A book penned by a designer who began her business in Hexham during the 1980s has received a rave review.

The book, Not Just a Dressmaker, underscores the journey of Jill Fitzgerald-O'Connor, from fashion design training to gaining hands-on experience in London's manufacturing and retail sectors, before finally settling in Hexham.

Reviewer Caroline Westgate describes the book as 'engaging' and 'full of vivid detail about a creative lifetime'.

She said: "She (Jill) documents the pitfalls as well as the pleasures of working in a world that exists somewhere between 'fine art' and 'crafts'.

"Any reader believing that 'craft' is a somehow inferior discipline will find that view rigorously challenged!"

The book also navigates Jill's experiences with 'external hits that blew many bigger enterprises off course', including the foot and mouth disease outbreak, a recession, and Margaret Thatcher's privatisation of the British Wool Marketing Board.

A former member of the Tynedale Guild of Spinners and Weavers, Jill co-founded a Guild of textile enthusiasts, enjoying retirement in Brittany.

The reviewer said: "The lessons Jill draws from her experiences would be relevant to anyone hoping to make money from their creative gifts.

"‘I did not become famous or rich’, she admits, but with her integrity and self-respect intact, she documents her very real achievements in this extremely enjoyable book."