Profile: Eleanor from "Onefineday Handmade"

Name: Eleanor
Stall Name: Onefineday Handmade
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? Paper, cards and handmade Pretty Things

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. At the moment it is all about finding beautifully made things, our little shop is filled with the work of crafters, designers and illustrators sourced mainly from within Australia and New Zealand.

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. My YiaYia (grandma) and all of the talented crafters whose work brings our little shop to life

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. My Yia Yia

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. My kids, you have to be creative everyday

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. To be able to make beautiful sculptural paper art

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. At the moment-not having a sore neck!

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. Fears are usually secrets

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Sleepy

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. Giving birth

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. My Grandmas engagement ring and her collection of enameled eggs

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. Here

Q. Favorite holiday destination?
A. Greece

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. Paris or New York

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. A pair of round toed black heels with little gold bows on the heels which I found in Amsterdam and a pair of turquoise and silver earrings from an antique shop in Athens.

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. A pot of chai

Q. What is your motto?
A. Hmmmm….

Don't you love our poster! Our friend Hiromi Tango very kindly let us use this imagery of her artwork "Insanity Magnet" that she did back in 2009.

You can check out Hiromi's current work "Pistil" at GoMA in Brisbane until April 21. 

Profile: Victoria Furber of My Modular Heart

Your Name: Victoria Furber
Stall Name: My Modular Heart
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? New and vintage crochet items + other handmade goods

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. I love crochet and photography. Crochet is my meditation and photography helps me to see beauty in the everyday.

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. Definitely Tory Bauer and Gabe Cramb.

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. My mother taught me to crochet when I was very young. Her mother, who was taught by her mother, taught her. I am a 4th generation crochet purist.

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. Colours, patterns, words, other creatives

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. Tough one! Is being content a talent?

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. I am not sure it exists. Happiness is like the horizon, you can spend your whole life trying to get there and when it looks like it is getting closer, your view changes.

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. Snakes. I have horrible nightmares about being trapped in a pit of snakes.

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Cluttered with thoughts and ideas.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. Travel for sure. There are still so many places I want to go but I have ticked the ones I dreamed of visiting as a child.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. My most treasured possession would be my passport. I would give up everything else I own to keep it and the chance to run away overseas whenever I want.

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. Maybe Mexico – I would love to live in a little beachfront shack where I can swim, photograph and craft the days away.

Q. Favourite holiday destination?
A. Anywhere outside my everyday life.

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. The moon – I have always been fascinated by the moon.

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. Every vintage crochet doily I have. I love them!

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. Mexican food is really social so I love to BBQ quesadillas or if it is brunch I love making baked eggs.

Q. What is your motto?
A. Fuck societies pressure to conform, I will not live a life of the norm’

Profile: Jo Olive of Olive and the Volcano

Name: Jo Olive
Stall Name: Olive and the Volcano
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? Handmade books and Paper Goods.

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. I’m a complete paper, print and book nerd. Any spare second is taken up tearing and folding paper, waxing threads and getting inky. Taking photos is another obsession and collecting materials is all consuming.

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. I have craft crushes on two amazing bookmakers at the moment, Jim Croft and Shanna Leino. Jim is a purist and mills the timber for his books, makes the paper, makes the brass fastenings and grows flax for his linen threads. Shanna just makes brilliant books with chunky bindings, gorgeous papers and unusual materials.

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. No standout crafters in my childhood I’m afraid but my mum was pretty good at encouraging me to draw “outside” the lines and to buck the system when it came to colour. I’ve had formal training in printmaking and fine art but have been largely self-taught when it comes to making books.

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. I’m so inspired by so many people and things. Of course the creative outpourings of my kids, the other artists I surround myself with and the environment I live in. Just today I’ve been inspired by king parrots, morning shadows, fallen leaves and frosty paddocks.

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. I’d loved to be able to play the guitar and sing like a siren, then I could put all of my words to song.

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. Simple pleasures and everyday moments of joy, like the prefect cup of tea, a small smile, a print gone right, a note from a friend.

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. I try super hard not to fear too much in life, it is as it is! But I do have this anxiety about running out of time to do all of the wonderful things I have planned and subsequently end up doing way too much!

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Inspired, brimming with ideas and being mindful of instilling some calmness and peace in there.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. I still think giving birth three times is pretty amazing but I believe that having the courage to follow my heart and pursue the business of “making” rather than “teaching” has been massive for me.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A It’s a toss up between my wedding ring and our beautiful new Heidelberg windmill letterpress – all 1.5 tonnes of it.

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. I don’t think I ‘ll ever get New York out of my head. I would drag my whole family over there in an instant. 

Q. Favourite holiday destination?
A. I always end up in Melbourne! But Stradbroke Island is a brilliant ocean escape close to home.

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. It would be a massive trip but I’ve heard Croatia is amazing, Spain comes next and I’d really like to spend some quality time skulking around Paris.

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. I’ll always be in love with my big deep lab sinks, and I adore my old school world map. But I’m smitten with the modern lines of our 1960’s sofa and can’t wait to dress it up in new upholstery.

Q. What is your favorite thing to cook for your friends?
A. Slow cooked lamb shanks in red wine, it’s like a big bear-hug of a meal.

Q. What is your motto?
A. I am all that I need to be 

Profile: Georgia Fox

Name: Georgia Fox
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? Greeting Cards, Gift Tags, Kids’ Toys & Clothes

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. Furniture rearranging

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. My mother-in-law

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. My mother

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. An intermittently flickering part of my sometimes-functioning brain

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. Mathematical ability

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. A family sleep-in

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. Sharks

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Still thinking about sharks...

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. My nine year old daughter

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. My cats

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. My house

Q. Favourite holiday destination?
A. Bologna

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. Chasing fig season around the globe a few times

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. A 1963 Vauxhall I dragged up from Tasmania & into the 21st century

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. Birthday Cakes

Q. What is your motto?
A. “What could possibly go wrong?”

Profile: Peta O'Neill of "Love Mae"

Name: Peta O'Neill
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? Wrapping paper and paper craft. I think that will be all.

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. My creative outlet is Photography … where as my craft outlet at the moment involves a 3 and 6 year old. Very messy and lots of recycling

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. Hello Sandwich

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. My mum

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. Life … Sorry for the generic answer but it is true

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. Totally unrelated…. to be able to sing, well enough to take over the karaoke microphone and not be kicked off the stage.

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. Ha this could have a very long winded answer because I’m great at detail… so I will spare you all. But basically it involves my whole family and time for all of us.

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. He he … RATS… and I live in the country!!!

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Craziness… flying solo with a small business while my partner works up north for six months.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. Living each moment in the present. The achievement comes and goes depending on sleep.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. My home.

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. By the ocean.

Q. Favourite holiday destination?
A. So many... But I will have to go with NY for this as I’ve only ever been there for work. I would love to be able to walk around for days on end with the time restraints. I’m so fascinated by that city.

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. Indefinitely and everywhere… travelling is my favourite passion. I can’t wait to show my children the world and all its cultures.

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. The patchwork rug on my bed. I picked it up in Brooklyn and I have never seen anything so beautiful and carefully made. I feel terrible that I got it so cheap.

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. Vegetarian feasts… I love to cook for friends and go a little overboard.

Q. What is your motto?
A. At the moment it is … ‘One thing at a time’. Not always easily achieved.

Profile: Belinda Smith of "Pins and Needles"

Name: Belinda Smith
Stall name: Pins and needles
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? I am selling children's clothes made from Enid Gilchrist Patterns and some of my porcelain artworks inspired by my domestication as a mother. My good friend Julia Barron is joining me with her trove of vintage domestic objects and handmade goods.

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. I’m knitting and crocheting for my kids at the moment but I’ll try anything!

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. Ceramicists such as Lucie Rie, Marea Gazzard and Gwyn Hanson Piggott

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. Mum was always doing something crafty, so were my grandmothers. What I haven’t learnt from them I have learned myself.

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. The satisfaction of making something useful or beautiful.

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. Patience and more time and space to learn the skills of a studio potter

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. A happy, creative family

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. Losing my family

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Exhausted – a toddler and 3 month old baby are keeping me busy plus a new creative business venture.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. For now, being creative with a toddler and 3 month old to feed, wash, clothe and love

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. A vintage cupboard that my grandfather made for my granny. It was a glory box first, then a radio cabinet. Now it lives at our house.

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. Here and now

Q. Favourite holiday destination?
A. The beach

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. Sweden to see my sweet friend Maria and meet her kids. We haven’t seen each other for 5 years and have both had kids since.

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. A huge school blackboard with a timber frame and chalk ledge. It is the centerpiece of our little house.

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. Cakes

Q. What is your motto?
A. There is a nice Swedish word ‘lagom’, it means ‘not too much, and not too little’

Profile: Ellie Beck of "Red Seed Studio"

Name: Ellie Beck
Stall name: Red Seed Studio
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? Hand screen printed organic textiles, homewares, clothing, accessories, jewellery, as well as other little pieces as I make them.

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. Oh, I do really love screen printing – it’s such a satisfying final image, crisp and clean, but I can get messy while doing it. But really I love just doing different things; extending myself and teaching myself new crafts. Sewing, hand stitching, crochet, cooking, writing, photography, collecting, styling…..

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. Perhaps my mum – she used to do so many varied crafts and creative practices. Her everyday life was pretty colourful and creative. She taught me to look and enjoy and that it doesn’t have to be perfect. I remember sitting by her side watching her knit or crochet with wonderful yarns and fabulous stitches. My dad also has been a big influence on me – he has great technical skills and precision with all he does. Really I’m actually quite easily influenced not so much by people, but by what they do.

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. Mostly self-taught, I guess; but also from school and childhood. I was lucky to go to a Steiner school for primary, where everyday was creative and colourful. And I had some excellent art teachers at high school. My whole family is creative – I grew up around every day life being a learning and crafting experience. But practice and dedication and making mistakes has taught me a lot as well.

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. Just going outside – looking at the colours of fallen leaves, or feathers, or the clouds. My two young children are crazily talented in their own creativeness and that always inspires me. There’s so much out there (online, and books, and movies and going to galleries) – I try to soak it all up, and it permeates through and into something else. Working with my husband, Sam, is a collaborative process which is inspiring in itself, as is spending time with other creatives in the community. Sitting in a sewing/crafting circle is so good to get ideas flowing.

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. In practical terms I’d really like to be tidy – but I’m simply not. I’d love to be able to sing beautifully, that would be good.

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. I’m not sure perfect happiness actually exists, so I aim instead for pure contentment. Having time in the sunshine, knowing the dishes are already washed, reading or talking with loved ones, and hand stitching a slow project. Figs and chocolate might be there too. Laughter and the children dancing and playing……..

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. hmmmmmmm…. – often it’s that I won’t be good enough, but I’m trying to work through that. I think my greatest fear happened (my mum dying), so I’m over fears.

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Sunshine, flowers from my garden, crafts by my side, chocolate molten cakes for afternoon tea. It’s pretty good right now! I’m learning to notice the positive and the small moments of pure joy.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. Apart from my children, my husband, my family. I think it’s my knowledge in my own self-worth – this allows me to forge forward and do so many things. My childhood memories are treasures.

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. France, Spain somewhere – perhaps. Morocco? Where I live now is probably a lot of people’s ideal places to live, and I feel super happy about living here. It will be my ideal when our house is finished and I have my own big studio to play in!

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. Oh France, Spain, Italy. India would be interesting - visual and creative overload!

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. I’m always experimenting with new things to cook and make. I do love making cakes, my mum taught me. And you can’t go past a good baked vege dinner. Chickpea dahl. Handmade chocolates. Just the cooking itself is what I like.

Q. What is your motto?
A. breath, notice, reflect, enjoy. Also “it’s not fair” gets a fair bit of play in our house, and often I want to shout it out loud!

Ellie's blog is: petalplum.blogspot.com 

Ellie's website is: redseedstudio.com.au

Profile: Hannah Cutts of "GOAT" (Gallery of all Things)

Name: Hannah Cutts 

Stall name: GOAT (gallery of all things)
What will you be selling at Sew & Tell? Art, photos, designer odds and ends

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. Art, photography and design

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. Rosalie Gascoigne

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. My dad taught me to take photos and my mum was an art teacher and so it was a part of our household I guess. There was no TV in our house which probably enforced the process.

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. I like to collect things and so taking photos or drawing is a way of keeping the everyday.

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. I would love to be able to sing and play piano.

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. being able to freeze the world around you whenever you need to catch up.

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. Apart from life and death of friends and family…I am not sure.

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Wanting to have access to the ‘freeze’ button.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. Each year sees a new one…and each year sees that becoming less important. I haven’t achieved it yet.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. My art collection

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. I love where I am (fingal head) but would love to have a job where I needed to spend time in some exciting cities…Buenas Aires, New York, Barcelona, Tokyo…international speaker?! About what?!

Q. Favourite holiday destination?
A. I would love to go to Hoi An in Vietnam again

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. New York

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. I recently bought bbok 2 jungle book by Rudjard Kipling from the local Salvos shop in Kingscliff. It was $25 and in great condition…I checked out the sale price on Harrington Books (UK vintage books) and three were for sale for between 600 and 800 pounds each.

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. Something easy

Q. What is your motto?
A. Give it a go.

Profile: Lisa Wickbold of "Piglet & The Bean"

Name: Lisa Wickbold
Stall name: Piglet & the Bean
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? Handmade children’s clothing and homewares including super cute (can I say that about myself?) appliqué height charts, cushion covers, wall hangings, cot/play blankets for babes, kids couches, dresses/bloomers and what-not.

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. Aewing

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. My Mum

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. Ahhh, as above.

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. Seeing what my friends can make from their living rooms whilst also rearing children, going to work and still fitting into their jeans.

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. Cooking well and enjoying the clean up

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. At this point in my life a sleep in, a cup of tea and uninterrupted time to read a book

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. A tie between heights and spiders

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. A bit frantic, a bit tired - but full of possibility

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. Retaining my sanity whilst traveling overseas with multiple small children

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. My family and my Janome DC2101

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. Living the dream – Mt Warning, NSW

Q. Favourite holiday destination?
A. Yamba

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. Get Phil and Kirsty to find us a beautiful farm house in a lovely village somewhere in England when it was warm with a good pub and maybe a horse?

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. I didn’t find it, but a Victorian “Albertina” necklace given to me for Christmas about 8 years ago.

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. A cream-filled chocolate roll from the Austral (but I don’t cook it)

Q. What is your motto?
A. It can always get done tomorrow