Pleats and folds have fascinated me since I started designing and making professionally, seven years ago. It all started many years before with an obsession with 18th century dress trimmings made from folded and manipulated silk.

My new book on fabric manipulation, due out in 2013, has a whole chapter on pleating and folding techniques. Working on it has been a joy; a chance to experiment and play with new (to me) old techniques and the chance to invent some of my own.

You can get an advance preview of some of the techniques in the book at my next fabric manipulation workshop on Sunday 30th September, 10-4 at Ruth Singer Studio, Leicester.