Meet the maker Karen Gurney

I graduated as a from Nottingham Trent Uni in 1996, started work as a freelance Theatre Designer - and quickly realised that my true calling was with fabric, costumes and people!

From there I embarked on a 16 year career in the world of costume, as a designer, supervisor, maker, dresser - working in various different genres, from education to arenas.

This culminated in being part of the costume team that produced the ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics.

This has proven to be a turning point in my career - Inspired by my time there I quit my full time job in a drama school and had a change of life - I currently work in a museum in central London - the Churchill War Rooms.

Now, some of you may think that this move was a crazy one. Let me explain myself... by being amongst such friendly happy, talented people on the Olympics made me reassess my frustrated, unhappy life working in a drama school. Now, every single day at the War Rooms I am surrounded by people on holiday - having a good time, who are happy. This in turn makes me happy, and the amazing surroundings I find myself in inspire my work when I get home.

So I spend my days enveloped in astonishing history having fun, and my evenings languishing amongst fabrics creating never Mind The Buttonholes magic. Not such a crazy move after all eh?

Never Mind The Buttonholes represents a way of life - every evening I loose myself in my designs, by letting the fabric speak to me - it tells me what it wants to become - I believe that I create fun and quirky pieces.