Hello, I'm Bea Byrne.

I asked Santa Claus for a sewing kit when I was 3 and have never looked back. I have a love of anything to do with textiles but my real passion is quilting. After a career in tech and events I realized that organizing and hosting this online conference is the perfect way to merge the two worlds.

My Story

When I moved from my childhood home in a seaside town in the UK to the bright lights of London, I took my quilting (and my knitting, crochet, embroidery and other sewing supplies) with me. In 2012 I moved to Tokyo and it broke my heart to have to downsize so many supplies. I quickly discovered the world of japanese quilting and craft supplies when I arrived. 2014 saw me downsizing again to continue my adventures in San Francisco - but that didn't worry me as by then I knew I'd find plenty to keep my fingers occupied there too. I wasn't wrong! I'm now in Oakland California with my one-eyed cat Charlotte, living our best lives!

I started teaching in London and continued in Tokyo and then San Francisco. In London I organized annual knitting holidays for groups of 40+ and in Tokyo I would take tourists on tours of all the best craft spots in the city. Once settled in San Francisco I joined my local quilt guild and later served two years as the President before going on to co-Chair the Quilt Show Committee, resulting in a highly successful show in March 2023.

Dresden quilt by Alex Byrne. Pattern in VIP Bundle.

Fifty Five Thousand Dollars - aka The Divorce Quilt

My Quilting

My first love was English Paper Piecing which my Mom introduced me to when I was 6. I've never stopped loving it and continue to make, teach and lecture about EPP. But I also like to experiment and try out EVERY technique, which is why I am looking forward to participating in this event and watching all the workshops as much as you are! (OK, yes - I did kind of organize the first one for myself! What can I say - I love quilting!).

You can see some examples of my own work in the images above and below as well as on my Instagram, which also shows some of the sketching and junk journalling I like to do. As well as a lot of pictures of my cat!