Nichola and Justine have just celebrated their 4th issue - 1 Year anniversary of Mixtape zine. It has gone from success to success and to celebrate they are kindly donating four packs of their first four issues (if you have the first four already - then they will send you the next four as they come out). To win a mxtape zine pack just leave a comment here about how the craft blog world has helped or inspired you to live your dream. (comments open until Friday this week).

Mix tape zine is a collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch it features recipes, eco tips, crafty people profiles, ethical business practices etc - you can purchase back issues here or find out more here. Find Justine here and Nichola’s blog here.

Kath: Nichola and Justine you are both based in Melbourne and met through your blogs - finding out that you just lived around the corner from each other. I love that sort of serendipity. Can you tell me a little more about how you met - what ‘attracted’ you to each other?

Nichola: We met when Justine had read my blog and realised that she lived nearby the cafe I owned with my husband and we met up for coffee. Justine moved and soon after we closed our cafe and moved to the same area only 3 streets away, talk about stalker!

I think what attracted me to Justine is that in some ways we are so similar but in many ways we are total opposites, she’s an organised ‘let’s get it done now’ kind of girl whereas I’m more of a chilled ‘Yeah sure, I’ll be done at some point, usually the last minute’ kind of girl. A little bit of chalk and cheese but we complement each other nicely, she kicks me up the butt when needed and I tell her to chill when she’s running round like a headless chicken and it all works out well. She’s pretty funny too!

Justine: We have pretty much been inseparable since we first met. Our kids get along well and I think the fact that we are completely different is the “attraction”. Nichola is an “earth mother” and I love that about her.

Kathreen: Can you tell me a little more about how you first thought up the idea of mixtape zine?

Nichola: I had been thinking for some time that I’d like to start a zine of some kind. To be honest I was thinking small scale, something handmade that I could maybe pass around to fellow crafty people like myself. I told Justine of my idea and she expressed an interest in doing it together. We discussed what we thought the zine should be like and we came up with craft, ‘green’ ideas, pop culture, music and parenting amongst others, so really the zine has quite a broad range of topics. Then it was only a matter of a few months before our first issue went up for sale.

Kathreen: What sort of research did you do - how did you decide on format etc?

Justine: We based our zine on the American indie zine “Croq”. Heather was very helpful helping us out in the early stages. My husband Simon is a graphic designer so we left the design up to him.

Kathreen: Details details: Does the zine pay for itself? How much time do you spend on getting each zine to press?

Justine: We photocopied our first issue but after that we purchased a laser jet printer. We get our supplies wholesale which is the only way we can afford to print this quality at home. We have financed every issue via pre-sales, so that we only print for the demand. We have not had to put any money in ourselves, the zine pays for itself. We are going to apply for a grant so that we can at least pay our regular contributors. We do the pagination and Simon designs it all. The minute we release an issue we start the process for the next issue, so three months to get an issue together, that’s working on it most days.

Kathreen: You have had gorgeous covers - do you take submissions or do you commission the covers?

Justine: All the artists that have done the covers have done it for love! We approach people.

Kath: You both have a really great eye for design as well as being entrepreneurs and astute business women - can you tell me a bit about your backgrounds - what did you do before?

Nichola: I’m originally from the UK and moved to Melbourne with my husband and daughter in 2004. I was a pastry chef up until my second daughter came along and now I’m a stay at home mum to three girls who keep me very busy. I took up sewing, crafting and blogging when I arrived in Melbourne and things took off from there!

Justine: I come from a sales/marketing background. I worked in the music industry for a good 10 years.

Kathreen: Can you tell me a bit about the craft movement in Australia?

Justine: You know to be honest I’m not sure about the “craft movement”. I just happen to be following my heart and this is the path it has lead me down. Once I discovered the craft blogworld in 2005 I was hooked. What a bunch of fabulous artist/crafter that merge together and inspire. I realised that there was a market for a zine and we took the plunge and have one up for offer!

A sweet little interview with our fearless leader Kathreen in the latest issue of Artful Blogging. It has a nice photo spread with some artists whose work has been featured on Whipup and links to their blogs and portfolios.

Cate Anevski - whose illustrations I have seen in a couple of samplers and I just had to investigate more. She is on talented woman - check out some of her work - blog, portfolio site.

Little Heart, Fabric, Thread, & Stuffing

Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Woodburning on Pine

elf houses book at etsy (was in my last sampler and it was just magical - my favourite thing so far - I just had to share it)

Many department stores end up with bags of unsellable opened packages of nylon hosiery which they either toss away or try to donate to non-profit organizations, or if they’re lucky someone will take them off their hands. But who would do that and why would they?

Back in 2002, while in the Textile Arts Program at Capilano College in North Vancouver, BC, Katherine Soucie was working on a project learning screen printing, “we were supposed to apply different printing processes and surface design techniques. At that point in time I was really into finding and working with materials that were discarded in the [textile] industry and that no one else was printing on,” says Soucie. That led her to experiment with nylon hosiery to re-invent a strong and long-lasting material which was the beginning of her popular Polymer Series. This project won her two scholarships which allowed her to launch her business “Sans Soucie,” French for ‘without a care’.

Imagine pantyhose transformed into snag-free and long lasting form-fitting tops, skirts, and dresses. Soucie has achieved this by dyeing, cutting, and silk-screening regular grade nylon hosiery. Soucie’s hosiery garments are machine washable, more abrasion-resistant and less likely to ruin or run.

Katherine Soucie in her work garb and sweet Chauchi (having a snooze)

I visited Soucie this past November at her small work/live studio in historical Japantown in Vancouver. Katherine’s knowledge of the fashion and textile industry is impressive. What follows is part of our conversation on the textile industry, business, and on being an artist.

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I am curious about why you have chosen to write a book and spill the beans on your designs?

Ha Ha thats what you think………The techniques I use are simple, and they can be taught, its having a certain style and skill that I have, or any other designer, that you can try to teach but everyone has their own style and you can’t teach that.

49 Sensational Skirts: Creative Embellishment Ideas for One-of-a-kind Designs by Alison Willoughby, published by Interweave Press (April 1, 2008).

A bit about your background - you studied textiles as an undergraduate and then Constructed Textiles - Mixed Media as a post graduate and wrote your dissertation on the kilt. Making these skirts you say was an inevitable outcome of your process - can you tell me a little about how you came from the kilt to the simple design A-line skirt that you use now as a basis for your designs?

A kilt is basically a wrap with fabric manipulation in the middle, a very simple shape, a strip of fabric. I don’t use an A-line skirt, I use a pattern that is a wrap skirt between a half and quarter circle skirt. Its the idea of a wrap and the fact I can lay a wrap flat on a print table, or a sewing machine and manipulate it with surface.

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The fabulous ladies behind one of the greatest kid-centric blogs, Cool Mom Picks, have filmed a series of segments showcasing some of their favorite handmade and organic kiddie finds for Alpha Mom TV. The ladies have taken great pains to showcase indie businesses run by individuals from around the world, especially moms and dads! The thoughtful product choices will inspire all households to think a little greener and focus more on the fun, and less on the blinking lights and crazy trends that a lot of parents find themselves surrounded by. You can’t help but be in awe of all of the creative items that any adult would love to play with, let alone any child!

You can see the whole range of videos here. There are nine in all with a new one being released each day! Oh, and if you are in the US, these awesome segments will soon be airing on Cox and Comcast Digital cable networks nationwide via Alpha Mom On Demand!

Paris artist Manon Gignoux work lies somewhere between art and fashion. Manon uses the history of everyday life - workwear - as inspiration for the pieces and is interested in deconstruction and appropriation.

[via dear ada, pics and more info at ullum and florizel]

Lisa Solomon is a very exciting artist, working in various mediums crossing over between drawing, textiles and sculpture. Her work looks at the notion of hybridization; and she often uses found objects in her work - combining textures , materials, techniques and subject matter that are not natural partners she says that she likes it when “wrong” things are fused together i.e.: tanks made of bright pink felt, sewing onto paper. Much of her work explores gender identity as well as the differences and contrasts between hand made and machine made and the cultural implications of both.

She recently had an exhibition in Japan - her felt tank installation

And has an upcoming show at little bird gallery Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles.

see more of her work here

Is a family affair… knitting, creating and making is part of this families ethos. An incredibly talented bunch - I particularly enjoy the children’s knitting experiments and designs. Quite fantastic. The family consists of Stephen and Catherine (Kiki) and their two daughters Lilly and Lucy. The entire family enjoys knitting, traveling, and producing art for their Luscious Gracious Studio. As well as their blog they also have an online magazine where they provide free (under a creative commons licence) patterns, tutorials and articles. One of their patterns is available on knitty.com. Check out this post - full of dragons and sweaters and toys.

Meg Mateo Ilasco is the author of the newly released book - Craft Inc - published by Chronicle. Its a must have read for anyone in the indie design/making/art world trying to sell their goods and make a go of life in the small business lane. Meg is a designer, entrepreneur and mother with two small kiddies. I recently interviewed Meg about the new book.

You have interviewed a few big names in the indie design world - how did you decide who to include?
Choosing indie businesses to profile was both easy and hard. There were folks like Denyse Schmidt and Jill Bliss that immediately came to mind. But there are so many good indie designers out there that it was difficult to limit it. Trust me, I wanted to profile more businesses, but there just wasn’t enough room in the book! It was such a wonderful opportunity to ask myself, “Who do I want to talk to and learn about their business?” It was really awesome that Jonathan Adler agreed to do the interview. He’s my idol!

I like how you have tied in the interview questions and answers with book content - this might sound simple but its great how you have used the examples of these people to launch into a relevant discussion - was this planned or did it just sort of emerge after a while of writing?
It worked both ways. What I learned from the interviews did drive much of the content in the the book. But the placement of the interviews throughout the book came after writing the bulk of the text. As I arranged the interviews within the book, I thought about each one and asked myself, “what was the biggest lesson or advice to glean from this interview?”–and that essentially determined its placement.

This book is very relevant to the current surge in indie online shops - its perfect timing - at a time when a lot of indie makers are getting out there and finding a ready international market - but then coming across a lot of difficult issues that hold them back or even might make them quit. Is this book something you have been working on for a while - or did it all come to all at once?
Craft Inc was one of those ideas that was basically sitting right under my nose for awhile. I was living the book–experiencing practically everything I discussed in it and talking non-stop to other designers/crafters for their advice. It didn’t immediately dawn on me that what I was doing/living would make a good book. The light bulb (or duh! to the forehead) finally turned on in late 2006 and I started writing it the next year.

Many of the issues you tackle in this book seem like very straightforward advice but it is often difficult to find this information - I love how you have tackled difficult issues and discussed these issues with designers and makers who are successful in different ways. What was the process for you on deciding on the form this book was to take? and are these issues areas that you have personally dealt with in your business?
I definitely wanted to discuss a typical “full” cycle of a business–from the exciting inception of the idea to its closing or expansion. Oh yes, I’ve personally dealt with most of the topics in the book (good and bad): starting a creative business without a degree in art or design; experiencing partnerships and sole proprietorships; opening a retail storefront; selling a business; starting a blog; participating in a trade show; struggling with burnout; and juggling motherhood with entrepreneurship. (Dude, I have two kids!)

Now it is a really cute designed book, with curved corners and a fun bright layout - I know you didn’t design the book but how much input did you have in the final look?
I know, the book is so cute. You want to hug it and pinch its cheeks. I wish I could take credit, but Sarah Meyer is responsible for designing it. Chronicle Books is a really great publisher. You can see their unique perspective in the titles they publish and their phenomenal visual sensibilities. In my experience working with them, they’ve always been gracious in giving me an opportunity to express my opinion on the design and art direction of my books and they do take my suggestions to heart. They are awesome like that.

In fact Chronicle are so great that they are giving away 5 books to lucky Whip Up readers - just leave a comment with answers to the following two questions

1. What is/was the biggest hurdle to starting your business?
2. What was your proudest moment in your business?

comments will close tuesday and winners posted later next week

Kerrie runs her many businesses from home, while multi tasking with three children - Find out how she does it…

Kerrie you are one busy woman, running a business from home with three children, as well as other numerous projects. How do you do it? You mentioned to me that you take your baby with you everywhere - how does she cope with that? And the older two - are they good at helping out -and are they interested in crafting?

I don’t do everything! There are a lot of things that I just don’t do that often at such as housework, ironing and other housewife type roles. I’m lucky to have a husband who is really supportive and great at helping out with the housework and cooking. Crafty and kid type things are number one priority here.

I am always busy, I can’t bear to be still or not doing anything so I just fit in what needs to be done at the best times. For instance, when it
comes to dyeing yarn I need to be on my own with no children around me - the best time to do that is at around 5am when the rest of the house are asleep.

Trinity comes into the shop with me every day while the older two are at school. This gives me about 5 or 6 hours a day with her to pack orders, label and prepare yarn and sort out samples. She is such a happy contented baby, we always have the radio on and people popping in to see us (and cuddle her). If she has a fussy day I just pop her in her sling and do the minimum. Its all about being flexible and fitting in work where I can.

Admin things I do in the evening while the kids are playing in the garden or doing their homework -my laptop just wanders around the house with me. Brooke helps out with stock takes as she loves counting and Cameron will do anything he can to help. Sometimes it would be more helpful if they didn’t help but I love the fact that they want to be part of it. Brooke is very interested in crafts, she is constantly painting and drawing, she loves sewing and has recently learned to crochet. Cameron not so much but then he is still only 2.

Kerrie you are amazing. I love your honesty and straightforward approach. And I am sure your kids are benefiting a great deal from such an interactive and engaging environment and having a satisfied and energetic role model for a mother. When did you start Hipknits and how on earth did you think you could fit it in among your numerous other projects?

I bought HipKnits as a young company from a friend of mine who had the original creative urge to start the company then couldn’t continue with it. At that time I didn’t have too many other projects on the go, just my full time proper job and MagKnits. I never imagined how successful HipKnits would become in just a short space of time.

You say that “In a world of mass produced conformity, Hip Knits celebrates individuality, craftsmanship, and creativity.” where do you source your yarns, do you dye and spin your own? And I see you do custom dye orders - how does this work?

Almost everything that we sell is hand painted or hand dyed by us. (I do spin but its just for my own personal use.) We try and source our yarns in the UK but have suppliers all around the world. We are always looking for new interesting and luxurious yarns and receive many samples from new suppliers each week. Some we try out and decide not to stock again, others are a hit and become part of our standard range.

Custom dye orders are so much fun! We have many requests to match colours, either from a description, from an online picture or from something sent to us in the post. We have had fabric and yarn swatches sent to us to match as well as a pair of shoes that someone wanted to make a matching shawl for and a picture that someone had painted and wanted yarn in the same colours. You never quite know what to expect from a custom colour and that is what makes it interesting. Some of the colours that we have been asked to dye as one off customs have made it into our standard colour range.

You are obviously trying hard to minimise your environmental impact by using energy saving methods and sourcing your yarns locally. How easy is this for you - did it involve a major change of habits and why is this important for your business?

I think it is important for everyone whether they are an individual or running a small business to be aware of our impact on the environment. I tried from the start with HipKnits to be as environmentally aware as I could and have gone from there. Our local council at home recently introduced a 3 bin recycling scheme which has helped shape how we work at HipKnits as well. Once you are open to looking for ways to be more environmentally friendly you see opportunities everywhere. I recently decided to take the plunge and I’m trialling sending packages wrapped in brown paper instead of using the plastic mailing sacks. It takes a little longer for each parcel but it is cheaper and much kinder to the environment so we’ll see how that goes.

HipKnits runs a project club, can you tell me more about how this works and what the benefits are in joining?

Many companies run yarn clubs where you pay in advance and receive a skein of yarn each month for a fixed period of time. I wanted to do something different. I knew from research that whatever club I came up with would have the option to pay in installments and also to allow people to choose their own colour yarn. And knitters love kits, its great to get a package in the mail that has the pattern and yarn and pretty much everything you need to just pick up needles and get started. The project club members receive 4 different kits a year in colours of their choice, and are designed to stretch people and encourage them to try new skills. We have lace, cable, fair isle and felting projects lined up for the first year. I decided to open a blog for the club members and I’m thrilled at how many have joined and are posting even before they receive their first club pack. Signups are now closed for the first round of the club but I have lots more similar ideas in the pipeline and there will be another round next year. Our newsletter subscribers and blog readers are always the first to hear about the new things we have planned.

You are also the force behind the popular free online knitting magazine Magknits. How long has this been running and is Yarn Forward a spin off of this? When designers are submitting their patterns for magknits and yarn forward, what are you looking for? what are the design requirements? What is the style or feel that you are going for with Magknits, and how is Yarn Forward different?

MagKnits has been running for around 3.5 years now, where did that time go to? Yarn Forward is totally different, I thought that the UK knitting and crochet market had room for an independent print magazine that covered slightly different projects than the existing UK knitting magazines which all have a very similar look and feel to them. Yarn Forward has more advanced and complicated ideas that challenge readers. MagKnits carries a good range of projects from simple to advanced, and should be wearable.

Thank you Kerrie for your time in answering these questions - just one last one - what is next for you? What plans do you have for all these
projects and businesses?

I have so many plans that I don’t know where to start! We are currently focusing on growing the wholesale side of the businesses at the moment, I’m always looking for new stockists for HipKnits and Yarn Forward magazine. I currently have a good base of stockists in the UK and a few in Europe and the US but would like to increase this. My first book is being published this autumn and I’m already working hard on number 2. Apart from that, I am not planning on starting anything new for a while although I do have some ideas floating around in my head that I’d love to be able to work on. There are just not enough hours in the day for me at the moment.

Kerrie is giving away some freebies …

If you would like to get your hands on one of these packs - all you need to do is leave a comment saying what you would do with the yarn - interesting stories welcome - and make sure you fill in the email address section when you leave your comment so that Kerrie can contact you. You have until Saturday Midday - UK time to leave a comment.

Skein of cashmere lace and pattern for shawl

Skeins of lace silk and pattern for shawl

She have always been crafty, but she never imagined she would be making a living at it

Who is Kathy Cano Murillo?

I’m a chica who is additced to making bright and shiny things, and thensharing them with whomever is interested! I feel very blessed because I’ve found ways to make aliving from my art. I not only make it to sell, but I also share ideas so other people can make things too. I write a syndicated newspaper craft column, I have six published books and am working on my seventh. I run my web site, CraftyChica.com, it gets 2 million hits a month!

I’m currently working with Carnival Cruise line for the 2nd Annual Crafty Chica Cruise. It is in March of 2008 and we got to Cabo and Ensenanda and make lots of art. It is $557 and includes all your food, room, tips, cocktail hours and art supplies! I have the sign up info on my site.

What do you create?

Anything and everything! I love to dabble in all kinds of crafty genres. I draw, paint, sew, embroider, woodburn, sculpt, crochet - just about everything! My personal designs all have a Latin flavor to them because I can never find anything in the stores, so I make my own accessories and clothing. But when I share ideas, I like to make them universal so people can do whatever they want for their own style. Right now I’m big on making fabric collage purses and paper mache sculptures.

I recently got hired hired by a large craft manufacturing company (http://www.duncancrafts.com) to design, develop and launch a Crafty Chica product line that will be sold in stores nationwide. In addition to my artwork, I’m doing this. My line has more than 100 products and they are mostly Latinocentric - for us hip chicas who like to sew and paint!
Where do you get your inspiration for your projects?

I look at everything out there and then try to find the holes of what has not been done yet. From there, i think of how to come up with something that has that “wow” factor, and that is easy and clever. I can’t help but use all my faovrite colors, and I love glitter and high gloss varnish, so I use that as a metaphor for life to inspire others! Because I’m a third generation Mexican-American, my culture plays a huge part in all my designs.

Your big inspiration is “México”.Who are some of your favorite indie designers/artists from this country?

The colorful tinwork of Arturo Sosa makes me drool. The way he combines the detail of the tin designs and then makes them pop with rich colors like teal, red and hot pink. I’d love to have a whole wall in tin created by him! i also adore the paintings of Antonio Lopez Vega. By far, my favorite jewelry designer is Mercedes Salazar. She is from Columbia, but went to art school in Mexico. you can find her work at Kitson in Los Angeles. She relays positive messages using phrases, hearts, imagery, all with hip Latin style - yet they are alluniversal. That is exactly what I strive for!

Talk about your books, please.

Of the six, I have four that are easy to find. One is called “THe Crafty Chica Collection” and it is my first two books combined, and re-released under a new cover. I also have “Crafty Chica’s Art de la Soul”, which is also full of general craft type of projects. And then I have tow books for tween girls. I’m currently working on two new books. One is a sewing bok that will come out in 2009, and the other is a novel. I love writing! Up until April, I was a full-time feature writer for the Arizona Republic. i used to get paid to write about other people, now I get paid to write about making art! I love it!

And, finally, please could you do a little tutorial for the whipup´s readers?

Sure! I’m really into fabric trasnfers right now. A super easy one is to take two new cloth napkins and iron them. Using your computer and fabric sheets, print out a picture for each one. Use a contrasting color of felt or another kind of fabric and sew it behind the picture to act as a frame. Now sew it to the napkins, in the center. Sew up three sides of the two napkins, insert a pillow form and sew up the last side. Now you have a super cool toss pillow for your couch or bed! I have mroe complete directions on my web site.

¡Gracias por todo Kath!

* Esta entrevista será publicada en castellano en el próximo número de welovecraftsmag.com

Refashioned watch is a great idea from Ox-hill´s blog(Portugal).

Recicla tu reloj. Una buena idea, en el blog de Ox-hill(Portugal).

scent of water - knitting organic cotton washclothes

toast and cupcakes making some pretty groovy hoodies

small things from the south island of New Zealand has a tutorial on making knitting needle protectors

anemone are a two woman from Belgium and the USA, who now live in Auckland, New Zealand, and make gorgeous things together.

cloud of birds makes the most wonderful soft toys with amazing faces

Lise Lefebvre’s graduation project explores the emotional potential of sound in domestic appliances. She researched the detrimental effects of environmental noise upon human health and well being and uses design as a tool to counter our overproduction of sound.

She created a range of hand felted appliances, audibly, but also visually silenced, creating a new aesthetic that celebrates domesticity and fulfils the need to bond with one’s objects.

very excited to have discovered Lovely blogs - which features New Zealand blogs [found via the shopping sherpa]

.

crafty New Zealand blogs include so tread softly - Agnes is a UK gal now living in Carterton, Wairarapa. This is a capelet made with Rowan biggy yarn and a small felt no-seam purse.

just jussi - many of you will know this knitting blog and the excellent patterns that are available - she is from Titirangi in Wild West Auckland - check out her shibori felted jumper scarf tutorial.

tiny happy based in Nelson NZ, she makes gorgeous crafty things including these wrap recycled cardigans and these lovely baby shoes made from old embroidered linen.

Anknel and Burblets is from the western slopes of Mt Albert in Auckland and writes about her return to NZ and rediscovering her homeland. She started up the Lovely blogs website.

Picture from Ester.

Two interesting blog in spanich(you can use google traslate, but thanks to the pictures it´s easy to understand):

* El jardín de los Sueños. Ester is the queen of decoupe.

*Capusita Linda. Crafts easy projects, step by step. I like this one.

********

Aquí tenéis dos interesantes blogs en españosl. El primero de ellos es “El Jardín de los sueños“; sin lugar a dudas Ester es la reina del decoupe. Tampoco os podéis perder “Capusita Linda“, muchas manualidades descritas paso a paso; éste es uno de mis tutoriales preferidos.

Yesterday I posted an interview podcast at artesprit that I did with Ashley G from Kitty Genius. She shares some of her insight into making art as a living through her experiences at etsy and galleries. She has been one of the top sellers at etsy and in galleries around the USA.

Julia Pelletier lives and works in Barcelona and is a great artist. One of her project(for children) more interesting was this: « Making paper clothes to wear » (in the V&A Dress Collection, London).

“Understanding that a garment is a volume, a three dimentional pattern used as an envelope for the body and building its own garment using all shorts of papers were the aims of the children’s workshop.”

Julia Pelletier vive y trabaja en Barcelona y es una gran artista. Lo demuestra todo su trabajo, y proyectos tan itneresantes como éste: “Fabricar ropa de papel para vestir”(en la galería de trajes V&A, de Londres).

“Una prenda es un volumen, un dibujo de tres dimensiones que usamos para envolvernos. Usando esta idea, cada niño construyó su propia prenda copiando una de la gallería y usando una variedad grande de papeles y celo.”

Carly Schwerdt’s new range of fabrics produced under her label SproutDesigns is simply lovely. A woman of many talents, she runs Nest Studio, a art studio for kids, and she sells her own wares as well. I ran an interview with about her new designs and Nest Studio recently and this is how it went:

When and why did you start Nest Studio?
Nest Studio started as an idea many years ago when I was working for a largish design firm. I had this strong desire to teach art to children, so my then boss sent me to America to live with a lovely family and I taught art in a local elementary school (with no teaching background mind you, only art & design, they were very generous). I fell in love with it and enrolled to study teaching straight away (back home in Australia), I couldn’t believe I was back at University again!

It wasn’t until back in 2003 (coincidentally when Lily was born) that I started feeding that idea to the point of buying the business name. I started testing my ideas with a little stall at the Prospect Markets, then I shared a space to teach art until finally in December 2005 I moved into my own studio space (which happens to have a shop front).

You run two businesses – a design business and an art studio for kids (and Morphe, a soft toy exhibition!). How do you get in enough hours for the day?
That is a very good question! I don’t. I constantly feel like not enough is getting done or that something is being missed (that is usually the housework, we have piles of things that need doing here at home). Gradually over the years with Lily I am learning to have a sense of accomplishment even if one ‘to do’ has been ticked off my never ending list. Funnily enough if something doesn’t get done today, it doesn’t miraculously do itself, so it is always waiting patiently for me. One thing that doesn’t wait patiently is Lily (neither should she) so I actually spend most of my time hanging out with her, she is a trooper… she comes to business meetings with me and hangs out in the ‘art room’. Fortunately when you run your own business, especially one that relates to children, no one minds if there is a child about. She is my constant source of inspiration, Nest Studio would not exist if it were not for Lily. I am slowly learning how to balance everything.

What was the inspiration behind the new line of fabrics for SproutDesign, and what was the impetus to design your own fabric line?
SproutDesign’s range to date are mostly reproductions of a range of children’s textiles designed in the 1970’s by Pamela Walker. I have redrawn them and SproutDesign has updated the colourways and sizing for todays market, plus I have added 2 new designs (the Skipping spot & Skipping boy) to the range. SproutDesign intends to add many new designs to it’s bold and ultra funky range over the years as well as reproduce more of Pam’s golden oldies!

One of my main inspiration for Nest Studio (besides my daughter) is fabric, vintage or new, when I see a great design I just have to make toys or something crafty. I think it was inevitable that I at some stage I got into textile design, I absolutely love it, I am one of those sickening people who say “I am so lucky, I love my job”. I test out all of my textile ideas on my trusty Gocco, in fact I now even teach others how to print up metreage of their own designs to fabric.

What was the design and production process like? Was it difficult designing fabrics for the first time?
The designing stage is a joy however the production side has definitely been a huge learning curve. There is so much to learn, fortunately my background in design for paper translates quite well to textiles, for example they use the same colour system, but I will be the first to admit there has been some trial and error along the way and I know I still have plenty to learn. All of SproutDesign and NestStudio printing on fabric is handmade so I have no idea really about the machine processes, that would be fun to learn.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
I can see myself doing exactly what I am doing now but I am sure Nest & Sprout will have grown even bigger and brighter. I have what feels like a hundred balls in the air but fortunately I can choose which ones they are now, which ever one I am holding will be a fantastic adventure I am sure. I am working on illustrations for a children’s book and a new pattern book at the moment so maybe they will be complete by then!

What are the challenges in having a crafty business (or businesses, in your case!)?
Keeping a balance and not losing sight of where you want to go as opposed to where you may be side lining to… taking the side road can be good to learn a lesson and test out ideas but never lose sight of your big picture. I am very passionate about children’s visual communication and visual education, so that is my beacon, I will always be heading in that direction. And when things get you down (like people stealing designs & selling them! Grrrr that annoys me) chin up and move on, buy some fabric and make a toy, that always makes me feel better!