Meet the Maker -Leading sewing expert Alison Smith

Over the years my relationship with Linton has grown stronger. Linton visited my shop many times and we would set up a section in the shop for a one day sale – these were exceedingly well attended, and more Linton was of course added to my fabric stash. In 2016 I took one of my first sewing retreats to the Carlisle area and of course a trip to Linton to stock up. Since then I have visited Linton many times with my students, with leading US couture jacket maker Susan Khaljie and her students.

After some time collaborating with the Linton team in designing a new beginner sewing pattern comprising three jacket styles. In October 2025, I hosted a retreat to teach a group of enthusiast's to make a Linton jacket. We used the Eden pattern that I designed, which is a classic edge to edge jacket but tailored with fusible interfacings, making it a jacket that you could make in a few days.  For the more confident sewer I also designed Beatrix that features a button closure and a small collar, which as pictured showcases the Beatrix' s pattern versatility in personal styling.