At 6ft tall and plus-size, shop-bought clothes had never fitted Maree O'Connor well.
Sewing offered her a solution - allowing her to use beautiful fabrics to make garments that fit just right.
One day, while on the lookout for colourful prints to make new dresses, she spotted some amazing fabrics being sold online.
Enticed by a yellow floral pattern and another black-and-white abstract design, she splashed out $600 (£450, A$900) on three orders.
Months later, none had arrived.
It was October 2024, and tired of waiting, the legal studies teacher from Melbourne, Australia, decided to set up a Facebook group to try to find out if anyone else was in the same boat.
The group exploded. Within two weeks it had drawn hundreds of members, according to Ms O'Connor.
She had unearthed a scandal that would consume the sewing world - from China to Europe, to the US.
In the group, other sewing enthusiasts detailed how they too had been waiting months - and in some cases years - for fabrics to arrive, while a supplier alleged it was owed tens of thousands of dollars.
At the centre of the controversy was globally renowned designer, Nerida Hansen.
Her company had grown rapidly during the pandemic, when she made a name for herself selling bold, distinctive fashion prints that set her shop apart from other retailers.
Popular with sewists - as members of the sewing community call themselves - around the world, her fabrics often appeared in influencers' Instagram posts. Some newspapers had even dubbed her Australia's queen of fabrics.
People liked what she was doing and producing, said UK-based artist Gabriela Larios, who has worked with Ms Hansen.
But for many clients like O'Connor and others in the Facebook group, that admiration turned to frustration as their orders went unfulfilled.
Frustrated individuals began sharing their experiences, finding commonality in their frustrations about Hansen’s unresponsive customer service and numerous vague promises of forthcoming shipments.
While Ms Hansen acknowledged some failures in her management, the severity of the fallout prompted an official warning from Consumer Affairs Victoria after numerous complaints about lost orders.
As the situation developed, Ms Hansen admitted to poor business decisions but suggested external factors contributed to her company's decline.
Despite her claims of wanting to rectify her past mistakes, many remain skeptical, calling for accountability and demanding refunds or delivery of their goods.
