About Me

My name is Michelle and I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, USA with my husband, my youngest son, who is a junior in High School and my dog Tucker, a cheeky and energetic King Charles Cavalier.  My eldest son is in Australia studying Engineering at Sydney University whilst rowing on the University team.  We moved from Australia to the United States in 2013 for my husband's work.  I have been crafting for as long as I can remember and have been sewing since I was in 7th grade.  I also have other creative hobbies including soap making, which I started when my eldest son developed eczema at aged 3.  That was 16 years ago and I still continue to make the odd batch of soap here and there.  I have always had a love of small pouches ever since my second sewing project at school.  In 7th grade, I learned to make a pillowcase and in 8th grade, I made a zippered pencil case.  From then on, I was hooked.  After I graduated high school, I got my hands on a book called 'Pretty Things, Easy to Make' by Hilary More and made the adorable boxy zippered pouch in that book.  Since that time, the internet has evolved making it easier to gain access to patterns, videos and books.  It opened up a whole new world of teaching and learning.

Fast forward a few years and in 2006, I started writing tutorials on a community forum known as 'Craftster.org' (if you're on that website, I'm queenofdiy).  I am also a wannabe mad scientist and I developed a homemade recipe of the product Bubble Jet Set!

In 2016, I started publishing paid patterns on both Craftsy and Etsy, and so Birdcage & Thread was born.  I also wanted to create video tutorials for each of my patterns for those more visual learners.  Not only that, I wanted my prices to be affordable.  Although I enjoy sewing handbags, my passion lies in little pouches!  I really enjoy the process of creating, prototyping and teaching.  I have a unique ability to do mental rotation with ease, which gives me the advantage of being able to sew something in my head before I even sketch a design.

I look forward to creating more designs, both paid and free, because let's face it, everyone loves a freebie!!  Lastly, and most importantly, thank you for your support.  Without you, as a customer, I would not be doing what I do today.