A graphic designer by day, Eleanor Smith is the creative mind behind not one, but two successful crafty ventures on Felt – she’s the founder and editor of the fabulous Extra Curricular magazine and is also known as illustrator Miss Ellie May. And somehow she still manages to fit in regular appearances at such awesome events as Kraftbomb!

What do you make?
I design a small line of stationery and screen print t-shirts, baby clothing, tea towels and totes. I also produce Extra Curricular magazine.

How did you get into your craft?
I did a screen printing night class at Wellington High School a few years ago, then I picked it up again when I began printing t-shirts and tea towels as presents for friends and family a few years later. I got into selling them at markets after Craftwerk started up in St Kevin’s Arcade in Auckland; I went along one night and there were so many talented people selling amazing things, and I wondered if people might buy the things I was making. It was nerve-wracking at first, but I was thrilled when I found people liked what I made.

It was all my talented friends who inspired me to start Extra Curricular. I have been wanting to publish a magazine since I can remember but I guess it took a few years for the concept to become fully formed. I realised at some point I had told too many people about it to chicken out, so I set myself a deadline for Christmas 2009.

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
I have a Mediarts degree majoring in Graphic Design – not exactly training in my craft but definitely responsible for where I’ve ended up.

Describe your workspace:
I have taken over the lounge! So I have my Mac on the dining room table and I screen print on the coffee table. I am constantly trying to keep my mess under control.

Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
I like using unbleached organic cotton to print on – it suits my muted colour palette and it’s so soft. I enjoy the process of screen printing by hand – it is rewarding when a print comes out perfectly; but often the imperfections are beautiful too. I also love the medium of print, choosing lovely recycled paper stock to print on, and the smell of new magazines!

What inspires you?
I am driven by the desire to make stuff. I need to be doing something creative, and it’s important to me to have projects outside of work. Sometimes designs are inspired by people I know – they start out as a present for someone in particular, and then end up on my market table. Typography, fairy tales, nature, and music all inspire me too. I love taking song lyrics out of context – illustrating them and printing them on a t-shirt.

What are you reading?
I’ve just finished My Family & Other Animals by Gerald Durrell – about his early life in Greece with his eccentric English family; a lovely escape from Winter. I’m working my way through the Penguin Classics.

What are you currently listening to?
The National – High Violet was my last purchase. I also love collecting cheap old records and enjoy listening to the likes of Van Morrison, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan on my record player.

Recommend an album: Van Morrison – Astral Weeks

A favourite quote: “These are the days of miracle and wonder” – Paul Simon

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Purple
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You’ll find more of Ellie’s work in her Felt shop, Miss Ellie May, and if you haven’t happened upon Extra Curricular yet, you should definitely check it out – it’s full of feature articles on local talent and interviews with awesome people – heaps of creative inspiration to be had!

Emma of Freedom Creative comes from a crafty background and has had many crafts as hobbies over the years (needle felting, sewing, knitting, cross stitch, painting…) but making jewellery is her passion. Originally from Dunedin, she moved to Christchurch in 2001 to study and here she has stayed, becoming a familiar face on the craft circuit and a regular at events such as The Night Market and A Craft Affair.

What do you make?
I make Japanese inspired jewellery and accessories, including necklaces, brooches, cuff links (coming very soon to my Felt shop) and magnets. I use beautiful Japanese paper as the base for them and most are coated in thick, glossy resin, which makes the designs of the papers really stand out. I’ve also been known as ‘the Scrabble lady’, as I make pendants, brooches and cuff links from wooden Scrabble tiles, also coated in resin.

How did you get into your craft?
I’ve been selling on Felt for a few years, but been crafting all my life. I grew up in a family where Mum ran a craft business, and my Dad was always in his workshop fixing/making something. I was lucky as a kid to have a dedicated ‘art’ room, where I could make as much mess as I wanted, so that made me want to craft all the time!

I started selling on Felt as a way to be a bit more creative in my adult life, as my full-time job became less and less creative. I’m not sure how I came to be making what I now sell, but I guess it was a love of Japanese paper, and finding a way to make it a part of everyday life, as well as my awesome friends and family who are ever supportive and encouraged me to make a business from it.

Describe your workspace:
I’m lucky that my craft doesn’t require much space, and I don’t need to go out to a cold shed or garage to get making. I simply have a large desk, in a sunny office, where I cut, glue, resin, design and get distracted by the internet very easily.

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
Not specifically in my craft, but I have a diploma in Communication Arts and Design, and work as a graphic designer full-time. My design background helps with other important parts of my business, for example; packaging, branding and marketing.

Five words that describe your mind: Busy, optimistic, creative, intuitive, passionate

Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
I’d be lost without a pair of scissors, craft knife, Mod Podge and resin. My favourite part of the jewellery making process is selecting the papers to use, coming up with new ideas for products, and trying to think of new products to fit into different price brackets – so there should be an item in my shop that everyone can afford. It’s taken a while to perfect the art of resinning – it’s a two-pot mixture which, if you don’t mix exactly right, or if the room temperature isn’t spot on, will either not set, or go everywhere! It’s a good day when I don’t have to trash any items in a batch!

What inspires you?
The internet seems to be a never-ending source of inspiration for me. I spend a lot of time reading blogs, and marveling at other people’s creations. I have a big inspiration/notice board in my office where I pin up all sorts of things to keep me inspired.

What are you currently listening to? Right this very second: Fall by The Editors.

Your favourite childhood book?
Once Upon A Worm by Roger Hargreaves. It rhymes and is about a worm with a head at both ends, who eats ‘beans for breakfast and beans for tea’. It’s random and I have no idea why it’s my favourite.

What are you reading now? The latest copy of Extra Curricular magazine, Peppermint and Pulp.

What’s on your to-do list at the moment?
Making some new Japanese paper cuff links in time for Father’s Day, lots of paperwork, emailing a few new potential wholesalers and making a gift for my Grandma’s 85th birthday. I’d also love to take a silver jewellery course soon.

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You can see more of Emma’s work in her Felt shop, Freedom Creative, and lucky Wellingtonians get a chance to check out the colourful wares of Freedom Creative at the next Craft2.0 in Lower Hutt on October 30th, from 10am till 3pm at TheNewDowse.

Born and bred in Napier, Jessica Hills of Furchin studied sculpture at Elam before spending four years teaching English in Croatia where her daughter Anouk (now 5) was born. A fluent speaker of Croatian and very talented crafter, Jessica also plays the guitar and loves vegetarian cooking, crosswords and the sea – and she’s soon to become wife to an acupuncturist and stepmother to three boys – congratulations Jess!

What do you make?
I sell a range of hand-printed greetings cards, cushions, home accessories and mei-tai style baby carriers, all handmade and using recycled materials wherever possible. For friends, family and myself I make clothes, toys, paintings, bags, books, bunting…

How did you get into your craft?
I was born into a family of makers. Dad built half our house from scratch and is the definitive DIY dynamo, mum is an amazing multi-talented crafter and my older sister is a fabulous jeweller. Thanks to my parents’ self-sufficiency ethos I learnt many skills as a child (sewing, sawing, spinning, knitting, baking, bottling, gardening). More importantly, I gained the confidence to have a go at pretty much anything – most recently pouring concrete.

We grew up without a TV in the house, and would ask ‘what can I make?’ when the entertainment ran out. I’ve had at least one creative project on the go ever since. These days, as a stay-at-home mum, crafting has become not only a much-needed creative outlet but also a way for me to support my daughter and myself. After years of friends telling me ‘you could sell that!’ I discovered Felt and thought ‘hmm, perhaps I could!’ The rest, as they say, is history…

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
I have a BFA in sculpture, which informs everything I make in a roundabout way. I swapped large-scale installation works for small-scale crafts when I became a mother, but funnily enough a lot of the work I did at Elam addressed the art/craft divide and traditional notions of ‘women’s work’.

Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
I love carving into a fresh block of lino and then peeling off the first print; discovering gorgeous vintage fabrics and un-loved blankets in op-shops; the satisfaction of packaging up and sending off finished orders; my trusty old Bernina sewing machine; and seeing happy babies riding around town in my carriers.

What inspires you?
Cups of tea and living by the sea. My products are inspired by necessity and function, vintage textiles, timeless design, the beauty of natural forms and materials, and creative re-purposing.

What are you currently listening to?
In the workroom it’s usually Gillian Welch, Woolshed Sessions, Will Oldham, Juana Molina, the lovely ladies of jazz… Soothing sing-along stuff on my $6 stereo.

Recommend an album: Bonny ‘Prince’ Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music

Describe your workspace:
Alternately shambolic/ultra-organised, teeth-chatteringly cold/stickily hot (depending on the season) and emphatically too small! Often branching out to include dining table, lounge floor, coffee table, bed…

Five words that describe your mind: inquisitive, voracious, analytical, always open

Is there a philosophy behind your work?
Philosophy sounds a bit lofty, but I do believe in the inherent energy of objects – which is why I don’t like the idea of my child playing with toys made by other children in dirty factories from toxic plastics that will still be around in 100 years. Something bought directly from a local maker is better quality, a better shopping experience, and better for the earth. I like to think I’m part of a rising handmade movement that promotes responsible consumption and provides an alternative to mass production, rampant capitalism, child labour, disposable culture and pollution.

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
A red Stockmar block crayon (I went to a Waldorf school).

Your favourite childhood book?
I was a bookworm so this is hard, but Astrid Lindgren jumps out as a favourite author. Carl Larsson, Shirley Hughes and Jill Barklem (Brambly Hedge) for illustrations.

What are you reading now?
A.S. Byatt’s The Game, Hawke’s Bay for the Happy Wanderer (an engagement present from my parents), and back issues of World Sweet World. Next on the list are Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and J. S. Foer’s Eating Animals.

Do you have any pets?
A black cat, Frida, who’d happily spend all day perched on my shoulder. I’m trying to teach her to say ‘Avast, me hearties!’ in time for the next Talk Like A Pirate day.
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The Furchin kids’ range of cushions is now stocked exclusively by newly opened Poppets in Napier – keep an eye on Jessica’s Felt shop as the rest of her cushions are added over the next few months. You’ll also find Jess at the Taikura Christmas Fair, Hohepa Country Fair and Haumoana Market Day.

Based in Dunedin, Helen Riley-Duddin of hjrd Design is a mum, wife, designer, maker and lecturer, teaching in Communication Design and Interior Design. Nine months ago she launched her range of magnetic wallscapes and now spends much of her studio time developing new designs and working on commission pieces while caring for her daughter Jemima.

What do you make?
I make a variety of things, but my Felt shop is currently focused on what I call Magnetic Wallscapes – something somwhere halfway between art and play, in that they’re dynamic decor – not traditional art, nor are they toys…

How did you get into your craft?
I think it’s been a life-long exploration of what I can do with my hands, mind, and the simple materials I find. From a young age I made and sold jewellery, cards, clocks, calendars; along the way hoarding treasures like copper telephone wires and paper scraps in preparation for some future idea.

Professionally my background is in communication design, where I usually design two-dimensionally, typically for print. I think my ‘wallscape’ craft emerged from my background in this and my hands-on-can-do explorations. It was the transition from working full-time to becoming a new parent that sparked the idea for designing dynamic wall decor; sharing our space with the delightful chaos of a growing child where losing floor space to play things was inevitable! I wanted to design something to reclaim an adult aesthetic in living areas with a playful approach.

Clockwise from left: Helen and Jemima in the studio; coastal cabbage tree, 2005; Helen’s stash!

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
I still don’t really think of my work as a ‘craft’ in itself, I guess it’s some new handmade combination of graphic design, interior design, sewing and paper craft. I studied in Design and Marketing and have Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce degrees which most definitely informs the work I do now.

Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
My wallscapes only use vintage wallpapers and fabric offcuts; I love the hunt in sourcing my treasured materials. The concept behind using these materials was to make a statement about context; by salvaging them and using them in an unintended way they’re liberated from their original associations or garments to better appreciate their colours and textures. This is also particularly ironic for the vintage wallpapers which were intended for walls, but in their wholeness are almost unbearable in a contemporary setting until their context is redefined in wallscape form! In this way they offer a nostalgic celebration of former homeware aesthetics. I adore the tactility of these mixed materials and often find myself studying closely their patterns, prints and textures.

As for favourite tools it has to be my hands and eyes! And my iMac of course. I find myself trying various approaches but revert to the most basic tools and what I can achieve with my own hands. I guess I often think of that saying ‘a good workman never blames his tools’ … I love the control I can achieve without using complex tools or machines which with my impatience often disappoints!

What inspires you?
This is always difficult to define, but I know it’s a combination of certain influences; Nostalgia for the simple joys, sense of wonder and youthful imagination that is childhood – watching my daughter grow and learn evokes this. I grew up on an organic market garden in coastal Kakanui which instilled me with an appreciation for the truly natural, looking to nature’s forms, colours and textures for inspiration and a ‘making-something-out-of-nothing’ methodology. The prints, patterns and textures found in my salvaged materials are often a great inspiration.

Describe your workspace:
My workspace is at home, but separate to the house. It’s essentially a ramshackle sleep-out tacked on the end of our garage, but it’s set amongst the garden in our backyard and after tossing the curtains, ripping up the carpet, painting the walls white (with some magnetic areas of course!) it’s transformed to a space I love to work. I have three main work areas; office, production (at my favourite red formica table), and jewellery workbench. Amongst the creative chaos are several places for Jemima to perch and potter while I work. I quickly learned how important it was to have a place separate from our living space to work in. When I’m home most of the time working and looking after Jemima it’s really good to be able to ‘go to work’ and ‘come home again’ keeping home and work separate. I love my studio.

Five words that describe your mind:
Intrigued, chaotic, analytical (yes, that’s right next to chaotic!) optimistic, empathetic, intuitive. And clearly indecisive – that makes seven.

What are you currently listening to?
Right now, it’s the blissful peace of Jemima sleeping. But most often beaming through the studio are The Woolshed Sessions, Delgirl, Wellington Ukulele Orchestra and LCD Soundsystem.

Recommend an album: It has to be the Woolshed Sessions – most definitely most played!

Is there a philosophy behind your work?
Absolutely, it’s about context and narratives. The materials I use have their own histories or stories which are sort of edited in their transformation to becoming my wallscapes. These are designed to be rearranged as a form of story-telling for adults; we change them around to suit our mood, to work with the decor, to set a scene in our daily lives. This process of interacting with them evokes that sense of play, imagination and engagement we experienced when we were younger – it’s like telling stories with the materials of our childhoods; the clothes we used to wear within the walls of our homes that were furnished with wallpapers of the era.

I like the thought of my work empowering others creatively; install the wallscapes your way, colour the illustrations as you see them in your imagination…

Your favourite childhood book?
A book called The Best Nest was right up there with the Dr Seuss classics. Also I have to mention The Giant Jam Sandwich as I won that in a colouring competition!

What are you reading now?
Prizes – selected short stories by Janet Frame. And selected textbooks on design research [with my teacher's hat on].

Your hero/heroine:
My Mum would have to be my crafting heroine; supremely talented in all manner of made things; from home baking, gardening to spinning, knitting, weaving, sewing… self-taught but an amazing teacher.

A favourite quote:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! (1978)

Do you have any pets?
We do, Ted the big fat cat. His name has proved troublesome with Jemima learning to talk though: books say ‘Teddy’ and ‘Cat’, but Teddy IS the cat!

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? The red one without a doubt!

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Check out more of Helen’s gorgeous wallscape designs in her Felt shop, hjrdDesign, and watch this space for her new range of restickable decals!

A recent arrival in New Zealand from Winnipeg, Canada, Barbara Morton of Spirocreations now lives in a house bus in Whangaparaoa with her Kiwi husband Isaac. As Isaac completes a furniture making apprenticeship, Barbara is putting her self-taught leatherwork skills to use creating stunningly beautiful soft leather shoes almost entirely by hand.

What do you make?
I hand make a variety of soft moccasin inspired leather shoes, boots and accessories such as bags, belts, cuffs, earrings and more.

How did you get into your craft?
While living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, I ran an art programme for inner-city homeless and low income adults. Many of the individuals who used the programme claim First Nations (Native) descent so a large amount of the programme was focused on upholding traditional mediums which includes leatherwork and beadwork. Running this programme exploded my creativity and I began experimenting with embroidering and beading on canvas. I was also introduced to leather as a medium and literally fell in love at first sight (and touch)!

Isaac bought me a leather sewing awl for our first wedding anniversary which I used to awkwardly create a small leather pouch which I wore on a belt. From this point on I couldn’t stop creating with leather! I was hooked entirely….I molded leather onto canvasses, stitched bags and belts and attempted my first pair of lace up Moccasin boots without a pattern and all by hand. I later made myself winter Mukluks (lined with fur) and began avidly researching moccasin and footwear history. Over time, I increased my leather knowledge through 5 minute conversations with my First Nations friends, local cobblers and self study and trial. Every week at Art Programme, I would fiddle away designing a brand new style of footwear, asking the participants for their advice and suggestions. Friends began to ask for custom pairs, and very accidently Spirocreations was born.

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
Nope. My approach to leather craft is very much the Barb Morton method. I think a lot of my work has a unique look as I never really learned how to work with leather ‘properly’.

Clockwise from left: The first pair of moccasins Barb ever made; Barb and Isaac;
leather lace-up ballet high tops.

What inspires you?
I am a history nerd and so I find a huge amount of inspiration from the past and natural world. I am an ocean and forest junkie! I love the creativity and kindness of people I meet day to day. I am a very spiritual person and my beliefs are often a starting point for all my creativity. ‘Spiro’, is actually a Latin word (pronounced ’spearo’) and means: to live, to breathe or to be inspired. Isaac and I felt this idea summed up our creative process, as creativity brings life and is as important to our well-being as breathing. In ancient times, ‘inspiration’ was thought to occur from God breathing (or whispering) ideas into our minds from which we would become inspired to live and create. We too feel that through the process of creating we are connected to something greater than ourselves as well as reconnecting us to the earth, its inhabitants, its past, present and future.

Indigenous peoples also are a huge influence for me as I deeply respect their resourcefulness, wisdom, creativity, artisanship and balance with the Earth. Fantasy, folk lore, fairytales and mysticism also influences my work as I have always wanted to disappear into the stories I read.

Music always gets my blood pumping and the ideas pouring.

A favourite quote: “Be the change you long to see in the world.” – Ghandi

Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
I love working with all kinds of leather but I have a special soft spot for deer hide. I also like to work with natural and found items such as wood, shell, feathers and vintage pieces. I work almost entirely with hand tools including a leather awl, needles, waxed thread, shears and a lighter. I have an old industrial sewing machine to help with some of the basic assembly but most everything is finished with hand tools. I’d be lost without my measuring tape and leather awl…these are most precious to me.

A lot of my process involves trial and error. When creating, I usually do not start with a fixed idea as most often the creation presents itself in the leather pieces in front of me. I really like to take my time and to allow the pieces to evolve naturally. I love designing and will work crazy hours in a focused non-stop state once I get excited about something. Thank goodness for a husband that will come in and feed me every so often!

Recycling is also really important to me. I do not like to waste any leather and so try to design pieces or accents which utilise even the smallest offcuts.

Five words that describe your mind: Imaginative, idealistic, worried, non-stop, contemplative

Describe your workspace:
Ever changing! Since moving from Winnipeg my workspace has been the site of various kitchen tables, bedrooms and even the house bus we are currently living in. At the moment I am working out of a friend’s old bedroom which luckily has huge windows and lots of sunlight. I look forward to actually having a workspace to call my own!

What are you currently listening to?
I am all over the place with music…currently a lot of ’70s rock, old skool hip hop, ’50s Cuban jazz, ’60s Mod rock, Euro trance and ’90s grunge rock.

Recommend an album: Black on Both Sides – Mos Def

Is there a philosophy behind your work?
At the time that I began working with leather, I was reading up on pre-historic life. It fascinated me to consider how disconnected I am from this lifestyle and how deeply I yearned to regain and preserve this knowledge. It blew my mind to think that for thousands of years our ancestors utilised only what the earth could offer for survival. They lived in an intricate balance with the natural world, ever having to be resourceful and united as a community. I was sickened by how wasteful and disrespectful our current society has become. I greatly desired to live in such a way that I could better understand the Earth and respect its resources.

Engaging with leather enabled me to reconnect to a rich cultural history which is well exemplified in the First Nation’s People of Canada. I was honoured with the quiet wisdom of my First Nations friends who stay connected to the earth and intimately respect its resources and character. Many of these individuals have been my teachers and inspiration for creating. I am honoured to create through relationship and am grateful to be connected to their lives and to their stories.

I was very moved, by the amount of skill, time and love that went into fashioning a traditional pair of moccasins, wraps, or kamiks (Inuit seal boots). One pair of shoes required the entire community to work together. This left a deep impression on me. I longed to use craft to create community and as a tool for reconnecting individuals to the Earth, its past and resources. As a part of this journey, I arranged a meeting with a local First Nation’s elder, to ensure that the pieces I created were not in any way disrespectful to the culture and that in all ways, I was embarking into leather work respectfully. This meeting was uplifting and inspiring. I gained a greater appreciation for the medium I was working with and felt I could move forward.

I also spent a lot of time studying the history of the Arts and Craft Movement focusing on William Morris and later John Ruskin’s influence on the Industrial Revolution. This study got me thinking about how drastically the world has changed since the 18th Century, particularly the change from Craft Guilds to Factory production. In the face of Industrial society…handcraft (which was mere survival for centuries) has become in present day somewhat revolutionary. In this, I began to examine the resurgence of handcraft since the 1800s and found that many of its champions fought for principles that I desire to reflect in my life (sustainability, respect, equality, just distribution of wealth). I began to realise that the simple act of hand making shoes was my way to combat a ‘profit before people’ focused society.

I strongly desire to preserve past artisanship, wisdom and respect in all my work.  I hope that Spirocreations can be a connecting point between the public and the past as well as inspiring respect for the Earth and its resources, encouraging creative community and the support of hand craft over factory production.

Your hero/heroine: William Morris

Your favourite childhood book? Alice in Wonderland and Grimm’s Fairytales

What are you reading now?
I am burning through all of Juliet Marrillier’s books. Wolfskin and Daughter of the Forest were amazing!

Do you have any pets?
No…but someday I will own a very big dog.  Someday Isaac, someday!

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
I would be one of those combination color crayons as I am all over the place with fingers in too many pots. I doubt I would be in one piece.
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Keep checking back as Barbara adds new designs to her Felt shop, Spirocreations, over the next few weeks, and look out for her gorgeous footwear at future craft events in Auckland and surrounds.

Based in Napier, Marian Smale combines art and intricate dressmaking skills to create her uniquely styled garments. Fresh from her first Craft 2.0 in Wellington, Marian, along with her daughter Chloe and daughter-in-law Csilla, is fast becoming a fixture in the local contemporary craft scene.

What do you make?
I’ll try anything with fabric. Currently it’s mostly wearable.

How did you get into your craft?
I have a memory of the treadle and lower wheel on the sewing machine luring me first. I suspect I was not yet walking.

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
I’m largely self taught. I once did a pattern making course. At the end I went back to my own methods. There have been other workshops and short courses in batik, drawing, collage, papermaking which I know all add to the mix. I’m obsessed with trying the new idea.

Your favourite materials,tools and processes?
My favourite tool would have to be my hands. I’m eternally grateful for where they take me. And I’m very attached to the pin tin that was my seamstress grandmother’s. I do have some favourite paintbrushes. And I’d be lost without my collection of sewing machines although if the power failed the treadle would be fine. And handsewing is balm to the soul. Painting is where I get to see my craft take off and have a wild party all its own!

What inspires you?
Mostly just getting on with it, the more I work the better it gets. [Yep,a recipe for a workaholic!] and going bush, being in the sea, beautiful old fabrics and scraps, op shops and junk shops, making new gardens, music and reading, the energy in the center of big cities, friends, grandkids,dreaming…eyes open or shut, experimenting.

Is there a philosophy behind your work?
Recycle whenever possible.
Good functional pieces, however humble, can have as much vitality as a large beautiful artwork. It’s about creating with integrity. About loving the process and paying it full attention while creating the article. I love to think this kind of essence can be affordable for everyone.

A favourite quote:
“He who flowers his room, flowers his life” by a starving Paris artist who’d just spent the money for shoes from a friend on flowers!

Describe your workspace:
My sewing room is warm, sunny, airy, cluttered and ordered, colourful, rich. With a big old couch for sharing a cuppa, a big bare carpet square in the middle I use for cutting out and setting grandkids loose with the button jars. I feel whole when I walk into it.
For painting I have a number of different spots. My paints are stored in the shed where I live, but weather permitting I paint outside. I also paint in a bush retreat, amongst other “holiday” destinations I prefer for painting.

Five words that describe your mind: teeming, passionate, drifty, practical, quirky.

What are you currently listening to? Anything my kids load on my iPod!

Recommend an album: Inarticulate Speech of the Heart by Van Morrison.

Your favourite childhood book?
That’s hard, there are lots.
I’d have to say Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit for being the first book I remember transporting me completely. I can see the little me standing in the dusty old town library with worn wooden floors and muted light slanting in the window, the little book in my hand. I experienced it as being the same place as Mrs Rabbit’s warm kitchen under a tree. And I was very happy to be there!

What are you reading now? The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.

Your hero/heroine: Both my grandmothers.

Do you have any pets?
Not currently, but warm memories of several furry/hairy friends I’ve loved.

If you were a crayon,what colour would you be?
Diamond patterned purple and green like the snake in a Rupert Bear book.
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You can expect to see Marian stepping out at future craft events in Hawkes Bay and surrounds, but in the meantime check out more of her work in her Felt shop, MarianSmale.

Currently in the midst of preparing work for several exhibitions around the country, Ingrid Schloemer of Silverworks is not only a talented artist herself, but has also taught her craft to hundreds of students. Based in Havelock North, she runs courses in jewellery making, using precious metal clay.

What do you make?
I create one-off jewellery pieces from my stone carvings and more recently from precious metal clay (I work with “Art Clay Silver”). Since 2006 I have been teaching silver jewellery classes to more than 500 students of all ages. Simple tools and a very forgiving medium make it possible for anyone even without previous experience to make original pure silver jewellery!

How did you get into your craft?
Already as a young teenager I sold beaded necklaces to earn a bit of extra money, but it occupied more of my time when I learnt how to carve stone after coming to New Zealand.

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
Professionally I am a handcraft teacher, the training involved all sorts of techniques. The stone carving I learnt here in New Zealand from a very talented man; the training to become a certified instructor for the jewellery making I received in Auckland from Anne-Marie Grace of Art Clay NZ.

Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
My favourite materials are greenstone in all its varieties and precious metal clay. Tools I would not do without when I work with silver clay: a moisturising pen which is a brush that has a water-filled tummy and the agate burnisher which is used to polish the silver pieces after the firing. But the most important and precious tools are certainly my hands, I find it most amazing what they can do!

Favourite process? This has to be the magic transformation from silver clay to finished pure silver jewellery piece! Only when you have gone through the process you will understand that working with silver clay is quite addictive – I could do it all day!

What inspires you?
A cloud formation or a leaf curled up or the sun shining on something creating an interesting shadow, anything like that can bring about a new design. For silver jewellery ideas also come up while I draw different shapes, often I get an idea for another shape or texture or combination while working with the silver.

For my carvings it seems to be different; a piece of stone sometimes sits there for a while in front of me before I get an idea for it. The stone tells me then what it wants to become. And the final shape evolves while I am carving away form the original state of the piece.

Is there a philosophy behind your work?
Can one say jewellery has got “Feng Shui”? Then this is what I want to achieve. Recently I have read the book The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty. Wabi Sabi, the Japanese view of beauty, is the subject – simplicity of design and its influence on the craft movement.

Describe your workspace:
Yes, since March I have the luxury of my very own workroom! It has a well-lit table which provides space for a group of four students. The dogs love to be there with me, they change their sleeping places with the wandering sun. There are shelves with boxes where stamps and moulds and tools live. I am well-known at a local shoe shop now! Their boxes have all the same colour, some have a flower print which looks really neat and helps with finding contents.

To get started with a project I need a tidy area and everything in order. Once I get going it can become quite cluttered though. Then there are tools and bits and pieces everywhere. But it reaches a stage where I have to clear the table, making space for fresh ideas to come in and to keep the process flowing. This change between chaos and tabula rasa is happening quite often at the moment as I am preparing for three exhibitions.

What are you currently listening to?
Usually I need a quiet surrounding to be able to be creative. But once I have completed the rough design work I listen to talking books or music from a CD which was compiled for us by our kids; other favourites at the moment are the Norwegian Ulf Storbekk, Nora Jones, and Mary Black.

Your hero/heroine:
My mum. For everything she taught me in regards to making the most of what you have, cooking beautiful meals from simple ingredients and sharing her life skills. My dad, for his painting and drawing and poetry skills and his wonderful sense of humour and quiet support.

Your favourite childhood book?
I can remember two books, first a book with a silvery grey cover, inside along the bottom of the landscape-format pages square frames with changing images, e.g. a pear became an apple became a teapot became an elephant… I was fascinated by that book and have unsuccessfully tried to find this book later on for my children.

The other book which I found very impressive was a bound collection of magazines for young school children with beautiful black and white prints and vignettes, it belonged to my mum and was her first reader during the war.

What are you reading now?
I am too busy to sit down and enjoy a good read, but I search our libraries for design books of all kinds (interior design, patchwork, knitting, polymer clay and jewellery of course) soaking up anything about colour and shape. Ah, and I look for practical books, e.g. How to raise the perfect dog.

Do you have any pets?
Yes, they seem to be replacement therapy for us as parents… three dogs of various sizes, ages and temperaments are crowding our space!

A favourite quote:
“Not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.” Sign hanging in Einstein’s office in Princeton.

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
No single colour would fit, the hues in the paua shell come to mind.
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Ingrid is a guest artist at the Annual Exhibition of the Ashburton Society of Arts from 21 June till 9 July. A number of her pieces will also be at the Waiheke Community Art Gallery for “Winter’s Jewels” (16 July to 8 August) and at the Taupo Museum from 31 July until 15 August for “In Transition: Canvas, Clay and Jewellery”, where she’ll also be teaching workshops.  And of course, you can check out Ingrid’s shop, Silverworks, here on Felt!

Based on Waiheke Island, bibliophile Louise Thompson is the steady hand and practiced eye behind the gorgeous journals and photographic prints of Bibliographica. Highly crafted and characterised by a close attention to detail, Louise’s work has an ethereal quality worthy of becoming an heirloom.

What do you make?
I make journals, books and sketchbooks by hand, and use predominantly recycled materials to do so. Everything is made by me, and is unique – I’ll never repeat the same journal twice although I could attempt something similar.  I also sell my photographic prints which are botanical collages created from macro photographs of NZ flora and fauna.

How did you get into your craft?
I have kept a diary / journal since I was 12 years old. I always wrote in fine black ink, until I discovered the 0.05 Staedtler pen, as I am left handed and it doesn’t leave a smudge. If I liked my journal a lot I would make my writing ridiculously small towards the end so I could prolong its life; all the words would be squashed together. I made my first book when I was about 19; it was a coptic binding with vintage postage stamps on the panels.

I was studying photography at the time and took an elective in book arts. Over the next several years I pursued bookbinding by hobby, often studying the way my bought journals had been made. I found over that time that I wanted a particular kind of journal; an old worn looking leather one. I always felt very inspired when I came across something like this, I just wanted to write and never stop. I found my Staedtler pen only looked and felt really wonderful on particular papers, so my search for this perfect journal became sort of a habit. Even when I didn’t need one, I would seek them out, just to hold them.
I didn’t sell my first one for another year as I had trouble parting with them. Often they became gifts, or houses to store my photographs.  I started selling them at markets before I began selling online.

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
It was while I was studying for my Honours Degree in Photography that I took a couple of evening classes in Bookbinding which really got me going. I took to it like a sponge and became addicted to making books. Other than that I am self taught. I have studied an actual binding, and taken books apart solely to put them back together again to figure out how they were made. I have read a lot of books about making books. Hands down bibliophile!

Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
Materials: soft worn leather, my awls, good steel rulers, black staedtler pen with a 0.05 tip, pails of cool tea, lots of time and good music. All this put together is bliss. I love to coptic bind, I think it’s a beautiful timeless style. The plaited stitching is very inspiring for me.
I love the fact that it’s such an ancient process yet has remained unchanged through the years. I feel quite moved by that.

What inspires you?
Music, antiques, old books, illustrative art, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, street photography; particularly that of old Paris by Eugene Atget or Henri Cartier-Bresson; botanical photography by Karl Blossfeldt, bric-a-brac stores, flea markets, crazy cultural busy cities as much as wild barren coastlines void of people, being caught out in whistling stormy wind.

Is there a philosophy behind your work?
That something is never really complete. That is can keep on creating, as I make something for someone to add to. I love this.

Describe your workspace:
My studio is cluttered, beautiful, haphazard, inspiring, cramped and breezy, with big windows and a view of the ocean. In summer I managed to reach out the window and pick a plum off my tree. I’ve got a workbench (that was once my dining table), a desk with my computer, scanner and printer on it, lots of cupboards and shelving (full of books!), my beautiful olde green book press on a chair, a gorgeous wooden sewing frame, also an old leather case full of leather! There is also my treadmill in here – so very cramped.

I feel very grateful for what I have as I used to live in very compact, dark damp apartments underneath houses. While at University in Sydney I had a tiny apartment with barred windows and a view of the footpath. I crammed everything into a space that is now the size of my studio and kitchen combined!

Five words that describe your mind: Stirred. Inspired. Open. Creative. Grateful.

What are you currently listening to?
My music tastes vary a lot. I am still listening to Antony & The Johnsons a lot, I love Antony’s mournful piercing voice. I have also been revisiting some old CDs I have, which are great for background music, such as Nawang Kechong, he is a Tibetan flute player. I just leave it on repeat and go about my work. Between that I like National Radio!

Recommend an album: Antony & The Johnsons – self titled album.

Your favourite childhood book? The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

What are you reading now?
I recently finished reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, which was very inspiring and I am pleased that someone can verbalize what I often think about. Right now I am finishing Ravi Shankar’s autobiography Raga Mala which is a truly wonderful life story that I recommend. He has a gorgeous sense of humour.

Your hero/heroine: Henri Cartier-Bresson, for opening my photographic eyes.

A favourite quote: Everything changes, everything returns.

Do you have any pets?
I have one pet, Jojo, a 13 year old tortoiseshell cat who I adopted 18 months ago. She dribbles and steals my bed space but I love her. I also have my plant boxes growing mesculan and two house plants.

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
I don’t think my colour would be there, I would have to mix it up with other crayons and steal some glitter, with which I would make electric blue.
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Louise has a wealth of beautiful creations available from her Felt shop, Bibliographica. She’s a familiar face at Ostend Market on Waiheke Island every Saturday morning, and will be making her Kraftbomb debut on Sunday 25 April, so if you’re in Auckland, head along to Grey Lynn Community Centre from 11am till 2pm and say hello!

Based in Christchurch, Tumbleweed Press is an impressive one woman operation run by Clazena,
a stationery designer, letterpress printer, wife and mother. In addition to producing gorgeous
designs on her antique letterpress, Clazena’s crafty inclinations include sewing, knitting, crocheting,
quilting and baking.

What do you make?
I design and print letterpress wedding stationery, and have a new range of event stationery for parents and children. This includes birthday invitations, thank you notes, baby announcements and baby shower invitations.

How did you get into your craft?
I was living in Melbourne and become tired with the impersonal nature of the work I was doing as a graphic designer, when an opportunity arose to purchase a platen press. I began designing and printing custom wedding stationery for couples throughout Australia, as well as brides in NZ, New York, London and Dubai. After moving back to New Zealand, I put the business on hold for two years to be a mum. I have now re-launched with a new stationery line.

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft?
I have a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) from CPIT. I worked as a graphic designer in New Zealand and then Melbourne for 4 years before I started my letterpress business.

What is letterpress?
Letterpress printing dates back to the fifteenth century and is a true craft. I print my stationery on a Chandler and Price platen press. It is operated by a treadle, that is pumped up and down with your foot. Each piece of paper, is inserted one at a time into the press, by hand. The rollers ink the raised plate which is then pressed into the soft paper leaving an impression. If a design has two or more ink colors, the press is cleaned down and the process starts again, one by one. Continuous checking is required making it a very labour intensive process and slight variations are inherent, making every piece a one-of-a-kind artwork.

What inspires you? Great typography, pretty fabric, craft & design books, magazines and blogs.

Your favourite materials, tools and processes?
I like good fibre tip pens and my mac computer. I love letterpress and have accumulated quite a collection of printing presses (and would keep adding to my collection if my husband would let me). You can’t beat the noise of ink being rolled, and the hum of the press as it prints. I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing the finished product, it’s hard to visualize on a computer screen the texture and dimension that letterpress adds to a design.

Describe your workspace:
I have a wonderful sunny design/craft room which I have divided into areas; computer, sewing table, craft table and a lot of bookcases filled with files, magazines, inspiration and craft supplies. I’m lucky enough to have a separate studio which has all my letterpresses, printing equipment, paper stock and guillotine etc.

Five words that describe your mind: Organised, busy, grateful, passionate, obsessed.

Is there a philosophy behind your work?
Simple, modern design with a touch of whimsy. Creating stationery that enhances the style and fun of children’s parties, or other celebration.

Your favourite childhood book?
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett. I also loved Enid Blyton books and I still collect vintage paperback copies.

What are you reading now?
I’m always reading several books at any one time. I’m currently reading Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, I love patchwork by Rashida Coleman-Hale and the latest issues of Home Beautiful, USA Country Living and Martha Stewart Weddings.

Do you have any pets? I have a dog and 3 cats, that are all very spoilt.

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Chartreuse no question.
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Clazena’s beautiful letterpress stationery is available from her Felt shop, Tumbleweed.

Talented artist and ceramicist Tatyanna Meharry is the creative genius known on Felt as The Busy Finch. A crafter since she was knee high to a grasshopper, Tatyanna is an advocate of bringing back the quality New Zealand-made homewares our mothers invested in. Her latest work is a series of domestic ware inspired by Delft, Meissen and Jasperware colours and techniques.

What do you make? Mostly I make vintage inspired domestic and decorative ceramic ware…which is a fancy way of saying pottery! I like to add to this by making small children’s picture books and dolls.  I really like to make avante garde exhibition work and commissioned purpose designed work as well.

How did you get into your craft? I have been making and making since I was knee high to a grasshopper, which was fortuitous as my mum use to have fabric knee high all the time all around the house! Also my Nana used to have a pottery studio where I would doodle with my brothers and sister. The smell of clay for me is as nostalgic as baby powder!

Your favourite materials, tools and processes? I love clay and fabric and paper…so any combination of them makes me happy. I really like to throw shapes and then put them together and add hand-manipulated vintage-inspired decorations. I quite like to challenge the current minimalist ideals that have resurged over the past years by creating excessively decorative work. I also like to build in quirky and humorous features to my work. Like moths attached to a late night cocoa cup or the chemical symbols for lithium printed onto a container that can have feel goodies hidden inside it!

Do you have formal training or qualifications in your craft? I have a master’s degree in fine arts from Otago Polytechnic where I trained in what was then known as the Crafty section of the school. So I learnt a bit of everything useful like jewellery, textile printing, weaving and textile manipulation. I didn’t however discover my passion for pottery until I moved back to Christchurch and took classes at Risingholme. Now I’ve banished the loom to the cupboard and invested in a pottery wheel and there’s no stopping me…really it’s compulsive!

Five words that describe your mind: Busy. Focused. Plotting. Easily-inspired. Obsessive.

Is there a philosophy behind your work? I think that you should invest in objects that don’t become landfill when a trend is past. I was talking to another potter a couple of years ago about coffee/tea cups and we were lamenting the fact that the homes we grew up in had handmade cups made by someone local, and these can still be found in our mums’ cupboards, but nowadays most people have what we nicknamed “NZ made in China” cups that last maximum a year in many households. I say bring back the “NZ made in NZ” cup…really you will enjoy your cuppa so much more!

Describe your workspace: My workspace is a garage, two buildings away from my house…so I precariously transfer trays of wet ware between the house and the garage. My son is not impressed and I have been recently banned from bringing clay into the kitchen! I have lots of shelving, a long desk and a pottery wheel. I don’t have water that comes into the workshop so I have developed a technique where I recycle my clay and water 100%…it’s really amazing what you can do out of necessity. I recycled nearly 200kg of clay this past summer!

What are you currently listening to? Ella Fitzgerald and a compilation called Mob Hits – I’ve been waking up humming Hey Big Spender by Shirley Bassey!

Recommend an album: Murder – Johnny Cash. Just listening to the lyrics makes your skin crawl!

Your favourite childhood book? Midsummer in Moominland – Tove Jansson

What are you reading now? Awful End – Phillip Ardagh …I know this is a children’s book but this is really hilarious writing!

Your hero/heroine: My mum who bought up 5 children by herself and my nana, who let me eat clay whenever I wanted… and my sister who still does!

A favourite quote: Relax and breathe…whatever you don’t get done today will happen tomorrow.

Do you have any pets? We have a cat called Moth…who is totally in love with my son…they form a special social pride on their own section of the couch together.

If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Red. __________________________________________________________________________________

Tatyanna’s gorgeous books, dolls and ceramics are available from her Felt shop, TheBusyFinch. She’s currently negotiating a mini exhibition of creepy crawly ceramic “Buttermoths” in The National (formally Inform Gallery) on High Street in Christchurch, so if you’re local, keep an eye out for it!