative outlet,” she says. “I was given a Janome Magnolia 7330. I didn’t know anything about sewing, but I was determined to learn. It was love at first stitch.” Her passion is based around a longstanding infatuation with fabrics. “I had tried scrapbooking, painting and other things, but was always drawn to fabric,” she says. “Before I sewed, I bought fabric for no purpose other than I loved the way it looked. So learning to sew was a natural progression from my fabric obsession. I loved the idea of turning fabric into something to wear or to decorate with or to sleep on – such a neat concept!” Caroline’s popular Sew Caroline blog followed soon after. “I wrote about family, sewing, projects, DIYs, pattern reviews, and so on and on,” she exclaims. “My blog is what launched me into this online world and I have a major soft spot in my heart for the days I used to create a project and blog about it!”

TEXTILE TEMPTATIONS

Caroline’s love of fabrics ensured that the blog was beautifully visual, and led to the next chapter in her creative journey.

“I had done blogging work for Pat Bravo of Art Gallery Fabrics where I created a project with her fabrics and featured them on my blog. We had a fabulous relationship and she reached out after Quilt Market in 2013.”