Sew it, knit it, crochet it—patterns made for makers
Welcome to Ruth Maddock Makes - Step into a world of sewing, knitting, and crochet patterns made to spark ideas and bring hands-on joy. Every design is created to be unique, maker-friendly, and full of character—so you can stitch, knit, or crochet your way to something wonderfully one of a kind.
About Me
Designing makes me happy. I live with the chaos of a head full of ideas — one day I want the clash of bold, bright colours, the next I crave the calm of soft classics. Inspiration pours out of everything around me, and I never quite know when to stop!
I grew up in South London, above my father’s shop, surrounded by creativity. My mum, a skilled dressmaker, taught me to sew and sparked a lifelong love of making. I went on to study fashion at art school during the early 1970s — an amazing, heady time when designers like Zandra Rhodes, Bill Gibb, and Betty Jackson were beginning to make their mark. After graduating, I initially designed for several fashion houses before moving into the knitwear industry, where I discovered how much I enjoy turning ideas into stitches.
A successful design, for me, brings together style, colour, texture, ease of making, sustainability, accessibility, and comfort — and all my patterns are created with this in mind.
Returning to School
More recently I returned to study, completing an MA in Contemporary Crafts. My master’s project explored the idea of designing for happiness — creating clothes that not only look good but also feel wonderful to wear. That work brought me back to clothing design and pattern cutting, and it planted the seeds for what would become my sewing patterns.
Design for Sensory Kids
Through that journey I became especially interested in designing clothing for children with sensory needs. One child describing my work as “great clothes that don’t hurt!” — and that moment shaped everything. My sewing patterns are all about comfort, confidence, and practicality, helping children feel good in what they wear.
“Happiness makes good things happen. It actually promotes positive outcomes. The benefits of happiness include higher income and superior work outcomes (for example, greater productivity, higher quality of work, greater occupational attainment), larger social rewards (such as more satisfying and longer marriages, more friends, stronger social support, and richer social interactions), more activity, energy, and flow, and better physical health (for example, a bolstered immune system, lowered stress levels, and less pain), and even longer life…
Knitting and Crochet
Alongside sewing, I’ve never left behind my love for yarn. I’ve designed for all the major UK knitting magazines and yarn companies since the 1980s, (see more here) and I’m a published author too. With decades of experience, I now create patterns and kits that are playful, creative, and accessible to all makers. Many come with video tutorials so that anyone can pick up their needles or hook and feel confident from the start.
Fabric Design
And because I can never resist a new idea, I also design fabrics – bold prints, playful patterns, and classics with a twist. You can find my fabric collection over at Spoonflower (HERE),
