'Meet The Maker' #2 - A Crafty Conversation with...

 

...Sally from Our Little Craft Company

No, don't worry you're not seeing double after having one too many G&T's with 'Our Lisa' -  today we are talking to her sister and partner in Our Little Craft Company 'Our Sally'.... so Sally it's over to you!

 

Welcome to your 'Meet the Maker' crafty conversation! Can I get you a drink? Tea, Coffee, Soft Drink... Something Stronger?!

Large Vodka Tonic please or a chilled glass of Champagne or Sauvignon Blanc - oh go on then - all three please!

Would you like some cake?  

I won't lie...butterfly buns with butter cream are one of my favourite weaknesses

Sit down, make yourself comfortable! Time for introductions... What's your name,where do you come from and what do you do?  

Sally Kay Kelly from Conisbrough and I help my sister run Our Little Craft Company. I work full time as a secretary in a residential school for children with severely challenging behaviours and most of my spare time is spent sewing and appliquéing (is that a word?)and getting ready for showing at craft fairs at the weekends.

Our Sally (left) with Our Lisa (right)

So... are you Yorkshire born and bred?  

Definitely! I was born in my nanan & grandad's front room on Gardens Lane, Conisbrough, South Yorkshire.

What's the earliest thing you can ever remember making, was it any good and have you still got it? 

My nanan taught me to knit when I was little but I didn't keep any of the 20 inch long "scarves" that I made; mainly because they varied vastly in width from about 3 inches to 8 inches depending on how many stitches I dropped and regained by accident. When my daughters were little I loved knitting cardigans and outfits for them - the more complicated the pattern the better to keep my attention from drifting. I couldn't knit for grown ups though as I lost interest before I finished.

What have you made most recently? (and do you like it!?)  

I have been using up scraps of material to make little brooches to decorate our Ibiza Bags, which are really cute and I do like them. I have also just cut out some mini yorkshire shopper bags for kiddies out of some curtain material we have had for a long while which we just knew would come in for something one day...like you do. I will be sewing these up tonight and I'm hoping I will like these too.

What are your 5 craft cupboard essentials?  

Needle Threader - couldn't be without it for some of the small needles I use for hand sewing.

Little dinky scissors - will not use my teeth under any circumstances to break thread.

Gutterman's Thread Colour 829 - which is a cream/neutral colour that can be used universally.

Lots of buttons - how does anyone live without "lots of buttons"!

Jute String - I just love it! I use it for the letter ladders, for heart scenties, for tying up parcels and fastening our goodies to the craft stall so that we show them off to their best advantage`

What music do you like to listen to while you make? Do you prefer to 'Get on Down' or 'Boogie on Up?  

Oh god - I'm useless with music - I'd probably know both of them if you sang them to me but I never recognise a title! I like to think I can boogie with best of them so I shall pick "Boogie on Up" I tend to listen to Radio 2 and Radio 7 - does that give you an insight into my personality?

If I gave you £250 to spend on craft supplies and equipment what would you buy?  

Probably treat myself to an overlocker.

Other than your own, name a shop, website or blog that you really love:  

Walton's Fabrics in Goldthorpe - an Aladdin's cave of fabrics...

ooohhh I get all goosebumpy thinking of their upstairs. 

And now for the quick fire round!

What's your favourite craft magazine?

No answer was given to this question! I wonder whether Sally was being enigmatic, or just couldn't decide...!

What online craft site do you prefer?

Folksy

What is your favourite part of the designing/making/selling process?

Making the items

Despite being a regular visitor to many of the craft fairs Our Little Craft Company attend, Voodoo George hasn't been mentioned by either Our Lisa or Our Sally in either of their interviews....

What is the hardest part of what you do? 

The hardest bit of what I do is finding the time!
However, when I make the letter ladders and the name banners, I spend the longest time laying everything out in every which way before I commit to the pattern and then I almost hold my breath in case it all goes catastrophically wrong.
When it all comes together it is like MAGIC!

And finally...

What question would you like to ask the next person who features in 'Meet the Maker...'?  

This is really boring but I wondered how Crafters had found out about 

Public Liability Insurance because when we started looking for this kind of insurance cover we were quoted some outrageous prices.

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

Website: www.ourlittlecraftcompany.co.uk
On Facebook - Our Little Craft Company
On twitter - @oursallykay & @ourlisa
email: sally@ourlittlecraftcompany.co.uk