I’m Kate, the Honest Abode founder and fabric lover
Come on in and make yourself at home
You and I would need a couple of hours and a couple of coffees to really get through my small business story. Oh, the twists and turns! Let me tell you the short version here.
I’m incredibly proud of Honest Abode. I’ve run my own business since 2017, and I love what I do. My days are a combination of all my very favourite things: creating, quilting, and everything vintage. And, I get to live out my childhood dream of being a shopkeeper of my own shop from my home in the Cotswolds.
I’ve carefully put together a collection of my personal favourite fabrics for you, and you can see my handmade quilts here.
Vintage, and vintage-inspired fat quarters to fall in love with
Quilt queen Kate
With three lovely but full-on children, and running Honest Abode, I don’t have tonnes of time to do my favourite things (AKA: making quilts).
A dream Saturday for me (if I’m not at my beloved allotment) is grabbing a smoothie, a vegan almond croissant, and going to a vintage flea market.
I love to hunt thought the stalls for exciting glimpses of the past in the form of designer fabric or preloved items. Some people love
football, or spend their weekends in IKEA, or jump into lakes for some cold water swimming- and good for them! - but I love nothing more than sourcing one-of-a-kind fabrics. Then, I bring those fabrics to you right here on this website.
If you were ever in my neighbourhood, I’d give you a tour of my home. It’s filled with handmade soft furnishings, vintage knickknacks, and colourful patterns from years ago. Closing the curtains on a winter evening or settling in in the bright summer afternoon sun with a tapestry on my lap or some hand quilting in my hands is truly my happy place.
If you think this all sounds a little old fashioned, well, you might be right. But it’s also joyful, relaxing, fulfilling, and restful. Sound like bliss to me.
Now you know all about me, come tell me all about you
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Fabric enthusiast
I just adore fabric. Designer or not, I love buying it, collecting it, and working with it. Show me a yard of flannel, or a fat quarter of organic cotton, or even a scrap from my stash and my hands are itching to transform it into something beautiful.
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Love quilting
I’d spend every hour quilting if I could. I have an artistic brain, just like you, I imagine. Upcycling furniture, tapestry, painting, making cushions… craft really is my thing. But vintage, deadstock, and designer fabrics are always my first love.
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Always vintage
Holding a piece of history in your hand, especially if that history has an iconic design, is incredibly special. Whether it’s an antique candlestick or a fat quarter of vintage fabric, if it has character, it’ll make my heart beat a little faster.
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Curated home
My home is full of cherished vintage pieces, handed down ornaments, and cosy quilts, curtains, and cushions. Every piece is chosen with love. Our homes should be full of what brings us joy, and what’s more joyful than something handmade?
‘Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be beautiful or believe to be useful.' William Morris
Sustainable textiles, beautiful quilts
Sewers, artists, crafters, lovers of home
I feel like crafters and quilters really get each other, but to anyone else, we’re a little strange.
Our happiest time is when we’re settled down in a comfy chair, creating something beautiful. We beam with pride when we use our makes to decorate our homes or give them as cherished gifts to loved ones.
We can never throw away even a scrap of fabric. I’ve saved fat quarters for months (or even years), and I get more excited about a square of designer fabric or deadstock fabric than any fancy party!
If this sounds like you, then I definitely want to stay in touch.
Sign up to my mailing list below and I’ll let you know when all the latest fabrics are added to the shop.