Collette Costello

About Collette Costello

Hi, I am Collette Costello,

My sewing journey

It all started with my Nanna Betty. She was born in Salford in 1915, worked as a machinist, made her own dance dresses and never threw anything away. When I was a little girl, we spent cosy Sunday afternoons together, sewing and sharing stories. That’s where I learned to sew.

Two old photographs of Nanna Betty: as a young girl with her father, and as a young woman in a smart suit
Nanna Betty, born 1915, Salford

Because of her, I became a fashion designer. I started my own label in Salford, winning the Salford Business Start-up Award in 2008 and the Manchester Fashion Awards in 2010. I ran retro dressmaking courses in Manchester, sold vintage-inspired clothes through my ASOS store, and created Victorian-inspired fabrics and my Storytelling Fabrics collection.

I’ve been sewing for over 20 years, and teaching it for much of that time. I’m a qualified lecturer and have taught at Oldham College, Burnley College and Manchester Metropolitan University, as well as running beginner sewing classes all over Manchester.

Sewing has always been about more than clothes for me. I’ve run sewing workshops for mums with postnatal depression, for carers and for young people at Manchester Youth Zone, and I’ve seen how a calm, hands-on project helps people switch off the noise.

Nanna Betty Sewing School

In 2024 I published my book, Sewing for Beginners Made Easy. Now I’ve turned it, and everything Nanna taught me, into free sewing cards and short videos you can watch on your phone. One card teaches one skill, and every make takes 2 hours or less.

Three Nanna Betty sewing cards fanned out: Thread Machine, Seams and Corners, each with a number, a drawing and a Try it! box
Start sewing, it’s free

Press, awards and projects

Here’s some of the press coverage, awards and community projects from my journey so far.

As seen on…

BBC and Manchester Evening News

An advertising feature from a newspaper titled "A cup of Kenco Millicano with Collette Costello," featuring a photo of two women chatting over mugs of coffee, followed by an interview about fashion and business in Manchester.
Collette Costello Manchester Evening News

Press coverage and projects

My projects and designs have been featured by many press publications. See my press features below:

Achievements

I have been fortunate to receive funding, awards, and other opportunities. See some of my achievements below:

Projects

Community is at the heart of my work. I have been involved with many projects, taught workshops and organised photoshoots. See examples below:

From my fashion days

Before I started teaching sewing, I ran my own fashion label and designed fabrics inspired by Nanna Betty’s stories. Here’s where it all began:

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