We’ve had the joy of partnering with Jenni Smith and Kay Walsh for many years, and it’s safe to say that any project with their names attached is guaranteed to be thoughtful, creative, and deeply rooted in community. Jenni and Kay are the kind of people who make this industry better— generous collaborators, passionate educators, and all-around good humans who approach everything they do with heart and purpose.
When we learned about their latest project, Menopause Makes, we knew it would be something truly special. The book is an inspiring blend of creativity and conversation— a beautifully crafted exploration of what it means to move through menopause with honesty, humor, and compassion. It pairs meaningful storytelling with makes that nurture both mind and body, inviting makers to create, connect, and reflect.
To complement this work, Jenni and Kay collaborated with us to create a coordinating Aurifil thread set, curated to bring color, texture, and depth to the projects featured within the book. The result is a collection that celebrates the beauty of both the process and the people behind it.
We chose to share this interview today, October 18th, in honor of World Menopause Day— a moment dedicated to raising awareness, building understanding, and supporting the ongoing global conversation around menopause. It’s an opportunity to shine a light on a topic that deserves to be talked about more openly and to celebrate those, like Jenni and Kay, who are helping to lead that conversation with creativity and care.
Join us as we sit down with these two remarkable women to learn more about the inspiration behind Menopause Makes, the process of bringing it to life, and their hopes for how it might empower and connect makers everywhere.
Hi Jenni & Kay! We’re so delighted that to welcome you both to the blog today and cannot wait to dive into the inspirations surrounding your latest book and thread set, but before we do that, we’d love to start fresh. Can you share a bit more about your own stories with our readers? How did you both come to this creative practice?
Jenni: I have been upcycling clothes and sewing from my early teens and began quilting in 2006 during a year in Toronto.
Kay: I have always loved crafts but didn’t really start sewing until I had my children in the mid 2000s. I started with home furnishings and dressmaking but got the quilting bug once I met Jenni!
When did you first meet and did you know straight away that you’d be fast friends and incredible business partners?
We met at tap dancing class in our late 30s at the dance school our children also attended and sometimes talked craft. A while after I (Jenni) started a beginner’s quilt course at my home which Kay joined with 4 or 5 others and we met most weeks. Working together came 5 or 6 years later when we realised being different personalities somehow worked very well. I am the chaotic one full of creativity and ideas and Kay is wonderfully practical and calm so together we are pretty good at making things happen and having a lot of fun along the way.
How does the creative process and day-to-day look with you both between making, designing, speaking, and developing adventures and content with Quiltfolk Magazine?
We work from our studio on the edge of Ilkley Moor so the day begins with a good cup of Yorkshire Tea and an old-school hand-written to-do list which we work through together. It’s a lovely mix of sewing, online calls with our collaborators, reading and a lot of daydreaming, but in a good way. We always try to get out for a walk too, and work around our children when needed. It has always been very important to us that we are our own bosses and can keep a flexible schedule. Often we meet back up in the evenings to catch up in a more relaxed way.
Now, we’ve got to know— What was the driving force behind writing Menopause Makes? Why did you feel this book was needed right now?
We are both in peri-menopause and were sewing projects which helped like an eye mask for disrupted sleep and a nice jacket when feeling hot and a bit unhappy with our changing body shape. We also have taught many women in our studio of the years and learned a real appreciation for the emotional lows and anxiety that can come along in mid-life with this massive hormonal shift. So it was very organic! We sat down one day and wrote out the concept to reach more women and within a number of weeks we had a contract.
How do your own experiences with menopause influence the direction of the book?
We talk honestly about our own experiences and also include overviews of the symptoms and why they occur so we also learned a lot when researching the book.
Menopause is often a topic that isn’t openly discussed. How do you hope this book changes that narrative? Have you noticed a shift in conversation about menopause over the past few years?
We are proud that this book is the first sewing-related book to talk openly about menopause. We have each other to talk with about how we are feeling, but many people can feel scared and isolated at this time and knowledge is power. The majority of people have been very supportive and engaged, some people perhaps still struggle with the concept of talking about it so openly but that only makes us more determined to keep going.
Do you see this as the beginning of a larger conversation around creativity and menopause?
Yes – definitely, for example we have just been invited to run a session for a government body menopause support group so it encouraging to know we can reach new people who may not have considered creativity as a way to help
Who do you think will benefit most from Menopause Makes—is it just for those going through menopause, or is it a resource for a broader audience?
We deliberately made the book look and feel friendly and not like homework – it is very visual with colorful images and illustrations. Part of this motive was the hope that women’s partners or children and friends would also pick it up and read it through, and that has happened! The more people surrounding peri-menopausal and menopausal women who can understand why they may be behaving in a certain way or feeling “not quite themselves” the better.
Can you walk us through how the book is laid out? What can readers expect to find inside?
We begin with a foreword by Dr Hannah Davies which is really informative from a medical point of view. We talk all about materials and tools and have some fun prompts to demystify choosing colours before we share the 10 sewing projects. They are presented in order of complexity so we begin with the sleepmask and work up to a beautiful Ohio Star quilt.
Are the projects in the book designed to be comforting, empowering, or both?
Definitely both – we think that is why sewing is so brilliant because it does bring comfort but also the accomplishment of making something with your own hands and fabrics you love cannot help but make you feel empowered.
You’ve included contributions from guest designers—how did they help shape the direction of the book?
We invited female guest designers who inspire us on our journey and whose work we really admire. We were really happy that rather than just a standard overview of their creativity they all agreed to share personal insights on menopause too. It was also a truly “pinch us” moment when one of favourite fabric designers Rashida Coleman-Hale not only contributed but then also designed the book’s cover.
Are there particular themes or emotions you wanted to evoke through the projects?
We wanted to focus on practical solutions for symptoms women experience, teach a broad mixture of sewing techniques and inspire people to give it a go. We know sewing can be scary for people but the most important step is simply to make a start.
How did you go about selecting the colors for the coordinating thread set?
We used Aurifil for every project because we love it and always experiment with different weights so we kept a note of every thread and then narrowed it down to the 10 which cropped up the most (and looked pretty together of course!)
Do certain thread weights play a specific role in the projects featured in the book?
Absolutely – we love to teach everything we have learned from sewing together over the years so we piece patchwork with 50wt but sew garments with both 50wt and 40wt (depending on the fabric choice) and love 12wt for hand-sewing. We explain this in detail throughout the book because again it can be hard for people to always know what threads work best in a situation (especially with brain fog in the mix).
Were there any particular projects where Aurifil threads truly transformed the making experience?
Sewing our cool-down cover up in Liberty Tana Lawn with a gorgeous 50wt thread was the perfect match, they compliment each other so well. Also, the addition of a beautiful 12wt hand quilted on the Log Cabin Placemats really adds that finishing touch.
How do you see the thread set complementing and enhancing the creative journey of the readers?
Our collection has mixed weights so people will try something new with confidence and that always makes a difference.
Menopause can sometimes feel isolating. How does Menopause Makes foster a sense of community?
We interact online and in person and people know we are a safe space to talk about menopause so our already established community now has another element to it. We are proud that Aurifil has been so supportive of the book too so that together we can build and nurture this community together.
Are there plans for sew-alongs or supportive groups to work through the projects together?
We built a Menopause Makes website with full video tutorials to accompany the projects, especially helpful for beginners and visual learners. The first one is free to register, and all of them allow people to sew along with us.
What do you hope readers will take away from not just the projects, but the overall experience of engaging with this book?
The book was recently reviewed in Tauko magazine and it read: “With its balance of gentle humour and practical advice, Menopause Makes is both a craft book and a subtle encouragement towards more open conversations. It’s silly, sweet and surprisingly empowering”. This is exactly what we had hoped to create.
We were so excited to see the Menopause Makes Lounge at the Festival of Quilts this year— can you tell us a bit more about that experience and how it shaped the overall tone of your FOQ experience?
It was so rewarding! For four days we had a constant flow of people willing to engage with menopause and who felt welcome to be themselves and share their feelings. Each day we left feeling very privileged to be able to do what we do. We laughed and cried and created memories which will always stay with us. Sewing and stories are our favourite part of this world we spend time in, and the lounge with Aurifil created the perfect space.
We heard such wonderful things about the overall vibe of the lounge and how its existence made attendees feel seen. Were there any bits of impactful feedback that you received?
We learned a lot of new insights during Festival, speaking with health professionals and people who had had medically induced menopause for example. We also had some amazing post-menopause women who stopped by to reassure us that it does eventually end (though apparently hot flushes can stick around in your late 70s!)
Are there upcoming book signings or events where people can meet you and learn more?
2025 has been a bit crazy! We are hoping to make it Stateside in 2026 so keep an eye on our socials.
Where can people purchase the book and the coordinating thread set?
Via our website in the UK and via Quiltfolk in the US!
