About Us
We are Mandy, Celia and Sue and we are passionate about everything patchwork and quilting. Despite being scattered across the country, we share the use of a Handi Quilter computerised long arm quilting machine. This is located in our studio in the picturesque Piddle Valley between Piddlehinton and Piddletrenthide (hence our name, Middle Piddle Quilting). We have a Handi Quilter Amara (20 inch) long arm machine on a 10 foot frame. The quilting machine is fitted with a Handi Quilter Pro-Stitcher. This is packed with features that enable us to resize, modify and customise nearly any digital design and quilt it with unparalleled precision. As a result, we are delighted to be able to finish our own quilts and our stack of unfinished projects has diminished substantially since the Amara was installed.
So how did we meet? Celia and Mandy shared an office together many years ago and it was Celia that persuaded Mandy to join a local quilt group that she was starting. Mandy is married to Sue's brother Steve, another important but non-quilting member of the team as chef, waiter and barman for our weekend get togethers!
Mandy
Piddle Valley, Dorset
Mandy is the caretaker of our long arm quilting machine and as a result does most of our quilting for friends and family. Celia and Sue like to dabble and do their own quilts when we meet for our frequent weekend quilting retreats. Mandy excels with anything technical and loves programming the Pro-Stitcher to create edge to edge designs and custom quilting. Combined with her perfectionist edge, she is able to provide and stitch out a wide variety of accurate and detailed quilting designs. See the gallery for examples of her work.
Celia
Marsh Gibbon, Oxfordshire
Celia is our most experienced quilter having been taught by her mum in her early thirties, and has been knitting and sewing since a child. Celia loves colour, geometric designs, applique and having always been a hand quilter is enjoying the precision of the Handi Quilter.
Sue
Raynes Park, London
Sue is a relative newbie to quilting but is our 'jack of all trades' having trained in couture, millinery, knitting and crochet. She also makes great cakes and chocolate too!