Having spent most of my working life in restaurants, I was looking for an outlet for my creative urges, and in 2000, while flicking through an article in Homes And Gardens magazine,  I discovered The Traditional Upholstery Workshop in Ceredigion, Wales.

Set in beautiful countryside, I spent the next few years studying upholstery as and when I could. Upholstery combines the masculine craft of woodwork, with the feminine skills of needlework. It requires both strength and delicacy. I was bitten by the bug immediately.

The appeal for me is taking a frayed and faded piece of furniture about to be thrown in the tip, and breathing new life into it. Replacing the old sagging seat with a taut firm one. Using my imagination to accentuate the beauty of the chair with fabric sympathetic to the period, or creating something far more exciting by using an unexpected fabric to upholster it.