Sharon Nicholls Thomson // Patchwork, Quilting & Sewing Tutor

Can you tell us a bit about your journey to the Berry community? How did you end up here and what attracted you to this community?

I came to Berry 20 years ago with my husband and young family. We had met in Sydney but had both grown up in regional areas and wanted to bring our kids up in a similar non-metro environment. We wanted a village vibe and space to grow things. My husband’s family had a connection with Kangaroo Valley so we knew the area. Berry was the sweet spot, a sleepy town, a rolling, green-hilled gateway to the South Coast, not too far from Sydney, close to beaches and the bush. Of course it’s not so sleepy now but it was for a while.

Tell us about your work. How and when did you decide to start it, and what motivated you to take the plunge into entrepreneurship or remote work?

I have a degree in Visual Art Education; aimed at secondary school teaching and a Masters in Arts Administration; covering skills needed for management in public or private arts sector positions. Before moving to Berry, I had worked in education and project management positions in the not-for-profit arts sector in Sydney and Perth. Notably for the now-defunct peak body, Craft Australia. I had also worked as manager in a private commercial gallery space and for a boutique auction house specialising in vintage collectables.

When we moved to Berry with our young family, I was a stay-at-home Mum. Being a crafty type and a compulsive maker, I was a frequent visitor to the local fabric store, Berry Patchwork. Before long, I was working evenings and weekends as a teacher at Berry Patchwork and filling in for the owner occasionally.

Nearly 13 years ago, when my kids were mostly through primary school, it was time for me to go back to full-time work. It coincided with the owner of the Patchwork Shop wanting to retire. So instead of making use of my first degree and going to work as an art teacher in High Schools which was the plan, I had the opportunity to buy the fabric business. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to draw on my project and event management skills, combine them with my teaching background, and work for myself.

Whilst it was a leap of faith, the business was well supported by the community and in a location which was a popular tourist stop-off on the way up and down the coast and had plenty of opportunity for growth. I renamed it ‘Berry Quilt & Co‘ and over the next ten years, I doubled it in physical size and staff and quadrupled it in revenue. It was a busy time! However, changes in our industry and in Berry have meant that the retail business has had to morph and the emphasis change slightly. We stepped back from our brick and mortar presence in town and now have a smaller’ by appointment studio’ at my home in Far Meadow. We’re continuing to run our online business and have increased the travelling we do to have ’pop-up’ retail stands at trade shows and craft fairs mostly in capital cities. This keeps us in touch with our far-flung clients.

Now that my time is more flexible, I have also picked up a lot of teaching in the quilting world. This is a big and growing part of our industry. In the last two years I have taught up and down the east coast for private groups. In Melbourne three times for a large national four day convention, at international events in France, England, Scotland and the USA. I’ve just returned from a six day teaching marathon in Adelaide and return to QuiltCon (yes lol!) in the USA in February 2027.

I have been motivated in my entrepreneurial ventures both by my coworking Berry community and the extensive, active and organised community of sewists and quilters worldwide. It is a niche where there are many, many opportunities and it doesn’t matter much where you live if you’re flexible with how you engage.

What does work-life balance look like for you? How do you manage the demands of work while ensuring time for family and personal life?

I’m still not sure I’m that good at maintaining a work-life balance. I tend to deep focus while preparing for a job deadline and then have to retreat to home to pick up the pieces and reset. I guess it is more of a see-saw than a balancing board but I am getting better at it.

These last couple of years have seen me enjoying the additional time that closing my brick and mortar business has provided. Before that, I admit there was not much balance! I am coming to terms with this new reality which involves a lot of travel for work, making maintaining a routine hard. However, my most recent balance method that I am trialling, is to create ‘non-negotiable appointment times’ for important things like home, family exercise, friends. When I’m home, I slot those things in first so that they DO happen. Then I fit the work in around that. Interestingly, this is the exact opposite to what I had been doing for the last ten years! So far, so good. I am feeling slightly less out of control of my home life.

In your industry, what recent disruptions or transitions have had the most significant impact on your business?

The advent of widespread digital printing on fabric has changed the quality of the fabric available. Production lines now have a much quicker turnaround and it is possible for manufacturers to invest in smaller print runs on demand. It is great for the bottom line of big business but the reliability of the resulting textiles over time is questionable. This is an issue for quilters who are making, in some instances, heirloom work or textile artists who have an art practice and need to be able to rely on the longevity of their materials.

It has become a massive practical and ethical issue for independent stockists like me whose advantage over big box stores like Spotlight was the emphasis on service and Quality over Quantity. Ironically it is now a time when our ‘make do and mend’ philosophy (the reason many of us in the quilting industry do what we do) has been hijacked by fast fashion. I have a new project brewing to combat this and the ever-growing textile waste component of our hobby/industry.

Social Media, YouTube, and online learning platforms have risen enormously in popularity and changed the way our clients and community world normally gather, learn and shop. These things have been detrimental to the previous small town brick and mortar model but skilling up in these areas means you have the opportunity to access a much larger international audience. Online teaching will be a component of my next project because it’s scalable and the novelty of travelling so much to teach will wear off eventually.

Outside of work, what are your hobbies and passions? How do you like to spend your time when you’re not focused on business or family?

I love travelling when I can and I especially enjoy a road trip. In 2025, my husband and I celebrated our youngest child finishing high school by having a six month long service leave break which we called our ‘parent gap year’. We had months of road trips in England, Scotland, the Scottish islands, Iceland, The Faroe Islands and a few places in Europe and Japan. It was an awesome adventure but made us SO happy to return home to our community and Australian weather and lifestyle.

I’m also a fan of a bushwalk, or coastal rock scramble, the more remote and un-peopled the better. It is especially good if there is a chance to stop somewhere scenic to write or sketch. I’m a bit of a culture vulture, I visit the theatre in Sydney regularly as an STC subscriber, I’m a big (audio book) reader of fiction and I go to see visual art and live music wherever and whenever I can. Unpacking the various themes with buddies and a glass of wine is a favourite pursuit. I love a weekend away with sewing friends where we make things non-stop for three or four days at a time. I do that more often than is probably responsible.

Are there any books or podcasts you’ve found particularly inspiring or informative recently? Any recommendations for the WorkLife community?

I like a neuroscience podcast like All in the Mind from Radio National, especially anything that makes sense of why my brain sometimes feels like a questionable asset.

I often enjoy Creative Pep Talk podcast with Andy J Pizza. This is a short format boost for your creative life. Sometimes there’s a guest, sometimes just the host musing but always a kernel of an idea that you could try in your creative practice or business. The host is an enthusiastic cheer squad for getting going and trying new things to keep you motivated and creative.

How do you maintain boundaries between work and personal life? Any top tips?

It is very hard when your hobby morphs into your business. It is a continual struggle that I never fully resolved. Instead, I am beginning to embrace the inevitable crossover more. I recognise that living your business can be an advantage.

To switch off being a ‘business person’ I make quilts which show in national and occasionally international Quilt Shows. I am the co-president of one of our local groups, the Wollongong Modern Quilt Guild, affiliated with the parent Modern Quilt Guilt in the USA. I was heavily involved recently in re-establishing and growing a National Modern Quilt Show which happened in Sydney in March 2026. Modern Quilt Guild have more of an emphasis on modern design and non traditional quilts. Think: ‘Not your grandmother’s patchwork quilt’. I am often invited to speak at groups about my experiences participating in quilt events overseas. This interests our community because these events are enormous and incredibly diverse by Aussie standards. All of this joining in, volunteering and speaking helps build the community that my businesses serve.

Having said that, I still maintain a separate phone number and email for shop business which is only checked or answered on ‘shop work days’. Also, locking in getaways or walks where I’m physically away from the studio and email is helpful and easier now that my kids are able to fend for themselves.

What is your taste like? Do you have a favourite item of furniture or object in your home? Anything that has special significance or tells a story about you?

I am a bit of a ‘stuff’ person and have many objects that are special. I think you would call my taste eclectic. I have a bit of a collection of art and paintings by South Coast artists that I have assembled over the years. I love vintage and second hand furniture – one of my favourite things is a kauri pine book bookshelf with glass doors that came from the old Gerringong Municipal Council. I’m sure it has local stories to tell if it could. There are things with a story most places you look in our home. It’s not minimalist!

What do you like/appreciate about the design at WorkLife? Any favourite touches or things that make you feel at home when you are at work?

I love the clean design of the spaces. My house and studio has a lot going on (code for chaotic). It is really important to be able to work in a space that is free of visual clutter when I need to. Having said that, I LOVE having the art collection at WorkLife that occasionally rotates. My work is very creative and it does help to have a few gorgeous things to look at while I’m there.

If you were to showcase the best of the local lifestyle to visiting friends, where would you take them and why?

There are so many great places in the area to show off to visiting friends. In town, I especially love The Berry Tea Shop for tea, cake and conversations, Pickled Ink for awesome weeknight dinner and South on Albany for special occasions. Mountain Ridge Winery for a relaxed lunch or brekky with the quintessential escarpment view and sometimes we go for a meat raffle and a bevvy at the Gerroa Boat Fisherman’s Club. The view is world class!

We’re so lucky to have the internationally renowned, spectacularly located Bundanon Art Museum and Arthur Boyd Homestead right on our doorstep. The Open Field Arts Festival is also a great event to have friends down for, not to mention the regular showground music festivals and the rural vibe of Berry Show.

We love a bit of outdoors too! The coast walk between Gerringong and Kiama is a highlight, as is the Drawing Room Rocks walk and Seven Mile Beach is perfect for a wild wintery walk. The beach at Shoalhaven Heads between the surf club and the river mouth is different every time you go there for a walk. Sparkling early summer mornings there are heaven especially if you park down near the boat ramp because you get not just the beach over the dunes but river and Cullunghutti views. Anytime the black cockatoos are wheeling about and carrying on in the banksias by the beach at the Heads, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

What’s your go-to productivity hack? How do you stay organised and efficient, especially with multiple responsibilities?

One of the hardest things about being your own boss is maintaining momentum and keeping to deadlines when you have only yourself to report to. I find an accountability partner useful when I find that I am cutting myself too much slack. Occasionally, I buddy up with another local business owner friend to report on progress with specific tasks or things I too easily let go. This helps keep me on track.

I do have moments or seasons of being organised and efficient. I never feel like it is all the time though and I have learned to be OK with that. Being able to escape the conflicting responsibilities at home and visit WorkLife Berry for what I think of as a ‘business brain recalibration’ often helps.

Lastly, what’s been the most valuable aspect of being a member at WorkLife for you and your work?

Having Worklife as a bolt hole has been such an advantage over the last few years. Initially, I valued the peace and quiet and the opportunity to get away from the distractions of my retail business which was right next door.

More recently, despite having built a great studio shop at home, there are still endless domestic chores too nearby. I enjoying getting away from household distractions. At WorkLife, water cooler conversations about others’ achievements and processes is motivating and I get a body doubling productivity boost when go in and everyone is busy working. Over the years Kate’s rolodex brain has been of great benefit. When you need something and ask “Do you know anyone who does X, Y or Z…?” Kate always has a lead or an answer.

Whenever I manage to get to a member lunch, dinner or planning session, I feel the positivity and connectedness for months afterwards. Maybe I’ll meet some of you at the next one?