mum who makes :: eco kitty

mum who makes :: eco kitty
madeit.com.au/ecokitty

Tell us a bit about yourself
Howdy! I'm Sara, aka eco kitty, and I live in Launceston with my spunky husband Mike (scientist, musician, photographer), my gorgeous sister Lauren (Twilight/Harry Potter obsessed, super assistant!) and my pretty princess Ginger (4, loves cats, tiaras and pink). I also have a 10 1/2 year old boy Myles who lives in Sydney with his Dad and stepmum. We recently sold pretty much everything we owned and moved from Sydney with what we could fit in 2 small cars. It's quite the adventure!



Can you explain your craft/art and the materials you like to use?
I like to make functional things that feel nice, look cool and have a cartoonish feel to them. I love touching things so I'm very much into fibres and textiles. I heart sewing, embellishing with buttons, ribbons and giant ric rac, felting, crochet, spinning fibres (I really want to try some dog hair) and I prefer to use natural fibres. It feels like I'm working with nature that way. I make quilts, door snakes, hair clips, brooches, earrings, aprons, scarves and whatever takes my fancy!

How long have you been creating and how did you get into making handmade goodies?
I think I've always been crafty! My mum was always making dancing costumes, quilts and things so I wanted to play too. Art, music and drama were my favourite (and best) subjects at school. I've always loved giving people presents and hand made gifts are the best. A few years ago I stopped buying Christmas presents for family and we gave them homemade beer, food and trinkets and eco kitty grew out of that. Plus I make things for myself, put a picture on facebook and then get swamped with requests for me to make more!

How do you juggle motherhood & crafting/managing your business?
If only it were as easy as actual juggling! That I can do! Juggling is rhythmic, controlled and meditative. Motherhood is chaotic, random and spontaneous! I try to embrace the chaos. I write very short to-do lists and try not to get overly anxious about housework or my appearance. I work on eco kitty at random times of the day and I try to include Ginger as much as possible. She is a great helper as she gets older! And my sister is like a bonus - she is always helping with making dinner and providing comic relief.

Do you have any advise to other Mothers who are wanting to start creating handmade goodies?
Advice is a tricky beast. I actually just wrote a big ranty blog post about advice so I would say to trust your instincts and don't be afraid of making mistakes. Something that worked for someone else might be an epic fail for you but that's OK. Without mistakes, you would never learn or grow. Love what you do, its the best job you will ever have (making stuff + being with your family = AWESOME!) but it will try your patience sometimes so it helps to love it.