Our Story

My name is Alan Teather and I have had a lifetime of experience.

Military.

I proudly served in the military, The Royal Engineers, became disabled, got married, had a family, became mentally unstable, I mean really wobbly, and still suffer badly from long-term mental illness.

Shades of Grey.

There are more greys in between the Black and White but the depressive blackness still rears its ugly head, occasionally.

Reading this, you can understand if I say there have been a few ups and downs along the way.

Coping.

My way of coping is meditation and being a passionate craft worker. This has helped me for many decades now. I Also have long experience in photography and glasswork, candle making, sewing, crocheting, and especially traditional quilting. All to a high-quality standard, It’s the OCD in me!!

Education.

In 2015 at the tender age of 54, I decided, on a whim, to return to education. I decided to study for a degree in Contemporary Textiles and Products.

Having been out of education for nearly 40 years, I had to do an Access to Higher Education first. After passing that course, I started my degree course in September 2016.

After 3, long, tumultuous, and exhausting years I gained a BA (Hons) degree in Contemporary Textiles and Products. This was at the Northern School of Art in Hartlepool.

Reflection.

As an mature student, I can’t, hand on heart, recommend this route to HE. Higher Education is supposed to expand and challenge your mind, not stifle and shrivel it.

Hobby to Business.

As a result, quilting was especially hard to ignore when it came to setting up a business. I have been doing quilting for over 25 years, (1997 after a long mental relapse). Quilting was the longest time of any “hobby”. Therefore, it seemed only appropriate to take my love further. Hence Alan Teather Quilting.

You can be assured of friendly, warm, and award-winning customer service at Alan Teather Quilting. If you are a beginner, a consummate professional, or a worldwide megastar then you are welcome.

So, there we are, a brief history of me and how Alan Teather Quilting began.

Since then, Amanda, my loving wife has joined me. Well someone has to (try to) keep me on the straight and narrow…