(sophie wilson)
(finest imaginary)
(becky hodgson)
(jilmadethis)
''My mum made most of our clothes when we were small and I learnt sewing from her at a really young age. I’ve always loved it and bought a sewing machine of my own as soon as I moved away from home (it’s still going strong more than ten years later!). I’ve also never been able to walk past a charity shop without popping in and have spent many, many happy hours rummaging round vintage fairs and car boot sales.
“nellie & clara combines my love of making with passion for sourcing vintage and pre-loved pieces – from the quirky china plates I make into cake stands, to the beautiful vintage Laura Ashley fabrics that are dotted round my patchwork quilts.
“What nellie & clara is best known for though is beautiful handmade, personalised bunting. This came about when most of my friends got pregnant within a year of each other – there were a lot of babies to find presents for! I sourced some gorgeous, durable cotton fabrics and created bunting with the baby’s name appliquéd on.
“I was absolutely floored by my friends’ reaction – I’ve always been ludicrously meticulous and get a lot of pleasure from ensuring everything I make is perfect, and it turned out that I’d inadvertently created something far better quality than that available in the shops. Friends of friends started putting in orders and the bunting is now a staple of nellie & clara! Visitors to reetsweet Leeds will be able to see some samples for themselves and choose from 24 fantastic fabrics for their very own personalised bunting.”
'The KitschenSink idea was born in 2004. After a brief stint in teacher training, Rowan found herself unemployed and in need of a new challenge. Window shopping in the boutiques of Lincoln, she was astounded by the prices of simply designed and badly made jewellery. Coupled with spending a lot of time selling old possessions on eBay in order to survive, she saw an opportunity. She made a bracelet from Lego she swiped whilst babysitting and listed it for 99p. The auction ended at £15. But it's only since 2007 that KitschenSink has taken things full throttle. After selling out at a craft fair, Rowan thought it was about time she sold online as well, and formalised things a little more…
…And here we are today. KitschenSink jewellery and accessories are the result of quality time with Grandma, a fascination of colourful branded toys, and a desire to re-purpose mass-produced materials into handmade, wearable fashion treats....'
Meet KitschenSink's Rowan at the next fair - her very first reetsweet!
'My love of charms started with a simple locket and has inspired my search for other interesting charms including cameos, flower charms, Eiffel towers and more recently sewing machines, harmonicas and scrabble pieces! The more unusual the better!
It’s great to sell at craft fairs as it enables me to find out what styles and colours people prefer and it’s a lovely feeling to provide my customers with a new piece of jewellery to take home with them...'
