Friday 30 September 2011

Stockist Spotlight - Madwestdesigns

Who are you?
    Madwestdesigns  
 
What do you make?
 Just about anything that takes my fancy. Currently i am mostly knitting or crocheting. Shortly i will start on my Christmas cards which i make every year for family and friends.Perhaps this year i will make some extra and send along to Viewpoint Handmade Gallery.My head is always full of new ideas so much so that i forget to do the most basic things.Like put the green bags back in the car.(my husband has being nagging me all week to do that,don't you think he would of just done it himself?)

When did you get started?
When i got my first Barbie doll at about 4 i used to make clothes for her we could never afford to by new ones.I even made one from a bread bag once because i liked the colours on the bag.It wasn't long and i moved onto Knitting after seeing one of my teachers doing it.I found out that my Dad could knit so i got him to teach me the basics.From there i taught myself from books and just persevering with patterns.I knitted my first full traditional Aran jumper at about 8 it was full of cables and bobbles.I wore that jumper until it no longer fitted and no one believed that i had made it.

I have people ask me now where i went to learn and how long did it take me,i get some really strange looks when i say i have literally being doing it all my life. About 4 years ago i decided i wanted to crochet so again i taught myself,this time it was a little easier because of the internet,it never ceases to amaze me what you can find on there.Now i combine the two together in a lot of my projects and there are some very happy recipients of Afghans that i have made.
 
Why do you make your 'thing'?
The simple answer to that is i just can't sit and do nothing. When we travel somewhere the first thing i pack is my current project and a few others in case i get bored with one.Being a dressmaker by trade i find that i can combine a lot of different techniques into whatever i decide to to.Quilting is something i decided to do over this winter unfortunately that turned into a UFO as other things got in the way and i never start with the easiest projects i tend to always design something that is on the more complicated level.It will be finished by next winter though.

Where to next for you? (what direction do you see your work heading in?)
I have some very exciting ideas but the time factor gets in the way a little.I would love to be able to do it full time and earn a living from it (maybe in my next Life).I would hate to see the new found love that many people seem to have now of Knitting and crocheting disappear,possibly even teach those who want to learn,it's probably the one thing that irritates me the most is that so many people won't share the knowledge they possess.I often wonder how  they think something survives if it is not shared? I hope lots more people return to handmade items.I know that i am sick of buying items that fall apart after the first wash(some stores in town have had a very unhappy person return said items too)Quality is a huge issue for me,i think more so because of my background there is just no excuse for sending out faulty workmanship. I would like to think my garments with proper care will last through two or three children and just as many season changes
I also support Bendigo's Local Woollen mills by purchasing 99% of my wool from there.
I have that much at home i think i could open my own store.

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