About Me
Hello there! A very warm welcome to Sew Mark Francis, I’m really pleased you’ve popped by for a rummage and hopefully you’ll find something of interest. I really never thought I’d have my very own website or ever a need to write a bio about myself, but here we are!
My practical sewing experiences began quite late in life; which probably makes me sound older than I actually am! However, my relationship with sewing really began when I was a small child. My grandparents, being from the make-do-and-mend generation, were excellent amateur sewers and owned an ancient treadle powered Singer sewing machine, which I found mesmerizing as a child. The Singer was a large piece of equipment made of metal and wood with a countertop, drawers and the fascinating treadle. My younger sister and I would play with it endlessly, but we had no idea how to sew on it, it was much more useful as a shop counter! It was at this age that my lifelong passion for Doctor Who also began, including dressing up as the Doctor in a specially put together outfit. I dreamt of being able to make my own costumes and clothes but never had the confidence or skills to be able to attempt such projects. Needlework was not something that little boys were encouraged to do in the 1980’s. Over the years I indulged my creative side by playing various instruments, painting and drawing, singing and acting and learning to tap dance, but the desire to learn how to sew never left me. Many years passed until I had the confidence to finally learn how to use a sewing machine and even though I now have that skill, the learning never stops. The treadle Singer has long since left the Francis family, but my passion and love for making clothes & costumes, taking inspiration from Doctor Who has only grown stronger.
In 2019, my husband Clive applied for me to enter the Great British Sewing Bee, I never thought I’d get through, but I did and life hasn’t been the same since. The time I had in the sewing room, working alongside such an incredible bunch of creative, enthusiastic and hardworking individuals, both in front of and behind the camera, gave me the push I needed to be able to change my life and refocus on the things I love the most.
