Tell us more about yourself?
My name is Emily of Handmade by Emily. I'm a wife and mother to a human daughter and two furbaby girls. Handmade by Emily was started with the intention of allowing me to still produce an income without having to go to a full time job while my daughter is little. I worked full time for the first 18 months or so after she was born but decided that wasn't right for my family. Handmade by Emily is allowing me to work in an industry I love and be there for my family when they need me.
What do you specialise in?
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| Image Property of Handmade by Emily |
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| Image Property of Handmade by Emily |
I create handmade clothing for custom orders, and I sell fabric and craft supplies. I also teach dressmaking and quilting locally. I love tracking down fabric lines which don't seem to be available readily, at least in my own local area (Southern Highlands of NSW). I am building up my stock of Kona colours in my store as I believe there is a hole in the Australian market for this. I will shortly be launching my Aussie Kona Club, where subscribers can choose the size of their monthly bundle in which they will receive five Kona colours, each month either curated and hand selected by myself or guest bloggers including Molli Sparkles, Gnome Angel and Ms Midge. I am also beginning to stock paper patterns of indie clothing pattern designers, I am proud to be the first Australian stockist for dressmaking patterns by Straight Stitch Designs. Looking to the future, I am negotiating with other popular bloggers to participate as suppliers and sponsors in Quilt Alongs and charm swaps. Watch this space!
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| Image Property of Handmade by Emily |
I love ALL fabric, but my two favourites would have to be Tula Pink's Pony Play print from her Fox Field range, and Kona's Dark Violet.
What do you love about being an Australian business?
I love being able to share my love of modern designer fabrics with the local market. I try to bring international designers, in both the quilting and dressmaking world, to our Aussie shores where otherwise it would be difficult for some Aussies to reach them and their products.
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| Image Property of Handmade by Emily |
I think all Aussie businesses and customers need to support each other. We are all in the same boat that even with the exchange rate as low as it is recently, people still often find it cheaper to buy from overseas. However, your local Aussie supplier can often provide better customer service and care. For example, buying your dressmaking patterns locally - your supplier/store will often be able to give you a lesson or provide you will all fabric and notions to create your garment. Most stores will also give you ongoing care - if you get halfway through creating your garment and have a question, your local store will often be more than happy to help you. You can't get this personal customer service and care from an overseas supplier.
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| Image Property of Handmade by Emily |
I think it's really important to support our local business in any way we can. In this technological, global village age, it is so important to spread the word via social media when you are happy with a local business. It takes no time at all to hit like on your supplier's facebook page/intagram/other social media. And at the end of the day, word of mouth is the best. If you find a fantastic local business, tell everyone you know!
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| Image Property of Handmade by Emily |
I'm in the middle of having one of our back sheds converted into my studio/store/lesson space. Once this is complete, I will be coordinating a class schedule for regular classes, both dressmaking and quilting. Watch out for the launch party!
You can find me at one-off local markets. I will have stalls at Craft Alive! in Wagga (30 July - 1 August 2015) and in Wollongong (16 - 18 October 2015).
I can be found in Yanderra, NSW.
Email: emily@handmadebyemily.com.au
Website: www.handmadebyemily.com.au
Phone: 0430 140 024
Instagram: @handmadebyemily
Follow me on facebook for regular discount codes. Discount codes are also going to be released for the Kona Club through various bloggers and social media each month.
I offer a 5% discount for repeat customers, this discount code is emailed after your first purchase.
Thank you Emily for your great ideas on supporting local business. I'd like to add that, in addition to her awesome Aussie Kona Club and other work, Emily also kindly donated backing and binding fabric for one of the quilts Molli Sparkles organised for the victims of the Lindt Cafe siege. Read more about his tremendous effort here.
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| Image Regrammed by @handmadebyemily from @molli_sparkles |
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