Doily Days

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mum who makes :: littletoot

mum who makes :: littletoot
madeit.com.au/LittleToot

Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a mum of two girls, aged 3 ½ and 16 months, and I recently moved with my husband to Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast after living forever in and around Goulburn, south of Sydney. I love so many things – growing my own vegetables and fruit, visiting the McAlister family farm (the kids love collecting the eggs), using all the things we grow in family cooking and of course I love crafting and have dabbled in photography. Oh, and I can’t live without my mates, and my family!



Can you explain your craft/art and the materials you like to use?
I’m a sewer – I make clothing and accessories for babies and kids. I just adore beautiful fabrics, so am always on the lookout! I shop for fabrics all over – online, my local quilting store and chain stores like Spotlight for basics. I’m in love with Amy Butler and Michael Miller at the moment! Rather than decide on what I’d like to make and then choose the fabric though, I tend to choose my fabric first, then see what I can do with it! The downside of that approach is that when people say ‘oh, I love it, can you do one for me?’ I end up running all over town trying to source more fabric the same!

How long have you been creating and how did you get into making handmade goodies?
My Nana was a sewer, so I grew up with lots of handmade things around me. My Mum bought me my first sewing machine for my 21st birthday – a great little Janome – but I didn’t really use it much until I was at home on maternity leave with my first baby. Along with a friend of mine, we started teaching ourselves the basics – making little skirts and tops and things (with lots of frustrated calls to each other, and to Nan!). I put the machine away again for quite a while when I went back to work, but after my second baby came along and we made the move north, I decided to pull it back out again. The problem was, my girls have far too many clothes, and there’s only so much you can give away… so I decided to start selling on madeit.

How do you juggle motherhood & crafting/managing your business?
I’ve got a very understanding husband, who doesn’t mind cooking and hanging out washing and bathing the kids and doing all that stuff. I also work, doing public relations from home, so for me it really is a juggle! I use childcare for the girls two days a week (which are my PR days, my fabric shopping days, my catching up on the housework days) and really, I just try and maintain a nice trickle of orders coming in that I can put together during the baby’s sleeps and in the evenings. I will also admit to employing the ‘electronic babysitter’ (TV) from time to time when things get a little hectic.

Do you have any advice to other Mothers who are wanting to start creating handmade goodies?
If you’re wanting to be creative for your own children and friends and family, then just do it! It’s so much fun, and so rewarding. If you’d like to sell your creations, I think it’s important to find a product that’s a bit unique and something that’s been tried and tested at home. Also, have a plan. Know how much time you can dedicate to your crafting and know where to draw a line in the sand. If you don’t want a full time job, then you have to learn how to say no! And finally, don’t undersell yourself. It’s an increasingly competitive marketplace, and there are so many talented crafters, but if you’re product is well made and something unique, people will buy it!

New seller :: wishbone

New seller :: wishbone
madeit.com.au/WishBone

How did you find out about madeit?
I love interior decorating magazines and I saw your ad in Real Living while I was browsing (in a supermarket checkout queue!) for inspiration for my 8 year old boy’s bedroom makeover. I like that madeit is supporting and showcasing so much fantastic Australian talent, go Aussies!

Explain your style?
My designs are usually simple ones with a twist. I like to incorporate a bit of an edge, something unexpected. I have been trained in traditional Silversmith techniques but love to try new things so my jewellery pieces are always original and often a bit quirky! I think it’s important to use recycled where possible so all my sterling silver is 100% recycled (the manufacturer sources and refines scrap from jewellers and waste from photographic processes) and most of my other materials (beads, leather etc) are vintage finds.

What makes you happy?
The sandy, salty, slightly sun-burnt, utterly exhausted feeling I get when I have had a great day at the beach with my family. And getting packages in the mail, finishing a new design, my dog insisting on sleeping on my feet, the outlandish things my children say, they make me happy too!

What makes you sad?
Cruelty to defenceless children and animals, the poverty that exists in some parts of the world and pollution and the damage it’s doing to the environment. These things can keep me awake at night feeling angry, helpless and terribly sad.

What can’t you live without?
My family, my workbench and mint choc-chip icecream!

New homely homewares

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mum who makes :: Imagination In Flight

mum who makes :: Imagination In Flight
madeit.com.au/ImaginationShop

Tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Jessica and I live in northern suburb of Brisbane. I’m a single mum to my little man who is almost 12. Having just finished studying, now I’m trying to decide whether or not to go back to work or to continue to study.



Can you explain your craft/art and the materials you like to use?
I have come back to sewing after not doing much for years and I’m really loving it. So far my sewing has taken me to Pencil Rolls, Softies, Mini Bunting and my Woven felt baskets but who knows where it will end up. I also love to crochet, after trying a number of different things I found that people really like my crochet headbands. Although sewing and crocheting is my main source of creative outlet I do at times love to paint. A couple of year’s back I was given a box of my Grandpa’s inks and found their vibrant colours so beautiful.

How long have you been creating and how did you get into making handmade goodies?
Coming from a very creative family meant that from a very young age I started making things. I had always had projects on the go over the years, everything from crocheting to sewing to cross stitch to painting. Last year I finished up a contract on my job and found that I had some time at home. I started creating again and realized what had been missing from my life while working my high stress jobs. I couldn’t keep making things just for my family so I decided to start my own business.

How do you juggle motherhood & crafting/managing your business?
It’s a struggle sometimes, it’s taken some time but I have really learnt that there are times when you have to be flexible with your goals. There are a number of things that have really helped me to be able to juggle both my son and business. When setting up my business I setup half of my lounge room is my work area, I can still chat with my son, watch telly, be part of everything while working on my business. I always include my son in what I’m making and this has now extended to my son having his own shop Dion’s Buttons. He feels part of my world while getting to express his creative side.

Do you have any advice to other Mothers who are wanting to start creating handmade goodies?
You need to find out if what you are going to sell will actually sell. I made this mistake at the start, I love making crochet scarf's but that doesn’t mean that they will sell. I wasted quite a few months when I started my business trying to sell them without success. Also be prepared for your plan to change, e.g. I might not be making my crochet scarf's anymore but I do get to crochet my headbands.

Jewellery for Mum (and you....)

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new seller quick five :: Sandra Darling

New seller :: Sandra Darling
madeit.com.au/SandraDarling

How did you find about madeit?
I discovered the wonderful world of ‘Made It’ through other Australian Hand Made Art and Craft people - through their blogs, forums and word of mouth. The idea of an all Australian Site to buy and sell Hand Made to like minded people through an online facility appealed to me as a wonderful way of uniting and connecting people far and wide who are also passionate about high quality individual Art and Craft.

Explain your style.
Sandra Darling Visual Art Creations is an eclectic reflection of what “speaks to my soul” and that which moves me. Through my Photography and Visual Art Creations, I delivery stories from the psyche drawing much of my inspiration from life experience as well as art, craft and design through the ages. My art works, images rich in layers and textures, explore all that is intrinsically human and in particular feminine. I think the quote "the present is just a moment passed" sums up our fragile existence and give a glimpse into the world of what my art work explores.

What makes you happy?
The beauty of the world around us (Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me with her extraordinary gifts); Memories; love; family; friends; nostalgia; art; music; dance; and so much more.

What makes you sad?
Sometimes it is the inability to be able to help a loved one who is suffering other than to be a shoulder to cry on; sometimes it is a bittersweet memory; sometimes it is a beautiful sad movie, song or dance that touches my soul; sometimes it is just the changing world around us so incredibly fragile.

What can't you live without?
Love, Laughter and Art.

mum who makes :: tractorgirl

mum who makes :: tractorgirl
madeit.com.au/tractorgirl

Tell us a bit about yourself?
My partner and I live on a farm, with cereal cropping and sheep, near Wagga, NSW. We moved here about 14 years ago, and love it, despite the droughts of the last few years. We have three small children (5, and twins 3). It’s a great adventure for them, they love going and checking the stock and crops with daddy, and it’s nice having so much space for them to run around in.

Can you explain your craft/art and the materials you like to use?
I studied jewellery and silversmithing at Uni, and I love it. However, now I have small children around, it’s difficult to do, so now I sew. Because of my Fine Arts background, I have a large aesthetic resource to draw on - for instance, I am using classic motifs from various time frames and cultures for my current designs.


I always try to be gentle on the earth, and use upcycled components somewhere in all my pieces. For me, upcycling refers to fabrics that are remnants from old projects and other sources, and from clothing, homewares and remnants found in op shops. This saves it from going to landfill, and besides, some things are too beautiful to throw out!

How long have you been creating and how did you get into making handmade goodies?
Right from when I was little, I have always felt compelled to make something somehow, and it didn’t seem to matter too much what type of medium – drawing, textiles, then linocuts, and metal.

I have been selling things now and then ever since I finished Uni, but have always had a ‘proper’ job to provide my main income. Now, however, I’m a stay-at-home mother, and consequently I’m becoming much more involved in selling my work.

How do you juggle motherhood & crafting/managing your business?
Juggling the parent-artisan balance is very tricky; sometimes those constant little interruptions get incredibly annoying when I’m trying to concentrate on something. However, I get through it with a (flexible) routine, and a list of stuff to do everyday. The list is essential, as I am inclined to be easily distracted, AND I feel good when I mark stuff off.

Do you have any advice to other Mothers who are wanting to start creating handmade goodies?
Do it because you love it! I say this because I have found it very hard work to get noticed; the internet is a huge place and it’s easy to get lost. Promote promote and promote! And try and sell locally if you can.

Roses are....

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