Thursday, May 13, 2010

The crafty world of Seamstress and the Daughters


This week the BrisStyle team caught up with Suzanne, Melissa and Marie, the ladies behind the fabulous world of Seamstress and the Daughters.

How would you describe your work?


As we are a co-op of 3 so our work can be an eclectic mix of things. Melissa is very into vintage fabrics and recycling old fabrics. Suzanne loves wool and all things crochet. She loves the feel of soft wool and loves to make soft things that are great to touch. Marie loves the prettiness of little girls clothes and loves to try different combinations of trims and frills to make the perfect skirt.


How did your Etsy shop come into being?


Melissa was a big Etsy browser and Suzanne was always making more scarves than she could wear so they discussed making a shop and they asked Marie who has been sewing for over 50 years if she wanted to make some things as well and so we joined forces.


Who or what inspires you?


Suzanne loves scouring the internet and books about crochet and is inspired by the talent of others and sometimes the wool itself will be the inspiration.

Melissa loves seventies fabric patterns and fashion, tea towels and old linens, Montelupo ceramics and her kids art work. Dodgy craft books from when she was young are a winner too.


Marie is inspired by the almost limitless possibilities in a skirt design. She loves the fabrics as well as the options for girls are almost endless.


Do you ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ as part of your creative process?


Out of all of us, Melissa is definitely the eco girl - 80% of all her goodies are made from Vintage and op shop fabrics. Suzanne and Marie are beginning to delve into the eco world.

Can you describe your studio / work area?

Marie has half a rumpus room as her sewing empire. There is an industrial sewing machine in the middle and piles of fabric all around.

Melissa is currently renovating so all her material is in bags,and is working on a desk in the bedroom needless to say it’s all a bit crazy, part Narnia wardrobe part Nana’s gone crazy and bought 100 tea towels.

Suzanne has managed to eek out half a cupboard to store all her wool (thankfully crochet hooks take up very little room).

What is your favourite thing in the shop at the moment?


Melissa loves our darling little Barbie Beds, being a dolly loving girl herself, I like seeing Barbie snugly asleep after she has finished her day job as a NASA fashion designer doctor scuba instructor.


Suzanne loves the crochet covered notebooks. They just feel so wonderful to hold in your hands. A wonderful place for the everyday or those special thoughts.

Marie loves the denim skirts with all the frills.


Do you have any other places that people can view/purchase your work?

Blog
Etsy Shop
MadeIt Shop

Thanks so much for your time ladies and for the insights on how your co-operative works!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market Wrap Up


Brisbane delivered the most perfect Autumn day for the first BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market on Saturday.



The BrisStylers turned up fully stocked with gorgeous products to whet the appetites of all the Mums and kids who came along for the fun!



It wasn't simply a shopping day for Mum, the kids got in on the action too with some very cute and cool face painting. Hurrah!



Creativity isn't only reserved for our marketeers. The colouring in competition, designed by our very talented artist Sam of Jetta's Nest, got the creative juices flowing for the kids (and some adults)!



The fabulous fairy floss duo sporting their pretty in pink wigs caused a stir with the fairy floss connoisseurs. Whispers of "melt in your mouth" and "best fairy floss ever" were heard around the streets of Hamilton.



And did we mention the shopping? There were loads of gorgeous goodies to be found!



It's hard to believe but even more creative action was happening inside some of our marketeers stalls. Michelina from Bella Mea set up her painting easel and welcomed all the little artists in sight to create gorgeous abstract pieces.



Ellie from Red Seed Studio gave the budding fashionistas an opportunity to create uber cool accessories with her ever-popular badge-making machine.



And the belle of the ball was our very own BrisStyle Faerie armed with bubbles and purple balloons, she really was the most popular girl of the day!



Big thanks to MixTape for supporting this fabulous event and also to Darren from Kish Photography for the beautiful shots.

Want to hear a little more about the day? Check out these posts direct from our marketeers:



*** STOP PRESS ***

Get your diary out and mark down the next installment which promises to be bigger and better than ever, with more marketeers and fresh faces:

BrisStyle Indie Designers Market
Saturday 5 June, 9am-2pm
St Augustine's Church Hall and Grounds
Racecourse Road
Hamilton

See you there!

Friday, May 7, 2010

The Big BrisStyle Giveaway

The Big BrisStyle Giveaway is on again!

At the start of each month a group of BrisStylers will be hosting a giveaway on their blog!

So, what are you waiting for? Get clicking and check out these great giveaways. BrisStylers will be entering links on this post throughout the month so check back later for more glorious giveaway updates!

Please note only members of BrisStyle are eligible to enter their link below.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

BiMC News from our Marketeers

The BrisStylers are gearing up for the first BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market this Saturday 8 May at St Augustine's Church Hall and Grounds, Racecourse Road, Hamilton, 9am-2pm.

Here's a little sneak peek of what to expect from our marketeers...


We're loving this gorgeous new product from the Queen of giving buttons new life, Kellie Christie. Kellie will be taking orders for these fabulous 'insert name here' canvases at the market. Check them out here.


Cuddly Cats will be making a comeback at edward & lilly, pop by the co-op stall in the Church Grounds to meet these cute little kitties in person!


Maleena from Curiouser & Curiouser is all set to go with buntings and gorgeous kids clothes, check out her blog for more products available on Saturday.


Not only is Miriam from Bubbachenille weaving her chenille magic with some gorgeous new buntings but she's also putting together scrapbooking and applique packs! Check them out here.


With loads of marketeers and heaps of fun activities the BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market is definitely the place to be this Saturday!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Stop Press! Exciting news about Saturday's market!

It's finally time for BrisStyle's first Indie Mother & Child Market!


Along with a selection of our beautiful handmade goodies not only for Mum but for the Kiddies too, we will have some other super cool stuff to keep the whole family entertained!


While Mum is off browsing the amazing stalls, the kids can head off to get their faces painted, pop into the hall and enter our super cool colouring competition (for the chance to win one of 3 x $25 vouchers to be spent at ANY BrisStyle members store/or market stall).

Dad can grab a sausage and a drink and have a little sit down in the church grounds, and if it’s more food you're after we will have a Fairy Floss and boutique Snow Cone stall too!
PLUS our very own BrisStyle Faerie will be wandering the grounds to keep those little ones entertained with lots of bubbles, balloons and laughter and letting everyone know just what's on offer at this fab event!


The BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market
Saturday 8 May, 9am-2pm
St Augustine's Church Hall and Grounds
Racecourse Road
Hamilton

Spread the word and pop back tomorrow for a peek at what our marketeers have in store for Saturday!!

It's a wrap! BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market

Photo courtesy Kish Photography

The very first BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market was a huge success! As the sun set over the beautiful Brisbane skyline, pretty lights flickered on and King George Square came to life! There couldn't be a more fabulous setting.

Hundreds of our fabulous fans and followers rocked up to shop till their heart's content. Even those just passing through couldn't resist our gorgeous marketeers in all their twilight glory.

Photo courtesy Kish Photography

But don't take our word for it, check out more twilight tales straight from our marketeers:

edward & lilly
Enticing Icing
Hungry Designs
Jetta's Nest
Marjon Scheffer
Mrs Smiley's Lockets
RE-read Design

Next!! The BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market on this Saturday 8 May, 9am-2pm at St Augustine's Church Hall and Grounds, Racecourse Road, Hamilton. Stay tuned for more exciting news about this event and a sneak peek at the BrisStylers' market preparations.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Don't miss the BrisStyle Indie Mother & Child Market!

Roll out the red carpet! This Saturday 8th May marks the inaugural

BrisStyle Indie

Mother and Child Market

where the spotlight will be on beautiful, unique items for Mums, babies, and older children.



Head over to St Augustine's Church, Racecourse Road, Hamilton from 9am to 2pm. More tempting photos here.