Menopause Makes and Crafting Change with Jenni Smith and Kay Walsh

🎙️ In this inspiring episode of the Sewing Social Podcast, host Gemma Daly chats with Jenni Smith and Kay Walsh — the creative duo from Ilkley, West Yorkshire — whose friendship blossomed into a thriving partnership in the world of sewing and quilting.

Jenni and Kay share how their love of fabric and creativity led them to build a supportive sewing community and launch exciting projects that bring people together through craft. 

They also open up about their latest book, Menopause Makes, which uses sewing to spark honest conversations about women’s health and empowerment.

Listeners will hear about their collaboration with Quiltfolk, the heartwarming stories stitched into their quilts, and what’s next for this talented pair in the ever-evolving crafting industry. 

Whether you’re a passionate quilter or new to sewing, this episode is full of inspiration, creativity, and community spirit.

Key Takeaways

• Jenni and Kay met at a tap dancing class, which sparked their friendship.
• They transitioned from friends to business partners through a shared passion for sewing.
• Their business grew organically, focusing on community and creativity.
• Sewing provides a therapeutic outlet, especially during challenging times.
• Their book 'Menopause Makes' addresses women's health and encourages conversations.
• Quilts tell stories and connect people through shared experiences.
• They emphasise the importance of balancing family life with business.
• Their collaboration with Quilt Folk allows them to share global quilting stories.
• They aim to create a welcoming space for discussions about menopause.
• Future projects include workshops and exploring new sewing techniques.

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Guest details:

Instagram: @jenniandkaycreate

Facebook: Jenni and Kay create

Website: www.menopausemakes.com

                 www.quiltfolk.com

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Sewing Social Podcast

00:19 The Journey of Friendship and Sewing

03:28 From Hobby to Business: The Evolution of Their Work

06:12 Learning the Craft: Personal Sewing Journeys

08:57 Current Projects and Passion for Dressmaking

12:33 Collaboration with Quilt Folk: A Unique Perspective

16:47 The Stories Behind Quilts: Community and Connection

18:32 Exploring Quilting Heritage and Inspirations

20:07 The Birth of 'Menopause Makes' Book

25:38 Breaking the Silence on Menopause

27:52 Creating a Welcoming Space for Conversations

28:58 Future Plans and Exciting Projects

31:22 Fun and Games: This or That?

34:37 Outro - tip on Ko-fi.wav

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Transcript

Gemma Daly (00:11)

Jenni and Kay, thank you so much for joining me on the Sewing Social podcast today. introduce yourself to the listeners?

Jenni & Kay (00:19)

Yeah well I'm Jenni Smith. I'm Kay Walsh. We live up in Ilkley in West Yorkshire where we have a studio and we're quilters, dressmakers, authors. We love sewing everything don't we really? We do. And good friends as well. Yeah yeah we've been working together for, we worked out nearly 10 years now so yeah it's been a long time.

Gemma Daly (00:42)

Amazing

and you're my first duo on the podcast so that's exciting. So let's start at the beginning. there's a lovely story about how you two first met, isn't there? So I wondered if you could let us in on that.

Jenni & Kay (00:57)

Yeah, we met at tap dancing class. we, we both just happened to go to our local dance school. well, our children were already going. So my daughter at the time, and then my son later and Jenni's daughter were going in, had a couple of adult classes and we both ended up joining there. Then we just got chatting and we then got chatting about sewing. And I started to try and do a little bit of sewing, not done too much. And Jenni was

well I can teach you how to quilt I'm going to teach some friends you need to come so that's how it kind of got going didn't it? Yeah I'd always done dress making like well definitely since I was about nine or ten years old and upcycling clothes and that kind of thing and then I'd just before went to dance school had spent a year in Canada which is where I learned how to quilt.

So I was kind of fresh of enthusiasm thinking, why does nobody in the UK do this? Or, you know, why isn't it a big thing amongst younger people, I suppose. So I was a bit like a woman on a mission, I think, wasn't I? Trying to convert everybody. And my children's primary school, they had like a promises option where you promise a skill and people would put some money in and it goes to school. So I promised like a beginner's quilt course.

and Kay with some other people signed up and that was the start wasn't it? That was a long time ago.

Gemma Daly (02:22)

So Jenni, did you go to Canada with the intent of like learning how to quilt? Was that the purpose or did you go for another reason?

Jenni & Kay (02:29)

you

Yeah, not at all. was like working in TV and things before we went and then I'd had my eldest child and he was just a baby. And so my husband went out there on a medical sabbatical for a year and I decided I wasn't going to look for work. I just wanted to hang out and enjoy time with Harry  my son, and do nice things and explore the city. So that's how I kind of fell into a quilt shop and they took me under their wing and taught me. And I had quite a lot of downtime when I suppose I was

away from my family network and friends so sewing did really mean that I had, well my hands were busy and I just loved it, I think it was a real comfort to me. I wasn't massively homesick, we had a fantastic time but it was just like when Harry napped after lunch and that kind of thing, Paul was quite busy with his job then, I just couldn't stop making quilts basically.

Gemma Daly (03:22)

So how did your friendship sort of develop into a working relationship as well?

Jenni & Kay (03:28)

Well, so yeah, so we were dancing together and then we became friends more and obviously we were hanging out with other friends and trying to sew as much as we could in between having children and we used to have them in, you know, just around us when we could, when we met up and then obviously they started growing up and then Jenni started teaching the odd class in our local town, hiring a space, weren't you, just for like...

and bits and pieces and then after you, how long had you been doing that? think in a couple of years. Yeah, a few years. Yeah. And then she just kind of said to me, I think I'm going to do this more seriously. Will you come work with me? Like, yeah, I will. That sounds great. And we also used to, there was a group of us, I mean, we're still good friends and we used to just plan our own little retreat once a year and hire a house and go and stitch like, you know, before Christmas. And

Gemma Daly (04:04)

You

Jenni & Kay (04:17)

Kay, you were always, she was always the super organized one about what projects we were doing, what we're eating, you know, like who, who owed what money and things. was like, I, know, I'm not like that at all. Really. I'm very just like, Ooh, let's just go and hang out. so, so I think we just realized that we worked quite well together in that sense, didn't we? Yeah. Different skills. Yeah. And it was definitely not, well, I went into a business program as well for a year, didn't I? Just when we were just got the...

studio in town where we started teaching together called entrepreneurial spark and so learning about business and things but I think we went into it because we loved it and we didn't have huge pressure I mean I think we've always been ambitious but equally we just we knew we had a nice community of people in our town that we loved sewing with and it's grown from there hasn't it yeah so we didn't start out with a a very you know 25 page business plan didn't we just started out with

I've taken this space, let's see what we can do basically. some people together and teach them and yeah, enjoy sewing together. And that's exactly how it started.

Gemma Daly (05:25)

so it sounds like it's grown organically which a lot of the best things do don't they.

Jenni & Kay (05:30)

Yeah. And it still always

fits in around family, you know, like we always, as women in business, we kind of wanted to define our own goals and parameters of, you know, what success meant to us. And that often means that we can take holidays off and be around and things and fit it in around that, which I think is, you know, is important as well, isn't it? So you keep that balance and don't...

totally burnt out because it's quite hard to make a living in the crafting industry you know really isn't it? are lots of hurdles I think we've probably tried

Gemma Daly (06:02)

Brilliant.

So you mentioned that Jenni taught you how to quilt, Kay, but how did you both learn how to sew in the first place?

Jenni & Kay (06:12)

So I really didn't do much at all when I was younger. I've got that classic experience of having a dreadful...

like memory of doing it at school and we had maybe got on a machine once and I remember breaking the needle on the machine and just kind of thinking I don't think I'm ever going to be allowed back on here. Did a little bit of hand sewing, always liked doing other crafty things and stuff and you know could knit a bit and things like that. Like yeah liked art and liked craft and stuff as when I was a kid and then when I had my second child myself and another friend were like we should really learn how to do some sewing,

so I went on some really kind of random and learned how to make curtains and then a bit of dressmaking and bits and pieces and that's kind of the stage I was at when I met Jenni so I just got really into trying to learn how to sew and like did have my machine and stuff and yeah could definitely do some home furnishings and a little bit of dressmaking.

But I'd never, well, myself and a friend have made a not very good quilt for our god daughter, It's still, it's still alive. I've seen it recently. So it wasn't terrible, but like looking back now, I like, not really sure that was a great quilt, but yeah. Mine were quite rough and ready. When I think back to like chopping up things from the dressing up box and sticking it back together and sewing on top, like applique and for fashion things.

But then my mum and my nan can both sew, so they definitely helped me when I was like 12, 13. used to go to Blackburn Market and buy fabrics and make some clothes. And then a friend of my mum's, Jeanette.

was doing like a city and guilds in stitching. And she came round, I think I was about 14. She came round week after week after week to help me make this corduroy like zip up duffel kind of coat that I don't think I ever wore. But she taught me like every process, like welt pocket, like everything, putting in a zip. And I think I was better learning from her than my mum or my nan because it was like an external person. So I think I was much more receptive.

that so think I picked up quite a lot of skills when I think back now so I'm very grateful to her. haven't seen her for many years but she must have been very patient I Yeah exactly and it was lined and it was like burgundy it was very kind of...

Gemma Daly (08:32)

Yeah, that's amazing! Like learning, learning welt pockets! Goodness me!

Ahem.

Jenni & Kay (08:41)

early 90s burgundy corduroy and obviously you've got to get like the corduroy going the right way and everything yeah so she must have been very meticulous i wish i still had it but i don't i don't have it still

Gemma Daly (08:52)

Fantastic! And are there

any particular garments that you like to make these days?

Jenni & Kay (08:57)

I'm wearing one of them actually. We've just designed this quilt coat, haven't we? Yeah. And we're going to be, well, we're teaching that as an online workshop with QuiltFolk, who we do quite a lot of our work with now. So yeah, but that's been quite fun, hasn't it, over the last few months, designing that from scratch and kind of, yeah, we've done it specifically. there are quilt blocks in, there's a big one on the back.

Gemma Daly (08:58)

Mmm!

Jenni & Kay (09:20)

I just, you can see. So, yeah, but like we do like kind of dressmaking all kinds of things, we? Yeah, I like making dressy dresses as well. Like when we go to events like Festival of Quilts where we saw you, it's nice to look forward to dressing up a little bit. think you go through a period like we both did when you kids are little and things, get a bit lost in your dress sense. So then I feel like dressmaking.

Gemma Daly (09:21)

Yeah? lovely.

Jenni & Kay (09:49)

then really came into its own after that, it? Like that we could sort of make cool things. And always because we see fabric, as anyone who'll be listening to this, I'm sure, you see a fabric and that's the catalyst, isn't it? Cause you just need that fabric in your life. And then you have to decide what to make with it. I like blouses and shirts. Where there's quite a process. You've got to do the collars and the

don't really like making the same pattern twice, although you have made about 56 camber tops by mentioning Mills, haven't you? So they were like, that was my staple when I first like really got into dressmaking. I'm just going to make another camber top because I know I like the way it fits and like I'm happy with it. And then cuff tops, I've made a few of those as well. Yeah, assembly line dresses, elastic waistbands, you see, when you get to like our age, think comfort comes in as well. Yeah. But I just...

I think also it seems so expensive to buy clothes in the shops and things now. I think it's really nice when you can make something that you know no one else has got. So I'd say we, I think we're quite eclectic. Kay's just been to Japan and ⁓ brought us back some amazing like Snoopy Liberty because the Tokyo office Liberty in Japan do like individual prints for their market there.

Gemma Daly (10:57)

⁓ wow.

Jenni & Kay (11:09)

So we've got we've got to make some cool clothes in the pipeline haven't we? yeah yeah

Gemma Daly (11:15)

can't wait to see that! So your

jacket that you're wearing, Kay, it's a combination of your two sort of passions really, isn't it? Dressmaking and quilting all in one.

Jenni & Kay (11:22)

Hmm.

Yeah, very much. And that's absolutely what we wanted it to be because we know like from when we taught, so we had an in-person studio like Jenni said, when we first started working together and we had that until the lockdown and you know, then obviously things changed. So we had a good few years of teaching people there and we very much had dressmakers and quilters. But we always loved it when we could get them doing the other things. So

getting those dressmakers doing a bit of quilting and vice versa. So we know that like a lot of sewists like both or that you can like both if you give it a go. So yeah, it is the perfect project for us in that sense. It definitely ticks both of the boxes and you know, you can put your own personality onto it. can use fabrics, but it's also then if you want to mix up the quilt blocks and do different ones, we've designed it so they'll be sizes so that you could.

You could go wild. yeah, it is a really good combination.

Gemma Daly (12:24)

really nice and I love the idea of you know mixing and matching your skills because why not?

Jenni & Kay (12:30)

Yeah, exactly,

yeah, definitely.

Gemma Daly (12:33)

So you mentioned about quilt folk, who you do some work for, and I think that is probably one of the most beautiful magazines that I've ever seen. Can you tell us a bit about your roles with them and what that entails?

Jenni & Kay (12:42)

you

Yeah, Quilt Folk is a quarterly magazine that's produced out of Oregon on the West Coast in the US. And the premise of the magazine is that they send out journalists and photographers on the road four times a year to a different state, and they tell the stories of the quilters. So it doesn't have patterns or advertisements. You know, the subscribers support and make it

possible and it's like a book isn't it? It's very very beautiful. So we came to it as subscribers. We went out to Quilt Con in Nashville quite a years ago now and saw it there and we're like, this is beautiful. We this in our lives. so that's how it started, isn't it? Yeah, we were absolutely just subscribed because we loved it. well, when COVID hit and we suddenly couldn't have people come into the studio.

studio anymore we we we knew we had to do some sort of pivot in the business to to keep going because we just had to so with we'd started to make some films we were making some five minute films with people we knew about quilts called Just One Quilt and so we'd already started a little bit of that process of doing that kind of videography and telling people's stories so

We then went to Quilt Folk and said we could do something maybe slightly similar. And we tried a little bit of a thing, didn't we? A show and tell of, again, in lockdown, you know, over Zoom, whatever, telling people stories. And it developed from there, didn't it? yeah, they've got this lovely audience who subscribe to the magazine, but also who want potentially educational inspiration. And also from outside the US, I think that's what's nice that we're here in the UK.

So we now have kind of converted, we've got a studio in my garden, which is where we are now, and we go off and film and then produce live content and workshops to do with quilting out of here and with a real global perspective. We started off, there's a quilt made in Haworth, so just over the Moor from us by the Bronte sisters that's not on public display. So we got access to see that and went and filmed the quilt.

and got the stories of how it might have come together filmed in the parsonage where they lived and then made a small project inspired by the original quilt and we taught that and that gives you a sense of what we do. We always pick, we've done one based on the wedding quilt of Beatrix Potter's parents. We've done lots of different things so we travel and soak up all the stories and the inspiration and then turn it into a travel documentary come.

workshop really and and then put it out via Quilt Folk, so it's really nice because we get to do lots of the creative work and we've found a big audience haven't we globally but especially in the US where you know there are about 19 million quilters over there so it's amazing that they want to learn about quilts all around the world don't they? They do. And also it's like like in the sewing community it's exactly the same they're lovely kind interested

generous people aren't they? think you want to share tips and skills which always makes us feel very happy that we're in this world I think. Yeah definitely yeah yeah it's people like us that you know we kind of think well if we're going to go and do something and learn about textiles in a country and quilts then and we're finding it interesting hopefully other people will find it interesting and I think that's that's exactly what it is isn't it? Yeah yeah we we search out those stories and and hopefully pass them on and

Yeah, especially again, because it started in lockdown, people weren't able to travel or do anything or still, you know, a lot of our audience now would probably never go to some of these places where we're going and learn about quilts in Italy or the Netherlands or France or Hawaii, wherever it is. So if we can take that to them, that's what they appreciate that, you know, we can do that for them, but we share it as a community.

Gemma Daly (16:47)

Absolutely, and it sounds incredible. Like not only are you getting to travel to these amazing places and see all the beautiful quilts, but there's so many stories and history entangled in these things, isn't there, that you don't always think about. So it's so interesting.

Jenni & Kay (17:04)

Did you like Festival of Quilts when you went this year? Yeah, yeah.

Gemma Daly (17:06)

Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Yeah, it was my first

time and I'm not a quilter, but I absolutely appreciate it and I would love to do more. But yeah, there's so many beautiful quilts out there and the reasons why people have made them or what they use, it's really incredible and inspiring.

Jenni & Kay (17:26)

Yeah, that's it. think that's what quilts are good at. They're good at telling stories that they soak up people's lives. you know, we've done some, we've done quite a few community projects as well over the years. And one which we did as part of the Festival of Making in Blackburn, which was probably seven or eight years ago, I can't even remember. And, you know, we asked people to bring a piece of fabric that meant something to them and we would teach them how to make it into a quilt block.

and then we put it all together and made this big community quilt. And yeah, just the stories we got then of people, oh, this is my wedding dress, part of my wedding dress, or this was made in the mill down the road where my parents used to work and all that. And yeah, then you just get these amazing stories and ways for people to connect. And yeah, that's why quilts are so good, isn't it? We did that with Patrick Grant, didn't we? Together with him at Community Clothing. So we got Patrick to make his first quilt block as well.

Let's hope for you yet Gemma.

Gemma Daly (18:24)

Amazing! Amazing!

So do you think there's a favourite place that you've been to through your work with Quilt Folk?

Jenni & Kay (18:33)

that's really tricky because we've I mean, yeah, we have been to Hawaii, which is I think that's the one place when we tell people where we've been, they kind of can't believe it. But there's such a quilty heritage there and it's very specific to there. It's not like, well, you know, there's such they stand out as being Hawaiian. You know, when you see a Hawaiian quilt, don't you? Yeah. And there's like a quilt in the Royal Palace that was made by the last queen of Hawaii before it was annexed by the United States and things like that. So there's a real

Gemma Daly (18:38)

Ahem.

Jenni & Kay (19:01)

There's a real history. France was good, wasn't it? We went to Paris to see a guy, Hubert, who does this corded quilting, which came originally more from like the garment industry, corsets and waistcoats and things like that. And he does that. And then we went down to Provence and looked at the textile printing town there.

It's hard to choose a favourite. It's really hard. Whichever one, we've just been in Italy. Yeah, we've just been to Italy and that was great. I mean, I love, you know, we've been Scotland, brilliant. Because sometimes it's the person that we go to interview and that's the thing that sticks with you. You know, and like one of our favourite quilters who's normally at the Festival of Quilts, Sheena Norquay we went and filmed with her in Scotland and she's just so inspirational. Her archive of work is immense and...

Gemma Daly (19:24)

Putting you on the spot.

Jenni & Kay (19:50)

She's just so talented, isn't she? So that was special. And Scotland is beautiful. mean, I came back and, well, that's one of the most beautiful places in the earth. You know, why would you not want to just be in the highlands of Scotland? It's like brilliant. So, yeah, it kind of depends maybe where we've just been, doesn't it?

Gemma Daly (20:08)

Yeah, I get that. I get that.

So let's get on to your recent book Menopause Makes, which you very kindly gifted me at the Festival of Quilts. got it here and it's a beautiful book. Where did the idea for that come from?

Jenni & Kay (20:16)

You

Thank you.

Well, I'm 48 and Kay's 53. And so I think it was that we were making things in the studio for various projects. Again, we worked with Liberty and other companies and we were, we loved tana lawn and we'd made a quilt. And so was like, Oh, that would be good for menopause because it's floaty light and same with a few garments. Yeah. And then you made, Kay made me an eye mask for my birthday because you're terrible sleeper, you?

and said this will help and so it was it was like our daily reality of things you know when something just keeps cropping up and then it suddenly becomes it doesn't leave your brain I think it was like that wasn't it? Yeah it was just our daily reality I think of our conversations because that's and yeah because I'm a bit older I was or you know I definitely was in perimenopause in my mid-40s

was recognizing various symptoms and stuff. So you just end up having those conversations. And because we spend a lot of time together, we really have those conversations. then, yeah, the things became linked. it was a bit jokey to start off with, wasn't it? yeah, that's a brilliant menopause top or a brilliant menopause quilt or whatever. And then, you know, I think one day Jenni said, well, but like this, I think this could be a book. we were, you know, we sat down and...

in no time at all came up with 10 projects that we were like, yeah, well that would make sense for that. then we pitched it to search press know, explained what we thought the idea was. And it was interesting, wasn't it? Cause at first they were kind of a bit like, okay, yeah, we think it may, maybe like it's a mindful making thing. We're like, no, it's menopause. that is, yes, it's mindful. We know sewing's mindful and that's definitely part of it, but we want the message to be.

It's about menopause. want it also to be a conversation about menopause. So they kind of went off, didn't they, and came back like pretty much the next day saying, yeah, OK, everyone agreed. you're right. if you're not in that sphere, like, you know, someone like the commissioning editor or whoever, you know, we've got friends who've been in WhatsApp groups and like school WhatsApp group. And then when they start talking about menopause, like, I'm getting out of here. This isn't me. And then as soon as you know you're

Gemma Daly (22:23)

You

Jenni & Kay (22:42)

you're in it or it's coming, it's a very, very different reality. So I don't think you can imagine how it feels, but then suddenly you may feel anxious and uncomfortable, and have all these symptoms. And Kay was really proactive and have been out to talks in the community and everything. So I felt lucky because I felt informed, but we know that so many people don't have each other like we do when they're at home and probably...

worrying about things and equally we know from you know all this experience over the years that sewing really helps so we felt like it was a good segue into to hopefully get new people particularly stitching who are those people who bought a sewing machine in lockdown and made face masks or what have you and then they're suddenly like okay what where do I go from here so we've made it

progressive in skills like the eye mask is very similar to a face mask, but then we go on to inserting zips, curves, making simple garments and a couple of quilt based projects. had a lot of boxes that we then wanted to tick once we decided to do it, didn't we? We wanted it to be informative, but not feel like homework. So we were like big fonts, not loads of words, jolly looking pictures, nice fabrics, know, colorful. And so hopefully.

Well, from the response we've had so far, I think people get that. So you would maybe even buy it as a gift and not feel intimidated by the project on the front cover, which I think is hard. It's hard to pick one project that tells everyone what you're trying to do, isn't it? Yeah, definitely.

Gemma Daly (24:14)

Yeah,

I think the response to it has been amazing because I've never seen anything like it before, but you know, why not?

Jenni & Kay (24:23)

Yeah, well that's it, exactly that's what we thought,

like this is our reality and yeah, if it helps anyone at all in any way then that's, just starts a conversation and that's what we found at Festival of Quilts, it was so nice because we don't get to see people in real life all the time, you know, not often anymore because we don't have our studio, we're mostly online so when we do get to see people it's lovely.

what people just coming to eat, even if they don't know, didn't know anything about the book beforehand, but then they knew we were there and we would talk. The stories that people told us, it's like, it was lovely, wasn't it? And you know, really quite humbling, like people telling us all kinds of things about their, you know, what had happened to them during menopause and what have you. So it's like, yeah. women in their eighties still having hot flashes, which is slightly...

Disheartening. And people with medically induced menopause and you know like all kinds of different things and we felt like everyone who stopped by went away feeling a little bit lighter in some way just because they could share it or they'd bought the book and then they were excited to go off and make something. It was really positive wasn't it? Yeah, really lovely.

Gemma Daly (25:19)

you

Absolutely. And why do you think it is important to have those conversations about women's health and the menopause?

Jenni & Kay (25:38)

think, it's starting to become more of a, you know, it's accepted. think 10 years ago, not even it was still a kind of, you shouldn't really be like mentioning that out in public, should you? You know, and I'm sure there are still people that believe that and think that, but I think what I found was once I thought something was happening to me, and like Jenni said, I'd, you know, researched it, it was like, okay.

I thought you might get a hot flush or whatever it is. But then when you actually see the list of symptoms and it's so long and it's so widespread and it could mean, you yeah, you're anxious. I mean, I definitely got the rage, think, you know, it's like, why am I feeling cross all the time for no particular, why am I crying? Yeah. Why am I sitting in my car crying about nothing or seemingly it feels like nothing or whatever it might be. I think.

Gemma Daly (26:25)

Hmm.

Jenni & Kay (26:29)

You know, and again, I knew friends then who'd go to the doctor and they were, you know, pretty much fobbed off or said, well, maybe you're depressed. And for some people, maybe that is true, but not for everybody. Or it's like, okay, have you even thought about the menopause? Well, no, when you look on GPs are still only getting whatever it is, a few hours of training probably on the pen, but then

most of half of the population probably will go through it at some point, then really we should be having that conversation. and it can affect people in so many different ways and make you feel like you're not yourself. And, and that's quite debilitating, you know, for a lot of people, isn't it? And, disheartening and, and, so if we can just talk about it and let people know they're not alone or that it's not, you're not going mad or

Gemma Daly (26:54)

Mm.

Jenni & Kay (27:19)

there's not something wrong with you or you can help yourself maybe in different ways then that's what we wanted isn't it?

Gemma Daly (27:26)

Absolutely, and I think it's so important. I feel like the conversation is getting better about these topics, but giving women space to talk and the opportunity that your book has given. I mean, you had a whole stand at the Festival of Quilts, didn't you, with a little sofa, and it's just making the time and the space for those conversations. So it's really important.

Jenni & Kay (27:32)

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, that's absolutely what we wanted. We wanted it to be like a welcoming space because Festival Quilts is full on as you well now know and it's tiring and it's overwhelming and all of those things and it's full of women.

Gemma Daly (28:00)

Yeah

Jenni & Kay (28:07)

kind of probably of that age, a lot of them, you know, there's a lot of middle-aged women out there like us. yeah, we was like, well, let's have somewhere where we can fan them down if they needed it and have a sit down and just have a chat. And that is what happened. And that was brilliant. Yeah.

Gemma Daly (28:24)

Good, good. Now you mentioned a couple of things through the conversation, but are there any other exciting plans that you've got in the pipeline?

Jenni & Kay (28:32)

Well, we're always traveling then with quilt folk So we are in the process. We've like Jenni said, we've just we were in Italy earlier this year and we've just put

that out as our latest workshop and we also went and studied North Country quilts so not far from us just in kind of Northumberland earlier this year was that last year this year? sort of getting lost about where we are. We're going to we're heading to Sweden yeah that's our next stop and so that's what we're currently researching and then we do a block of the month a quilty block of the month with quilt folk each year with

Gemma Daly (28:59)

Ooooo

Jenni & Kay (29:07)

very different theme so we've done one called Patchwork and Prose which was all a celebration of books and patchwork which was interesting and this year we've been quilting the decades so with the International Quilt Museum in Nebraska we've been going through quilts from the 30s were in the 90s at the minute aren't we so we dress up each month and buy wigs don't we and present that program and look at textiles so we're coming up with what we'll do another very different one

Gemma Daly (29:30)

You

Jenni & Kay (29:36)

next year and we've a few secret things haven't we with the designers and things that will become apparent next year but we've probably not allowed to talk about We like doing different things I think that's kind we knew fairly early on that we probably didn't want to just stick and do the same thing all the time we could you know like all the

Gemma Daly (29:44)

That's fine, that's fine.

Jenni & Kay (30:02)

the best people we meet, hopefully, we want to still be curious and kind of find out about new things and people and places and... Yeah, we like traveling, but equally there's a lot on our doorstep as well. You know, we want to try out natural dying, don't we? Like that's something on our wishlist. It's just as you'll like when it becomes when it's your work and it's your hobby, it's finding that balance, isn't it, of when you switch off and just do things.

Gemma Daly (30:16)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Jenni & Kay (30:30)

for yourself as well but we've definitely got some more garments in us in the next year haven't we? Yeah definitely, lots of fabric ready to be I've got half a big nice Merchant of Mills one of their coats that's like in the waxed cotton so it's like a trench so I've cut out the pattern and we went to their shop in Rye which if you've never been in real life is

Gemma Daly (30:37)

Brilliant.

Ooh. Yeah.

I haven't.

Yeah.

Jenni & Kay (30:55)

you've got to go Gemma, honestly. It's so nice. We were like, ⁓ because we've always loved

their patterns, but then the fabrics they get from around the world. So we bought quite a few bits and bobs and I got all the oil skin and things to make me coat. And it'll be quite a challenge because obviously you can't really press it or anything as it's waxed. So I'm quite intrigued. I hope it's not a disaster because I spent a lot of money. That's my next, that's what's on the cutting table for me.

Gemma Daly (31:13)

Mmm. Mmm.

Yeah fantastic.

Jenni & Kay (31:24)

Mm.

Gemma Daly (31:25)

So just to tie up the interview ladies I like to play a little game of this or that if that's okay with you. Yep okie doke. So garment sewing or quilting?

Jenni & Kay (31:30)

Okay. Yeah.

quilting for me.

Garment size.

Gemma Daly (31:38)

One of each. ⁓ prints or solids?

Jenni & Kay (31:39)

you

I know what her answer will be. Prints. Solids.

Gemma Daly (31:45)

This is why you complement each other so well, isn't it?

Scissors or a rotary cutter?

Jenni & Kay (31:52)

Scissors. Yeah, rotary cutter. That's true. but that, you don't get But I do like, yeah, do like sound of scissors. cut of a cloth Depends what it is. Yeah, but you hate cutting patterns out. Yeah, that's my worst bit of garment. Like, yeah, I don't like cutting it out. No. I don't like basting quilts either.

Gemma Daly (31:56)

Ha

Yeah.

Spring, summer or autumn, winter?

Jenni & Kay (32:18)

Oh Autum/winter, Spring Summer. We've never played this before. This is quite Tea. We agree on that. We absolutely agree on that.

Gemma Daly (32:26)

Tea or coffee?

Yeah, thought you'd be tea An

organised stash or creative chaos.

Jenni & Kay (32:36)

Creative chaos. Organised stash.

Gemma Daly (32:41)

hand quilting or machine quilting.

Jenni & Kay (32:44)

Hand for me. Hand for me, actually.

Gemma Daly (32:47)

We've got one, we've got one with the same answer. Brights or neutrals?

Jenni & Kay (32:48)

Yeah, yeah.

rights.

Yeah, you're bright. Am I? Well, I'm prints but I don't know, I quite No. No, okay. Okay. The boss says I'm Have you looked in her wardrobe? Oh yeah, that's true. But I'm going, I think as I get older, I'm maybe going a bit more neutral-ish. Ish.

Gemma Daly (33:02)

It's bright.

A meal out or a takeaway?

Jenni & Kay (33:14)

Meal out. Yeah, meal out.

Gemma Daly (33:16)

and one project on the go or multiple.

Jenni & Kay (33:19)

multiple. Yeah. I'd like to think I was the kind of person that might have one on the go, but I'm really not. I think from when we had the studio, it was only lawyers and the medics who were really good at having one project on the go and finishing the Finishing it properly, yeah. probably 80 % of people otherwise can't resist a bit of a side hustle. Yeah. I mean, we're not ridiculous. We've met people with many more UFOs than us, but...

Gemma Daly (33:20)

You

That's it. That's it. ⁓

Jenni & Kay (33:47)

Yeah, there's a few.

Gemma Daly (33:47)

There's a few.

So where can people find you ladies?

Jenni & Kay (33:52)

We are Jenni with an I, so J-E-N-N-I. Jenni and Kay create on Instagram and Facebook. And there's a menopausemakes.com website as well, where we've also got.

video tutorials that go along with all of the makes in the book if people would like to sew along with the video which we know some people do so yeah that's where we are yep and for all our quilt folk things then the quilt folk website has then adventure workshops and block of the month which is which is us yeah quiltfolk.com

Gemma Daly (34:24)

Amazing. Well, thank you so much for joining me on the Sewing Social podcast today. It's been so much fun to chat to you. You're welcome. You take care. Bye.

Jenni & Kay (34:31)

Thank you for having us. Thank you very much. You too. Bye.

Gemma Daly (34:32)

Thanks so much for listening. If you're enjoying the show and want to support what we're doing you can now leave us a tip over on Ko-fi. It's like buying us a virtual coffee or a spool of thread,

and it helps us keep bringing you inspiring stories from the sewing community. You'll find the link in the show notes or at kofi.com forward slash the sewing social pod. Until next time, happy sewing.