I (Cherry)have been making and sewing from found objects from a long as I can remember. As a child I always wanted to have that something a little bit different and usually that meant making it my self!

What are your favourite tools and materials?

I love to work with different colourful materials. Wool felt has been a long time favourite, although at the moment I am enjoying working with wooden beads and have plans for more handmade wooden jewellery pieces so stay tuned….

How are you inspired?

When making things I am inspired by colours and shapes as well as tactile materials.

We are also inspired by all the excellent and clever designers out there who make beautiful and one of a kind and limited edition pieces.

Describe your workspace. How does it contribute to your creativity?

We are very lucky to have an amazing and every changing gallery space and studio to work in. We get to meet many amazing new artists and designers that always inspire us tremendously!

What is some customer feedback you’ve kept close to heart?

We are overwhelmed by the fantastic support and feedback that we have received since starting this project. A happy customer can make a bad day into a great one!

Why buy handmade?

There are so many benefits of supporting local designers. You get to own something unique and made with love while also supporting the local economy and keeping craft alive.

There are so many amazing designers out there making such creative and inventive things, why wouldn’t you want to buy handmade.

Handmade is cool!

What advice would you offer to other crafters/artists just starting out?

Perseverance and do it because you love it.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

We would love to expand Matchbox and spread our vision by having new locations within New Zealand and overseas.

Felt is New Zealand’s own go-to online marketplace for handmade goods, designed to enable artists, designers, makers and craftspeople to promote and sell their work on the web, in a supportive environment.

Felt is open for business twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Many of the talented makers you’ll see at Craft 2.0 also sell their amazing creations on Felt – so if you miss out on their lovely goodies at the market, never fear: you’ll find them on Felt.

What do you make? We make manchester and house hold items from hand printed cotton, new zealand wool and repurposed fabrics. Everything from sets of Napkins and Tablecloths to Pillowcases and Blankets. We also have the reclectica range of renewed and recreated furniture.

How did you get into your craft? A combination of our love of re-newing old unloved bits and pieces and lack of being able to find the things we wanted in high street shops.

What are your favourite tools and materials? My favourite tools are the print blocks Peter carves for me and the fabrics and inks I use for printing. For Peter its messing about in the garage with wood and sharp implements.

Materials

How are you inspired? I find inspiration all around me all the time, my main problem is cutting through the millions of ideas to find the one that works for me. Also working with Peter means we can bounce ideas off each other, often a “You have got to be joking”, but always eventually it helps us refine our ideas.

Inspiration

Describe your workspace. How does it contribute to your creativity? My workspace is full of what I would like to think of as tidy piles of vintage textiles and inspiring bits and pieces. Peter’s is full of wood and wood shavings and sharp implements.

Workspace

What is some customer feedback you’ve kept close to heart? The best ever feedback from customers is the customers who keep coming back, again and again.

Work in progress

Why buy handmade? Because its made with care, love and a desire to please the person that buys it.

What advice would you offer to other crafters/artists just starting out? To stick to what you like doing and make your mark on your product. Its easy to be swayed and try to make something everybody likes. People buy from crafters because they want that different item and that is what crafters do best.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In ten years we hope to have our own shop/workspace. Developing the printing side to do more bolts of fabric than sewn items and be making more and more renewed items of furniture.

What do you make? I make wire art and chainmaille jewellery.

Materials

How are you inspired? I can be inspired by all sorts of things, the materials themselves – particulalrly my gemstones, by nature, by history, even music.

Why buy handmade? When you buy handmade you are buying something special made with love. You are often buying something totally unique and you are always buying a good quality product.

Why buy handmade? Because handmade items are made with love and this is reflected in the final product

What do you make? Sweet & Savory Treats

How did you get into your craft? Inspired to make fresh desserts packed with clean ingredients we don’t feel guilty about eating.

What are your favourite tools and materials? Laughter, spoons, Good Chocolate, Organic Fruits, Seeds and Nuts.

How are you inspired? Our health conscious sweet teeth and beautiful children in our lives fuel most of our inspiration. We’ll see another recipe and spin it to make it more healthy and creative.

Describe your workspace. How does it contribute to your creativity? Immaculate. A clean surface allows for fearless creativity.

What is some customer feedback you’ve kept close to heart? People love things that bring them back to their happy childhood memories. Sweet and Savory combo’s seem to be a winner at achieving that.

Why buy handmade? To ensure freshness and clean ingredients. Supermarket snacks are packed with preservatives and chemicals to give them a long shelf life. Supporting your local farmers and chefs allows them to continue to serve you! It’s that easy.

What advice would you offer to other crafters/artists just starting out? Keep your intentions clear. It’s easy to get derailed by comparing yourself to other people. Just stay true to your craft.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Swimming in a pool of Hot Chocolate made with soy milk, Theo Ghana 84% Dark Chocolate and marshmellow rafts

What do you make? Fabric art on Cushions, Wall Hangings, Bags, Mail Sorters, Purses

How did you get into your craft? I was looking for creative outlet that wasn’t fashion but involved art,fabric and design,having had a successful fashion design label in the past (Billy Zamoisky ) I was looking for something new that my design and sewing skills would equip me for.

What are your favourite tools and materials? I am loving working with retro woolen blankets,I have found them very versatile and great for applique.Retro fabrics are awesome as the colors are often a nicer hue and they give your products a limited edition or unique quality.

My applique and embroidery is by hand so the needle is my most constant tool,still manage to prick myself several times a day.

Materials

How are you inspired? By art,popular culture,nature, I am like a sponge at the moment as design possibilities are endless, without the restrictions one has when designing clothing.

Describe your workspace. How does it contribute to your creativity? I have a cosy sewing room(quite different to the vast studios I had as a fashion designer)in one of those 3rd bedrooms,the used to be half of the veranda variety.The retro fabric and blankets pile up on shelves. It’s an ongoing war to keep the cats out, it’s some kinda cat heaven,warm and blankets a plenty. I tend to take over the whole house actually as hand sewing you can do anywhere.

Workspace

What is some customer feedback you’ve kept close to heart? When online customers are delighted to see their item is more detailed and generally more gorgeous in real life than anticipated!!

Why buy handmade? Purchasing handmade goods, especially ones made locally to yourself is not only socially responsible but also rewarding as the product will generally be made of better quality materials and have unique designs.

What advice would you offer to other crafters/artists just starting out? My daily motto is “keep stitch’n till it looks bitch’n” .  I believe from the fash industry experience,that you have to take your idea as far as you can with;the finer details, 3dimensions,color….everything you can to express your idea best.  I am self-taught so believe firmly in the process of slow evolution of ideas/skills/aptitude.Just keep doing creative things and you will improve.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  Doing something creative,who knows maybe in a completely different medium! Pottery looks like fun

What do you make? Handcrafted jewelry that is combining sometimes neglected and new elements. I like producing works that people can relate to, that spark a feeling of nostalgia, bring meaning to their current journeys, or inspire them to embark on entirely new ones.

How did you get into your craft? I started making jewelry as a hobby. It was something to do while my baby was asleep, or when I could no longer stand that gnawing desire for some personal expression and a tangible sense of achievement.

What are your favourite tools and materials? The sad and neglected tokens and trinkets of the past are my favorite materials, and I like my blow torch a bit more than my other tools.

Materials

How are you inspired? I feel like my head is always in the clouds but my feet are on the ground, so that’s what comes out in my designs. My deepest inspiration is the concept of a time travel, which is how my time flies collection came to be. My printer trays rack are filled with vintage beads, the sad and neglected tokens and trinkets of the past. Just about everything I make has some meaning behind it, and materials that no longer in production, which is why I named my business “Things Unseen”.

Describe your workspace. How does it contribute to your creativity? I am creating designs from my messy dining room table most of the time. I also changing my daily environment and take my small project to local cafe and “craft-up” with my crafty friends.

Workspace

What is some customer feedback you’ve kept close to heart? “my mom/ nanna used to have jewelry like this”

Why buy handmade? When you buy something that’s handmade you’re buying the blood, sweat and tears that come with it. I’ve cried over quite a few projects, bled more than is appropriate, and still managed to finish each piece. There is no greater feeling than being beaten down by a piece only to buff that polish off, step back and look at it. A lot of people forget that while you’re making these items, every little detail is done by hand – there are small things you’d never think of until you have to make the piece. Then you realize an item you thought would have four steps really has about 20. Still, there’s nothing better than handcrafted items. So much love has to be put in to make them

What advice would you offer to other crafters/artists just starting out? “Quality, not quantity” is an important mantra when it comes to my work. After I’m done with a piece, I ask myself, “Would you wear this?” If not, it is tossed into a box of failed works. However, I always end up returning to these pieces — they either inspire new jewelry ideas, or end up working for another piece. Failing, although frustrating, can be a catalyst for new successes.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Doing what I’m doing now, but with a good, kind creative community beside me. I’d hopefully live in a warmer climate with the beach or forest nearby! And I want to contribute what I’ve learned to the community.

What do you make? Cotton toys for babies and beyond. The collection includes wabbits, hodgehegs, soggys and meece.

How did you get into your craft? Through a love of all things cuddly and a restless mind! I can’t sit still and love to be creative.

How are you inspired? By anything funky, bright or fun – preferably all three! And of course my 18 month old son inspires me everyday, I love watching him learn and explore and he has definitely influenced the evolution of ickle tings.

What is some customer feedback you’ve kept close to heart? ‘It’s so nice to see colour and humour together!’ ‘My meece sits on my dressing table and everytime I look at him he makes me smile’

Why buy handmade? It’s unique, made with love and care by passionate creative people

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Still creating!

What do you make? I make jewellery from unexpected objects and materials.

How did you get into your craft? I have been crafting for as long as I can remember, it’s in my blood

What are your favourite tools and materials? I love working with paper, the pattern and colour possibilities are endless.

Materials

How are you inspired? I am inspired by paper, be it photos of great things, patterns in a magazine or the shapes the paper makes. It’s so versatile!

Inspiration

Describe your workspace. How does it contribute to your creativity? My workspace is busy, colourful and, well, FULL of stuff. So much inspiration surrounds me that sometimes it does the opposite..

Work in progress

What is some customer feedback you’ve kept close to heart? I love hearing from people at large fairs the most (like Martinborough where there are so many stalls you think you won’t get round them all) when someone at a fair of that scale says my earrings are the only thing they have bought that day is makes me very happy!

Why buy handmade? Handmade is the only thing to buy, it’s original -you have something hundred’s of thousands don’t unlike something imported or from a chain store. You are supporting an actual person, the maker, and helping them do what they love!

What advice would you offer to other crafters/artists just starting out? Just do it, life is short! Make the leap.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Doing this