It is a new business in Midsomer Norton, a fabric and sewing shop, with a twist. It is a dream opening for the new shop in the former Greyhound pub. So great to see this business ready - but there is also a new sideline on the way - with the owner hoping to open a cafe too serving Korean food.

So we wanted to learn more about the Sewing Sanctuary. Midsomer Norton Nub News interviewed the owner asking about her business history, how she won her hardworking ethic from her mum - and her royal connections.

"I am Sarah Patterson and a proud Korean, I have lived here in the UK for 20 years, ever since I came here to study for a Masters Degree in Psychology and Child development. My own childhood has had a very big influence on me and in particular my mother's example, she was such a strong woman, running a fish market business at the docks and managing a family of five children with an invalid husband. We children all had to assist and I learnt to sew, cook and gather seaweed to be sold at the market. 

Why Midsomer Norton ?

Well, we never thought of moving to MSN initially. When we sold the house we looked for an all-in-one place where we could both live and run a business delivering a fabric shop and Korean food. No. 1 High Street offered the space and facilities we needed and is a great location with Bath, Wells and Bristol all nearby.

By good fortune we found our new premises, the former Greyhound Hotel, space wise, it is perfect for what we need. Also, the town itself has so much potential to add our new business venture, especially FREE parking !

I love it.

Whoever loves sewing is willing to travel to see fabric and touch it, you can't do that on the Internet. Previously most of our sales were made at large fabric shows at the NEC in Birmingham, Alexandra Palace and Olympia in London, Harrogate, the Bath & West Showground and Exeter so we have many customers all over the place in the UK and we hope many will travel to our shop and buy fabric and participate in sewing retreats. I strongly believe that once we are fully open, up and running, we will build a strong local community and bring more people to Midsomer Norton.

What is your business background?

I started with a shop in Bournemouth selling fabric I bought from UK wholesalers and restored furniture, it was a 'shabby-chic' shop. Then five years ago I started designing fabrics and sewing patterns and rented a shop in Poundbury (one of Prince Charles' estate new villages) near Dorchester. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic we had to operate online and eventually we had to close the shop and plan for a new adventure. 

Popular sewing workshops too...

The Korean food is a nice twist - when will that start ?

I think so too, sewing and food were formative experiences for me and hope that this new option in Midsomer Norton is enjoyed by the community. We have to go through the correct process and re-equip the kitchen, I hope we will be open this month and our first event will be a food tasting. 

I used the word Sanctuary because it means a place of peace and security, a refuge, we all need a place like that. For me sewing offers a time to switch off from everyday cares and concerns, when you concentrate on sewing, you forget about everything else and can achieve something of lasting value. That is important in a time dominated by 'fast fashion' and disposability.

Certainly sewing can help inspire people who want to make their own clothing and for their loved ones. So many of our customers pass down clothes through their own families and reuse our patterns to make new clothes for their children as they grow.

In the last couple of years, I have seen more young people take up sewing, this allows them to express their individuality, every hand-made dress or garment is as unique as the person who made it.  

So tell Nub News more about the fabrics and patterns you design

I started back in 2017 just before we opened our shop in Poundbury, as I have said before, I used to buy from UK suppliers and on trips back to Korea got to know some of the fabric printers there. South Korea is a major player in the fabric business and at the forefront of technology in fabric manufacture.

Most fabric sold in the USA is produced in South Korea and it is the reason why Korean manufacturers still sell by the yard. I decided that I could design fabrics and knowing the printers could cut out the manufacturer, designers and distributors here in the UK. This was also assisted by a change in technology, screen printing is the cheapest method of printing if you produce it in volume, but set up costs are high and colour range is limited. Digital printing allows smaller runs of a pattern to be produced at costs that are not so much higher than screen printing nowadays.

What do you personally like most about sewing?

Sometimes my husband says I express myself a little too much when I make my own clothes ( see my photo of my two-tone trousers ! ) I get great satisfaction from making and wearing clothes that stand out from the crowd, I once found a digitally printed fabric that had squares with lips in many colours almost like an Andy Warhol painting, I made a short skirt with it and my older sister decided she had to have it and took it back to Korea. Currently my favourite item is a pinafore dress that I designed and in a fabric that I also designed.

I enjoy every day, after a long journey I feel that I am now in a place and doing the things I love, it can be exhausting but it is very satisfying. 

Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself.