Make at 140 Team

Our fabulous team in all of their glory.

All of the team at Make work hard to give you the BEST customer service.

We work hard at make to offer you the best quality workshops with the best teachers we can find and I think you'll all agree they are pretty fabulous.

Here is a bit about each of our staff members

Daine Taylor teacher at make

Diane Taylor - Shop Superstar & our Beginner and next stage sewing teacher.

I grew up where a sewing machine was part of the furniture where I started to sew at an early age with the help of my Mum. I found that I could make one off pieces that fitted well and were a little different than shop bought clothes.

I gained a very good CSE grade for my Needlework at school and was also awarded a national dress and textile prize.

I became a hand sewer for a Naval Tailors and for many years making officers' uniforms and outfits for film sets and was taught many tailoring techniques.

When the children were young, I worked from home and as an outreach worker, Making and altering clothes, curtains etc even turning my hand to upholstering furniture. This naturally taught my inquisitive daughter the art of sewing.

Working at Make is not a job for me it's a great place to work, I call it the sewing family who like to share the knowledge of this lovely art. Being so close to wonderful fabric, patterns that are for sale just makes me happy.

I also have a fondness for attending fashion Exhibitions where I get ideas for my next sewing project

I live near Saltrum Park with my Hubby 2 older children and Charlie the dog and enjoy long walks.

Angela Best - Dressmaking Teacher and Instagram Queen

I learnt to sew when I was a teenager. My mum was always knitting and sewing, and I enjoyed all sorts of craft, and so I naturally wanted to do some of the things that my mum did. However like most teenager I didn't stick with it.

Roll on about 20 years, I found that I couldn't find things I liked in the shops to wear. I had watched the Great British Sewing Bee, and started to wonder if I could give sewing a go, and make clothes I liked. I dug out the dusty old sewing machine that had sat rather unloved in the corner of my dining room for years, bought a Tilly and The Buttons pattern, and away I went. I've have never looked back, and my love for sewing and dressmaking has just grown and grown.

Over the years of sewing I have made amazing sewing friends, blogged for different companies about my makes including Make at 140 and helped friends and family with sewing. I'm passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping others fall in love with this hobby.

Margaret Wilcox - Dressmaking Teacher and Pattern Cutter

I knew from a very early age that I wanted a career in the fashion industry. My best subject was always Art and my favourite topic was drawing and designing clothes.

After Secondary school I enrolled at PCAD on their BTEC Fashion Design course where I gained my diploma; a few years later I returned to college where I gained my Higher National Certificate in Fashion Design.

Following college I have held many roles within the fashion industry, including pattern cutting made to measure wetsuits at Gul and special sample cutting at Jaeger. My skills include designing, pattern cutting/grading, cutting, fitting and sewing.

I’ve also worked as an alterations seamstress on general and special occasion/bridal wear, ensuring that every garment is a perfect fit.

But what I enjoy most passionately is making a garment completely from scratch, seeing it transformed from a paper pattern or a toile into a beautiful, well-fitting garment that fulfils all the customer’s requirements. There’s something just so magical about it!

I am sustained by my wonderful husband and 3 children, who are always a great support and inspiration to me, encouraging me to use and improve these fabulous skills that I have developed.

I have acquired many skills along the way and I’m really looking forward to sharing them with all you sewers, inspiring you to have a go and create something well-fitting and unique.

Krissie Colton

Krissie Colton - Dressmaking Teacher & Pattern cutter

My journey began working as seamstress some 15 years ago where I made children’s clothing and sold them at the local fairs around Cornwall.

To further my career development, I studied the BA Hons in fashion design and pattern cutting at Falmouth University which was a life changing experience and made me realise how much I loved the craft. I even studied Japanese origami style pattern cutting alongside my degree!

My latest ventures took me to London and New York Fashion week where I showcased collections (photos on my Facebook) as well Paris for 5 weeks where I delved into the world of Haute Couture and hand working techniques, skills I’m sure will add flair to the work I currently offer my clients.

Sarah Tutte - Soft Furnishings and up-cycling expert

Being creative is in my genes, my Gran was an avid knitter and as soon as I was old enough to hold a pair of knitting needles she taught me how to knit, this sparked my love for creating.

At the age of 13 I got my first sewing machine and fell in love with sewing. I did GCSE textiles and art and they were the only things I really enjoyed at school, without these subjects school would have been unbearable!!

Whilst at college I entered a couple of competitions which involved designing fantasy body art and costume, I managed to come 2^nd place twice. After college, living in Bolton, the opportunity to be in a creative career were nearly non existent so I fell into office work where I stayed for a few years.

Moving to Plymouth and starting a family gave me the spark to reignite my creative career and I decided to go on an upholstery course and learn as much as I could about making soft furnishings.

I worked as self-employed for a while making hand made roman blinds and interlined curtains for an interior desinger, then got a job working at Niki’s Soft Furnishings and have been there for the last 10 years. This June I made the decision to leave and follow my new love which is sharing my skills with others. I’ve been teaching upcycling classes and Sashiko workshops for Lizzy and really enjoyed being with other creative people and sharing my passion for sewing, creating and textiles. Make at 140 has started to feel like a second home and is a warm and positive environment to be in, I have met so many lovely people already and am exited about this next step on my creative journey.

Beatrice Gessa - embroidery teacher at make

Beatrice Gessa - Embroidery teacher and creator or pretty things

I started embroidery by chance in November 2019 just before my daughter was born. I wanted to embellish in some way the blue pram I had from my first son, and while I was bored on maternity leave I stumbled upon pictures of embroidery and I thought to give it a go. I've always enjoyed being crafty and making things by hand so I stitched some flowers on it and I never put the needle down since. I am totally self taught, YouTube and Instagram were my best friends when I started. After few months I turned this new hobby in a small business opening an Etsy shop, and now I am specialised in DIY embroidery kits and patterns.

I am Italian, I moved to Plymouth in 2021 after living about 7 years in London working in the hospitality industry. I live with my Polish husband and two young kids. I have alopecia areata and love trying new fiber arts like bargello and macrame.

Becks - The Queen of spinning yarn

My fibre arts journey began when I was taught to knit as a child but I quickly lost interest and the insipid yellow scarf I started never made it off the needles. I picked knitting back up in the mid-2000s and in 2011 a knitting friend asked if I wanted to take a spinning class. To be honest, the idea of spinning my own yarn simply hadn’t occurred to me, but the ability to create any kind of yarn I could possibly imagine quickly had me hooked.

Handspinning allows me to make use of the huge variety of fibres available, from the 90 different breeds of sheep in the UK, to commercially-prepared, ready-to-spin fibres and even the downy undercoats of goats and muskox. I make my yarn using spindles, manual spinning wheels and electric wheels (e-spinners). A skein of handspun can be a finished object in itself, or might go on to be used in my knitting, crochet or weaving projects.

An educator by trade, I have a passion for empowering others to spin their own yarn. While I share a lot online, there’s nothing quite like a face-to-face class, so I look forward to being able to help you on your first steps (or next steps) in spinning.

Renata our knitting teacher

Renata Chatkevic - Crochet and knitting queen

My name is Renata and I am an avid fibber crafter, curious about colour combination and stitch textures.

Since I took my crochet and knitting classes when I was 13, I have loved making garments, accessories and story character toys. I currently test knit for the designers and make amigurumi characters to order by using book illustrations to create the 3D crochet versions. My work has been appreciated by the practitioners- the true masters of the storytelling, who wanted to spark conversation of their young learners.

I treat each project as adventure that allow me to explore the new design techniques, stitches or combination of textures. Most importantly, I am not only a lifelong learner, but also an educator, who also understands a therapeutic power of making and wearing what you create with pride and joy!

I am looking forward to meeting you in my classes, share my skills and empower you to start or develop your crafting journey.