All items by Cherish Quilts and Crafts

Cherish Quilts and Crafts is a small home-based venture, an extension of my hobbies and an outlet for my creative abilities in textiles and needlework.

The name was chosen because CHERISH means to treasure, to protect and treat with great care and affection and that’s what I hope my customers will be able to do if they buy any of my lovingly created crafts.
I live in a broadland village in rural Norfolk although I was born and brought up in the country in Northern Ireland. Traditional crafts such as needlework, crochet and knitting have always been my main interests and it is these that form the basis of my work today.

Living in Norfolk I am surrounded by large flat fields and big skies which seem to go on forever. Frequent visitors to my garden are fat and colourful pheasants, skipping rabbits and a few others who no doubt visit under the cover of darkness! The farmers provide an ever changing view over the fields throughout the seasons from the dark brown furrows of crumbly soil in autumn and winter to the waving fields of golden grain in summer. All these things provide inspiration in my work and are often reflected in colours and materials chosen to make my quilts, cushions and other crafts. The waterways of the lovely Norfolk Broads National Park are on the doorstep and also provide ideas for crafts especially in summer when they are dotted by sailing boats and cruisers and where birdlife too is abundant.

My Irish roots have given me a love of the traditional fabrics of Ireland too, namely linen and tweed and I like to incorporate these in my designs where possible.

I have been a member of the Norfolk Craft Guild for over five years. We hold several craft exhibition/sales throughout the year, two of which take place at one of the National Trust properties in Norfolk.

In 2013 I exhibited a patchwork/appliquéd quilt at a Central Taster Exhibition of the Norfolk & Norwich Open Studios event which was part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival for 2013. The quilt was sold at the event.