Meet the Northside Crafters: Flickettysplits

We thoroughly enjoyed putting together this "crafters" post .. I am sure that you will enjoy reading Flickettysplits response to our probing questions!

Tell us about what you sell ...
I think what I really sell is colours and stories. Those are the things that make each of my pieces unique, and I think it's fundamentally what my customers want to buy. Craft customers don't want a mass-produced item made on the other side of the world and shipped here inside tonnes of packaging - they want something original, something local, something special. Every one of my pieces has a story I can tell you, whether it's about where I found the fabrics, or how I put them together, or what I was doing at the time - boy troubles, work stress, a trip away - it's all there inside my work. It might be just the name, or it might be something deeper. So on the surface it looks like I make softies as well as cushions, tote bags, doorstops, pencil rolls, fabric buckets and whatever else takes my fancy .... but really what I'm selling you are the colours and stories of my life.

What inspires you?
I am fascinated by colours and patterns and textures. There is no way I could ever live in a minimalist house of beige colours with a polished concrete floor. No, if it was described in a catalogue my style would be "Versace Threw Up" - prints and patterns and colours wildly clashing all over the place. But that's what makes me "me", and it's what my customers love. I am never afraid to take risks with material.

What's your favorite medium to work in?
I am a fabric hound. I live inside a fabric house and I eat fabric food and I breathe fabric air (it's quite thick and hard to force down).

What would you be lost without ....
Well, obviously my Bernina!

What do you like to listen to when you craft?
The aching, weighty sound of silence in the house. Punctuated by the occasional snip of scissors, the whir of a sewing machine, and the never-ending stream of babble inside my head.

What crafty forums do you lurk in ....
I'm afraid I'm a completely unfaithful blog reader. One week Blog A is my next best friend, next week I've turfed it outside to sit quietly sobbing by itself, while I'm shimmying up alongside the new and sparkly Blog B. I love you all, you crafty blogs you!

Whats up next for you on the craft front?
I think I'm going to take a detour into clothes for a bit. Every time I wear something I've made I get a nice comment on it, so perhaps that's a talent I can bring to other people as well. It's all about the colours, naturally.

Do you have any UFO's (unfinished objects),what are they?
Well, there's this dress I tried to make in my first ever sewing class, which is a complete and utter abomination - the pattern was WAY beyond my skill level - so I butchered it, but I love the fabric so I can't throw it away, even though I can't finish it either. I'm thinking of cutting the good fabric out to use for something else.....

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
I'm on Etsy along with the rest of the craft world, and you can visit me on my blog All Toile And No Reward. Plus if you haunt craft markets in the Northern Suburbs - Northside Makers, Made N Thornbury, Sonny & Coco, Shirt and Skirt Market, Northcote Town Hall markets - you're bound to bump into me somewhere. Please come and say hi and I will tell you a story