Rosemarkie
About the tartan reel

Who are we and what do we offer?

The Tartan Reel was born in early 2016, when I couldn’t find fresh, modern fabric in my local shop. Whilst there’s lots of love for the traditional, I am not a fan of beige!

Hi, I’m Janey and I’ve been stitching since my Mam first let me loose on her machines. Mam is a super skilled seamstress and is still the local go-to for all things sewing at home, on the Black Isle in the North of Scotland.

The first project I remember making was a plaid lilac shirt when I was around 7, complete with a bias yoke. The joy of picking out the fabric in Inverness, then cutting the pieces and the feeling of accomplishment when it came together. I’m not sure I ever wore it, but that is irrelevant.

I stitched my first quilt not long after my son was born, in 2011. It is wonky and part of the binding has started to come away but it is loved and has been squished into soft malleability over the years. I loved patchwork from the get go, and my favourite aspect is actually the cutting and preparation of dozens or hundreds of wee pieces.

Whilst I’ve always sewn, career took me in the direction of Mechanical Engineering and dream jobs in BTCC and F1.

Roll on a few years and I’m a contracted engineer in a job that doesn’t excite me in a way that motorsport did. I was getting frustrated at finding modern, quality fabric so I looked into becoming a stockist and it grew from there. I walked out of the job when I wasn’t allowed a two week break for Easter, and here we are.

What does this mean for you? We are always at the end of an email to offer advice, help, suggestions or just to have a natter. I bloody love seeing what you’ve been sewing but I care more about what hurdles you are faced with. Do you have a technical concern in a pattern? Let me know, I aim to break down sewing and make it as accessible as possible.

If the prose is too bulky, then the most important things are as follows:

We are always here to help you solve a sewing problem

Life is too short for beige fabric

TTR is a safe place. This is non negotiable and bigots will be barred!

Plastic packaging is a hard “no”, our orders are lovely in their cardboard boxes.

Motorsport is life, if you want to natter away about it to me, please do!

Being distracted by pretty fabric and starting projects more regularly than you finish is fine. Not everyone is a starter-finisher!

Don’t need a FQ? We can cut smaller piecers, fabric is a luxury and there is no judgement. We hate waste and the cost of living.

Tattoos rock.

Chocolate absolutely does not belong in the fridge

You are more than welcome here,

Janey x

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