About
Sallieann Harrison | Professional Quilter, Teacher &Â Presenter
Sallieann Harrison
The Story So Far...
1960s - 1970s
Sallieann grows up in SE England
Sallieann began sewing from the age of 9, fashioning outfits from her mother's used workwear. Her love of needlework and art continued throughout school, despite guidance from everyone to focus on studying law, medicine or accountancy!
1980s - 1990s
Early career and marriage
Sallieann takes on a series of finance-based roles in insurance, banking and tax - she wasn't bad with numbers! In 1987 she married Mike, and the birth of her two sons followed shortly after.
2000 - 2003
A stint in the USA
Sallieann and family moved to New Bern, North Carolina, where Sallieann discovered her first Patchwork & Quilting Store. She began taking classes, before quickly becoming a teacher there herself. By the time she returned home, she was a prize-winning exhibitor.
2003 - 2016
Education degree and private tuition
On returning to the UK, Sallieann undertook a degree in Education, going on to work for schools' inspectorate service Ofsted. The love of sewing remained and Sallieann taught patchwork and quilting privately, as well as demonstrating for major brands like John Lewis and the American Museum & Gardens (Bath, UK).
2016
Sallieann Quilts is born
Following redundancy from Ofsted, Sallieann jumped into sewing with both feet and has designed for major UK publications, taught residential courses at Denman WI College, and exhibited widely throughout the UK.
Since 2018 Sallieann has demonstrated on Sewing Quarter TV, achieving a lifelong ambition of sharing her skills with a nationwide audience and working alongside other respected professionals in the industry.
2020
TV and web career
Sallieann began demonstrating her own designs for the first time on TV's new Sewing Street Channel, and as her patterns grew in popularity she launched an Etsy store and a new website, sallieannquilts.com. For several years, she ran a successful subscription product, known as Sweetie Club, through the website.
2023
Critical acclaim
In May 2023, Sallieann exhibited for the first time in over 5 years. Her two quilts - Stonefields (designed by Susan Smith) and Breakfast at Tiffany's (designed by Pride and Joy Quilting) won multiple awards at the Malvern Quilt Show in the UK, with Breakfast at Tiffany's going on to win second place in the Pictorial Quilts category at the International Festival of Quilts 2023 in the UK.
2023
Publishing deal
Alongside exhibiting, Sallieann spent the first half of 2023 writing her very first book! Elevate Your Scrap Sewing Projects is published by Fox Chapel USA and is due for release in December 2023. Pre-order now on Amazon or any major bookstore in the UK or USA.
