Sewing our way to SUCCESS

Two women share their story of turning their favourite hobby into a business

- RUTH ADDICOTT

‘I finally found the courage to do what I love’

Gillian Redin, 63, is the founder of Lovingabag, and lives in Loughton, Essex.

I’ve always loved sewing, but I never had the confidence to do it full-time. My nana Rose taught me how to crochet when I was 10, and I made a blanket that I’ve still got today.

After leaving school, I qualified as a hairdresser and then worked as a teaching assistant for 18 years – if there was anything arty going on, I was always in the thick of it. When COVID-19 struck, I had to shield for medical reasons.

Although I was clinically vulnerable, I’m not one to give in. When I saw a post on Facebook calling on people to donate scrubs bags to the local hospital, I thought, I can do that! I put a post out asking friends and family if they had any old duvet covers and pillow cases, and I was inundated. Within a couple of days, the house was full of fabric. I washed every piece and set myself a goal of 100 bags. The nurses at the hospital were over the moon.

I then joined a national network of volunteers sewing scrubs for NHS workers. By the time I finished, I was flagging. The pressure of lockdown was starting to get to me. I knew someone who had died of COVID-19. The school had reopened and I was anxious about going back.