Hello! My name is Julie, I'm 26 years old and I live in a small town in Scotland with my partner Tom and our 3 adorable pet rats, Doris, Ruby & Roo. I'm the sole author of Heart & Sew, a blog I created to document my crochet pattern design journey. I am completely self taught in almost everything creative I do, and living proof that anybody stubborn enough can learn a new craft if they really want to. No need for expensive classes!

I have been "crafting" for over 4 years, an addiction that started when, due to long term poor health, it was suggested I take up a craft to keep myself busy until I got better. I had always expressed an interest in sewing, so when my boyfriend Tom bought me a sewing machine for my 22nd birthday, I was determined to master it. The first thing I ever made on my machine was a (very flimsy) sock monkey. His arms were wonky, his button eyes big and scary (I named him Coraline) and a seam on his leg quickly burst, but I didn't care - a love of creativity I had long since forgotten had come back to me. After that I wanted to learn every craft out there, and have tried my hand at most things, including jewellery making, polymer clay, decoupage, and card making. I don't like crowds and my poor health prevents me from travelling or going outside often, so I have never taken a single craft course or class (as much as I'd like to be able to!) You can see pictures of everything I have made (and my works in progress) on my Instagram page.

Cheeky Little Monkey - FREE Pattern

After mastering my sewing machine, I quickly discovered that more than anything I loved to create toys! You can never get bored of making toys. You can make them as cute as you want and give each of them their own personality and charm - you never make the exact same toy twice. After seeing countless wonderful free amigurumi patterns on Pinterest I knew I had to learn to crochet and expand my toy making abilities. I spent a quiet "glamping" weekend in the summer of 2015 with Tom in a small cabin with no electricity, trying to teach myself to crochet from a book. After a lot of swearing, frustration and frogging it finally clicked - and I somehow released a hidden talent and passion I never knew I had. First I made a simple single crochet scarf, and a few granny squares. As soon as I was confident in the basic stitches I tried amigurumi and was instantly hooked! Creating any animal you can dream of from a starting circle of 6 stitches amazed me. Pretty soon I started experimenting with shapes, and designed my first pattern - a little white mouse. It has quickly taken over my life, and I am either talking about crochet, thinking about crochet or actually crocheting way more than is ok! One day I would love to write a book, full of my own patterns. I would also love to design patterns for magazines, I read a lot of craft magazines and frequently dream of one of my designs being on the cover! 

Another small hobby I have is painting & up-cycling old furniture. I love turning something ugly and unwanted into something beautiful. I like to cook on occasion and have recently been converted to crockpot cooking - it's so easy! My non craft related loves include cats, tea rooms, vintage china and a worrying addiction to pastel home-ware.

In the future I'd love to write articles for a craft magazine as well as share my own patterns & tutorials with the world. My ultimate dream would be to own my own (pastel coloured!) tea room, serving my own home baked cakes. My tea room would also include a gift shop full of handmade gifts by crafters from all over the world! 

 But for now, I hope you enjoy my blog and will find something that inspires creativity in you.