Chit Chats with Toni - August 2025
Did you know that before Sheila May Swim...and even before my teaching days...I had a little business designing sewing patterns?
Yep! My days were filled with fabric, sketches, and a whole lot of time at the sewing machine. I lived, breathed and inhaled all things sewing - seriously, I didn't buy clothes for years! I made almost everything I wore...and everything my kids wore too (yes, even their undies 😅).
And while it's been a long time since I pulled out my fabric stash, I've recently started making time for the things that bring me joy - and that includes quilting. I'm keeping it super simple while I get back into the groove, but it's been so fun going through my beloved fabric collection and playing with different prints and colour combos again.
That's when it hit me - it's always been the surface pattern art and colour pairing that lights me up. That joy I get from putting together an unexpected combo and watching it work? That's exactly the same feeling I get every time I design a Sheila May collection. It's must be in my bones.
Here's my finished quilt - hand-quilted, with a gazillion hours spent stitching away on the couch in the evenings. Honestly, it's become a bit of grounding therapy for me. And yes...I've already started another one! 😂
Winter is not the easiest season when you run a swimwear brand. The quieter days are nice in some ways, but there's always that little voice in my head wondering... "Is anyone going to need swimmers again? Are we sure it's going to get warm?"
So...you still want swimmers, right?
It is going to be summer again...right?! 😅
I sure hope so - because behind the scenes we've been pretending it's mid-January. Think photoshoots, content days, and fresh new colour explosions. And tomorrow, I'll be revealing the very first collection of Spring 2025 - and let me tell you, it's a ripper!
Want a clue?
Brook Gossen.
If you know, you know. 👇
Sending sunshine-through-swimmers your way,
Toni x
