Wee Small Hours Quilts
Your hometown?
I live in leafy Kew. I love the village atmosphere, the coffee shops and Leo's Food and Wine.
Favourite food?
My favourite type of food is Thai or Japanese.
Favourite restaurant?
My favourite restaurant would be the lovely Ocha, a Japanese restaurant in Pakington St Kew right around the corner from my house. Sadly it is moving to Hawthorn.
Favourite recipe?
My favourite recipe is a dead simple pasta with a sauce made from sliced chorizo and corn sprinkled with fresh parsley. It is a five minute zing of flavor which always leaves me lip-smacking happy.
Favourite market?
My favourite market on a sunny day would be the Camberwell Market for its mixture of junk and vintage treasure. The ‘use and transform' part of my brain is ever inspired by such a smorgasbord of stuff. I can usually pick up sweet kids books and quirky toys as well as one or two lovely vintage fabric gems for very little money. On a rainy day I like to grab a coffee and soak up the luscious quality of the products at the up market Magnolia Square.
Favourite travel destination?
I have done a lot of travelling mainly in Europe and America and lived in Switzerland for six years. During that time I managed to regularly visit lots of tiny European towns, which I really miss doing now. There are so many wonderful destinations but I would love to return to Tuscany for the glorious food, the big-hearted people and the spectacular scenery.
Dream travel destination?
It is a tie between Newfoundland in the North of Canada or Mongolia. These places are extreme and wild and beautiful and untouched and completely different to Australia. Finding out how humankind has adapted to live in such places appeals to me.
What do you enjoy most about making your products? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
The design stage is definitely my favourite part of making my creations, juggling fabrics and nutting out patterns. I am always on the look out in op shops and at markets for inspiring vintage fabrics and the pattern on a piece of fabric will often suggest a design use. I am also inspired by the many artists and crafters who are now sharing their work in blogs and online shops as well as little quirky boutiques. Among many I love Lark (www.Larkmade.com.au), www.thedesignfiles.net, and Little Shop of Handmade in Caulfield (www.littleshopof.com.).
How long does it take to make one of your creations?
It takes quite a long time to come up with a new product. There is a lot of thinking about the design, playing with fabric and researching what is already out there before I actually sit down to sketch out a pattern. I then cut out the fabric pieces and sew a prototype to see how the design works. This usually involves a trip to the very patient and generous Barry at Barry's Sewing Machine Repairs who solves whatever problem I am having with my ancient Singer sewing machine. When I am happy with the prototype I finalize the fabrics for a one-off or limited number of items.
In your words, what makes your products unique?
With Wee Small Hours I have created a brand with an emphasis on fabulous fabrics, be they vintage, recycled or a particularly evocative reproduction fabric. The products are made in small runs and using handmade craftsmanship so that the customer is buying an individual potential heirloom. They have an appeal both to children and to adults who may have experienced similar patterns and colours when they were children and now enjoy seeing them reinterpreted to work in today's modern interiors. There is a focus on fun retro themes without resorting to popular and licensed character fabrics and the colours used are in a bright retro palette without being garish and overdone. Finally, the way these fabrics are put together has a particular Wee Small Hours style with colours, textures and patterns spliced together in a vibrant and distinctive way.
