See you on Saturday...

Well it's been a fantastic summer season of markets for Northside Makers and it's not over yet...

This Saturdays market day is shaping up to be one of our best.

There will be the fabulous vocals of Kirsty Morphett of 'Koto' filling the air, the scrumptious aroma of two local bakers' scrummy treats, free craft table activities for the kids and our best yet offering of hot, hot, hot craft from the northern suburbs.

Be sure to pop down,
this Saturday 13th March
Northcote Uniting Church
251 High st, Northcote
10.30am - 3.30pm

To see the talents of all these lovely crafters:

Alannah Banana Designs
Babushka Baby
Buttonlicious
Celia Adams
Chuckles Designs
Clifton Hill Pottery
Crafted Things
CurlyPops
Daniela Carvacho & Liliana Remedi
Elena Kamenkovich
Elmie
Ena Designs
Finki Handmade
Flickettysplits
Hawthorne Cottage
Holden Street Neighbourhood House
Kate's Stuff
KCamilleri Handcrafted Jewellery
Konstant Kaos
La La Hi Prism
Little Cooties
Little Waltz
Me & M'lee
Mecino
Melbourne Epicure
Mrs Beckinsale
Nice Biscuits
Pepperberry & Co.
Piccolamia
Pink K Designs
Pivotal Xpressions
Polly Pratt
Rabbit & the Duck
Red Parka Designs
Red Tree Studio
Susan Cusinato
Sylvia Segon
Tiges and Weince
Twisted Stitches
Two Cheese Please

Two Bits Patches

There will also be the renowned Northcote Primary School Fete going on only one street away and plenty of Mixtape zines stocked at our collective stall, for a great crafty read.

This will be our last market for summer and your last opportunity to come see what Northside Makers Market is all about, so don't miss it... We'd love to see you there!

Meet the Crafters: Two Cheese Please

One of the many crafters making their Northside Makers Market debut this Saturday is Holly from Two Cheese Please. Hola Holly!

Tell us about what you sell ...
I suffer from craft ADD so I tend to make a lot of things! When I first started my wee crafty 'business' I was just trying to sell whatever I had fun making, but I think that worked out to be too broad a range, so I've narrowed it down to custom plushies, hand-carved stamps, and my felt/needlefelt range of toys, jewellery, and needlefelt sculptures.


What's your favourite medium to work in?
I love felt and fabric! And polar fleece which is kind of like a softer, stretchier felt. I started off using felt as a medium because it's so forgiving and you don't need seam allowances, which is great for a beginner. I've since moved on from store bought pre-made acrylic felt to hand dyed 100% wool felt and of course, my new love, needle felting! Oh and of course how can you forget the carving rubber for my stamps!

What would you be lost without ....
I'd be lost without my kitchen paper which I use for drafting patterns, tracing, and pattern templates. I'm also a big fan of my rotary cutter and quilting ruler - I have a neat little set-up on a kitchen cutting board with my cutting mat to fit and my rotary cutter - great for cutting fabric while watching TV on the couch!


What do you like to listen to when you craft?
I have a rather ecclectic range of music but for crafting I prefer softer music with a good upbeat beat and a nice melody. I love too many artists to possibly name!

Your proudest crafty moment?
Definitely attending the Stitches & Craft Show last year. I hadn't done any markets before and so it was completely nerve-wracking. I was filled with self-doubt but it was one of the best experiences I've had since starting my craft journey, so I'm so glad I could take part!


Are you working on something new for this market?
I'm madly working away on some needle felted jewellery, which I hope to have finished in time for the February Northside Makers Market! I'm a big fan of treating yourself to something new and pretty to wear, and I think needle felted rings and earrings (and maybe a few necklaces) will be something interesting and different.

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
I have an etsy store people can visit at twocheeseplease.etsy.com but since a lot of my work is custom/commission, a better idea is to pop over to my flickr portfolio and check out the sort of work I have done before (and could do for you!).

Meet The Crafters: Mecino

The first maker featured in this Meet The Crafters series is lovely Michelle from Mecino.

Tell us about what you sell ...
I sell a range of handmade vintage and contemporary jewellery. I use brass, copper, silver, Swarovski crystals, glass and pearls. I love unique charms that are a little quirky and fun. I love people discovering new little charms at my market stalls and making them smile through my jewellery :)


What inspires you?
Fairy Tales, childhood memories, romance and a whimsical world.

What's your favourite medium to work in?
Pearls, crystals, cameos and lockets.

What would you be lost without ....
My husband, who always encourages me, my family, my little dogs and my creativity.


What's your fave crafty read?
Frankie magazine and DUST.

Your proudest crafty moment?
When I received my copy of Melbourne Bride Magazine, to find my necklace made the cover, and other pieces were featured within the magazine.


Are you working on something new for this market?
Yes, I am currently designing a new range made up of freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals, finished with pretty French charms. This is a new range and will be available at markets in early 2010.


What's your favourite street, suburb or city for crafty delights?
I would have to say Brunswick, Northcote, Thornbury, Preston - mainly the inner northern suburbs. I always come across really crafty people when out and about and stores that support handmade products and local crafters.

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
www.mecino.com.au

Meet the Northside Crafters: Nice Biscuits

We are happy to welcome another food stall to Northside Makers. Reading through Nice Biscuits' creations, I am looking forward to sharing her baking with my gluten free friends!

Tell us about what you sell ...
Cakes, biscuits, cereal, muffins, loaves, pies, etc. My focus is on fresh organic and local ingredients and I am fascinated by interesting combinations like chocolate and zucchini or chocolate and curry (and others that don't necessarily involve chocolate). I also venture into dietary accessibility, so I'm doing a lot of vegan and gluten-free goods. I have very recently discovered that milling my own flour is a really amazing process and the product is easier on the tummy and much more flavourful, so I'm looking at making that the standard for wheat and spelt.

What inspires you?
First and foremost, the farmers' markets. I have some of my best ideas there, just based on what's before me. I'm also frequently amazed by Helen Addison-Smith, who runs Each Peach where I've had my first foray into 'professional' baking. Bloggers who I'm crushing on at the moment include Coconut and Quinoa, Sprouted Kitchen, 101 Cookbooks, and the one I can't believe I lived without for so long - Food Blog Search.

What's your favourite medium to work in?
Freshly-milled organic spelt flour and Tatura butter. I'm also really excited about coconut flour but it's rather fussy so my success rate is not so high. And sorghum flour. I have expensive taste in flour.

What would you be lost without ....
My computer. Life halts without it. It enables pretty much everything else I do.

What's your fave crafty read
I love Nigel Slater's work - Toast and The Kitchen Diaries have influenced my approach to food.

What do you like to listen to when you craft?
The Cinematic Orchestra is my fall-back. It's easy to get lost in its textures, which is quite what you're aiming for with baking as well.

What crafty forums do you lurk in ....
Blogs replaced forums for me - see my list above.

Whats up next for you on the craft front?
My most immediate goal is to perfect gluten-free portugese custard tarts. But I guess I'm just building up my repertoire at the moment - Nice Biscuits is still but a wee thing. I want to be working with more provocative ingredients all the time. I really do like the places in which 'baking' and 'craft' intersect; the handmade, the innovative, the aesthetically intentional. So I guess I'd like to keep merging them as closely as possible.

Do you have any UFO's (unfinished objects), what are they?
There is some gluten-free snickerdoodle dough sitting in the freezer. They are way too tart but it was a double-batched fail and I can't bear to throw them away. Sometimes I can actually feed things I really don't like to other people - my friends seem to have no ability to tell when something hasn't worked - so they may make their way to the oven someday.

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
I'll be at Sprout Market in Thornbury (with Each Peach) on Thursday 3rd December, Eltham Community Market on the 6th and 20th of December, and the new year's schedule is still being determined. You can also find some of my work on the abundantly-stocked shelves of Each Peach, 506 Lygon St in East Brunswick. And I do take special orders, commissions, and suggestions at nicebiscuits.net.

Meet the Northside Crafters: Monster Doll

I'm loving Libby's Monster Dolls and all the unique combination of fabrics that she uses to create them!

Tell us about what you sell ...
I sell soft toys. They are kooky, friendly, grumpy individuals, all with their own unique personalities. Some are dolls and some are monsters. They are all handmade originals.

What inspires you?
I draw influence from animals, being a mother, fraggle rock, marty monster, Tim Burton, Old Tom and Holly Hobbie.

What's your favourite medium to work in?
I love buttons and ric rac and can't imagine ever making a soft toy without them.

What would you be lost without ....
My quick unpick and my Mum who looks after my two year old so I can sew.

What's your fave crafty read?
I love art magazines especially Artists Profile and Australian Art Review.

What do you like to listen to when you craft?
774 ABC Melbourne.....very daggy

Whats up next for you on the craft front?
Finishing the pile of zombie fairies on my studio floor.

Do you have any UFO's (unfinished objects),what are they?
A giant concrete sculpture in my garden (6 years)
A mosaic ball in the shed (5 years)
A painting of breastfeeding mandrills (2 years)
A knitted skirt (1 year)
My kitchen tiles (1 year)
Several skirts and a rag rug

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
I'm at St. Andrews market most Saturdays and Yarra Glen Market on the first Sunday of each Month. Blue Attic in East Brunswick has some of my work and I will be in the Wyreena Christmas show in Croydon.

Meet the Northside Crafters: Jenny Balzan

If you have little ones, then you will love Jenny's handmade crayons. They are just the right size for toddlers to get a hold of and draw with!

Tell us about what you sell ...
Crayons.... we re-shape & recycle where possible.

What inspires you?
I am one that just does not like throwing things out when I know I can make something else from them :) and seeing smiles on peoples faces....

What's your favourite medium to work in?
Mmmm ... wax?

What would you be lost without ....
I'd be lost if I had nothing to do.... does that make sense? I am a workaholic, even with 2 kids under 4 and an even bigger kid "my hubby".

What's your fave crafty read?
I enjoy reading anything that involves craft I think...

What do you like to listen to when you craft?
Jazz, hip hop, modern music. Sometimes even modern European music (Greek, French, Italian).

Whats up next for you on the craft front?
Sewing & more kidding craft ideas I think :)

Do you have any UFO's (unfinished objects),what are they?
We always do don't we! Some sewing projects (aprons & art smock making), wrapping paper project.

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
Made n Thornbury Womens Market & Northside Makers Market for now.

Meet the Northside Crafters: Twisted Violet Jewellery

We have fallen in love with some of Twisted Violet's jade creations ... and we are looking forward to seeing them in the flesh on Saturday!

Tell us about what you sell ...
A range of hand made, unique contemporary jewellery. I combine Australian woods, crystals, gemstone, resin and ceramics. I have a love of strong color and texture in jewellery and produce jewellery for both casual and evening wear.

What inspires you?
I take inspiration from other design forms and nature. Often going out window shopping, and deliberately steering away from my own medium, introduces me to color and texture combinations in other design forms. I love looking at furniture, textiles and visual arts for color. I sometimes try to turn a blind eye to fashion, and instead concentrate what feels right for me.

What's your favourite medium to work in?
Jewellery - wood, gemstone, ceramic, resin and glass.

What would you be lost without ....
My crafty friends who understand the predicaments, ups & downs and simple pleasures of running a craft based business. Life would be strange without them! Also, my Persian cat Chilli, who keeps me company, and provides hours affection regardless of my work attire and mood.

What's your fave crafty read?

Dumbo Feather Magazine
Five interviews per edition, with artists, entrepreneurs, and people of great inspiration.

What do you like to listen to when you craft?
Podcasts, JJJ, and ABC Radio National

What crafty forums do you lurk in ....
DUST team

Whats up next for you on the craft front?
A BIG change -being due with my 1st baby in late January there will be massive changes to my work schedule, targets, and expectations.
I have no doubt that I can continue my business and at this stage Ive got to be open to an unknown flexibility. In many ways I feel blessed to have a small home based business at this stage of my life.

Do you have any UFO's (unfinished objects),what are they?
My workshop is full of them! I have a range of flower rings that are sitting and waiting for further inspiration on the technical front, that I expected to be done for Xmas trading. I also am due for a massive clean up and reorganisation of my workshop.

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
Shop online at www.twistedviolet.com.au, and every Sunday at Southbank Market (under the Hamer Hall) and Etsy.

Meet the Northside Crafters: Robyn Stewardson

We are really excited to welcome Robyn to our Northside Makers Market. Her portfolio looks really interesting and we hope that you can find lots of Christmas presents in her range.

Tell us about what you sell ...
Photographs and cards. Calenders around this time of year, too. These days my photography is mostly Macro or patterns and I have a penchant for the obscure and patterns found in nature, in fact in almost anything.

What inspires you?
Almost anything beautiful. Of course, as with everything, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For me it keeps coming back to the details and the generally overseen. Metal objects in decomposition generally appeal. That something so solid eventually crumbles, and with such intense colour, attracts me. Other colourful items and quirky details and patterns in nature rarely escape my lens.
Here are some artists, sites and books that inspire me:
Creative photos by Chema Madoz
A Photographers Guide to Webb Bridge
Andrew Brown Photography
Fruit by Wolfgang Stuppy and Rob Kesseler
Artforms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel
Bronwyn Oliver

What's your favourite medium to work in?
Hard question to answer as a photographer. Close up! I’m a bit of a ‘can’t get close enough’ type photographer. If I had the equipment I’d probably be doing those microscope photographs showing plant & insect details 100x. ;o) It’s all in the hidden/overseen detail.

What would you be lost without ....
My sense of the obscure and the ability to see the details many miss.

What's your fave crafty read?
Can’t say I read any crafty books/mags. I mostly surf the net or go to markets for my craft/art fix.

What do you like to listen to when you craft?
Depending on the mood: Classical
Soundtrack: The Mission, Passengers, Vince & Grace — Come in Spinner, Sting — Mercury Falling/ Crowded House, Billy Joel, The Audreys, The Waifs

What crafty forums do you lurk in ....
Etsy Forums and Red Bubble

Whats up next for you on the craft front?

Honing my welding skills with my recent birthday present so I can tap into some of the creative ideas that have been floating around in my head for years!

Do you have any UFO's (unfinished objects), what are they?
An optimistic (read ‘highly advanced skills required’!) piece that I started when I did my first welding course. I aimed for the sky, although I didn’t realise it at the time (it looked pretty easy to me), but as with many things like it, once I had some knowledge on the subject, I realised how incredibly difficult it would be. Haven’t given up yet, though. ;o)

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
My business is still in its embryonic stage but orders by email are always welcome. focus [at] stewardson [dot] net should be set up soon. In the meantime I’m still using robyn.stew [at] rdson [dot] net

I look forward to hearing from you!

Meet the Northside Crafters: Retro Print Revival

While working on this "crafters" post, I found myself listening to 70s music (and also listening to a bit of Pornland ...) and thinking of fondue ... enjoy reading about Retro Print Revival.

Tell us about what you sell?
Retro Print Revival make lamps and lampshades made from rare 100% vintage fabrics and lamp bases creating a true retro look. The lampshades vary in style from 60's floral patterns to bold 70's geometrics.

Each lamp is made as a one off piece giving you a truly unique piece of decor for your retro or contemporary home.

What inspires you?
I surround myself with inspiring things everyday. Other crafters inspire me, the colours and patterns in my fabrics inspire me, the demand for handmade products inspires me, and switching on a lamp that I've just made inspires me.

What is your favorite medium to work in?
Vintage fabrics

What would you be lost without?
The great designers of the 1960's and 70's and the amazing people in my life that listen to me talk about lamps ALL THE TIME, who are always on the look out for new materials for me, who inspire, encourage and support me in my endeavors.

What's your favourite crafty read?
I've just picked up this 1970's book from the op-shop full of quirky craft ideas and very funny illustrations.

What do you like to listen to when you craft?
It could be anything from The Beatles to Elton, Leonard Cohen to Wilco or Nick Drake to The Stones.

What other crafty forums do you lurk in?
I havent quite tapped into this side of the craft scene yet but I do like Meet Me at Mikes forum.

Do you have any UFO's?
I have recently started a new line of decor. The product is vintage fabric stretched over circular wall hangings that come in all different sizes and widths. They offer something different than you're standard rectangular or square wall hanging. I will be selling them in sets or individually and I've got some for the kids room too!
It's a new project for me that I would like to get off the ground in the coming months.

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
Retro Print Revival will be doing markets in the spring/summer

Rose Street Artists Market, The Sisters Market, Thread Den, Craft Hatch, Yarraville Market,
Substation Market. Look on my myspace for market dates shortly and soon to be stocked in stores!

Meet the Northside Crafters: Kazzal Blue

Kazzal Blue make the most gorgeous knitted finger puppets you have ever seen ... come along and check them out!

Tell us about what you sell ...
Anything baby or children oriented. For example, baby booties, singlets and baby quilts, toys for small children such as finger puppets for pretend play. Amazing what a 3 year old comes up with when he has pirate finger puppets. Other soft toys also, and colouring wallets for 2 year olds plus, that hold everything you need for drawing.

What inspires you?
I love making things. I dont really know where it all comes from, a long line of talented parents and grandparents I think. Also I love the results, when an idea works out!

What's your favorite medium to work in?
I like fabric the best but I knit a lot too.

What would you be lost without ....
My cutting board, my stash of fabric which I love to look through for motivation and ideas. Probably my twin sister who I throw ideas at and who I share some of the sites with.

What's your favourite crafty read?
Have you seen Material Obsessions. A lovely quilt book put out by two Australian ladies who had a common interest. Gorgeous pictures and lovely to just look through over and over.

What do you like to listen to when you craft?
I love the peace and quiet, which is pretty tough to come by living in a house with 6 males, so I don’t listen to anything usually. If I do I love Bryan Adams spirit of the black stallion. Great instrumental music.

What crafty forums do you lurk in ....
Too many. DUST, Etsy, Madeit, I like seeing what everyone is up to and what the latest trends are.

Whats up next for you on the craft front?
I am going to try dying next I have decided.

Do you have any UFO's (unfinished objects),what are they?
Far too many. Quilts I was making for my boys, one for my Dad also, Toys sitting on shelves waiting for bits, Bags that are unfinished. The list really is toooo long.

Where else can people shop for your goodies?
You can find me at www.kazzalblue.etsy.com I can also be contacted through my blog at http://kraftybiz.blogspot.com/ or you can leave me a message on my email at jandklove [at] netspace.net.au

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