Mathilda's Market "Meet the Maker" series - starting with me!!

This week, we‘re pleased to profile our very first Mathilda‘s Market stallholder in our new Meet The Makers series. We‘ll be asking probing questions of some of the talented designers and creators who set up shop at Mathilda‘s Market. Our hope is that we‘ll find out more about what they do, and what inspires them to be so creative.

Without further ado, please meet Jennie from Posie Patchwork .

Jennie will showcase her wares in Canberra on 15 November 2009.
Your name: Jennie McClelland
Your business name and web address: Posie Patchwork lives at www.posie.com.au

When and how did your business come to fruition? Sewing and design was my secret passion while studying science at University. So when I was pregnant with my first child, I purchased a sewing machine & taught myself to sew. Then in 2001 after the birth of twins, I turned my sewing hobby into a proper online business, retired from the oil industry at the age of 26, and have never looked back! I‘ve also since had my fourth child and started a wholesale label and appeared at many markets.
Describe your product range: After a decade of collecting unique vintage, retro & quirky fabrics from all over the world, I have around 5000 different designs to use to make quality products from badges, cards & purses to bags, clothes & patchwork quilts.
What inspires your creativity? The Posie motto is ’if you love something, it‘s always in style.‘ With my amazing selection of fabrics, a love of family & my ordinary daily life filled with handmade goodness, it‘s easy to be inspired to create beautiful products.
What‘s your favourite product from your range, and why do you love it? Oh, definitely my gorgeous patchwork pencil roll (pictured). It shows off lots of different fabrics, as well as my attention to detail & passion for colour. Plus, it‘s a practical product which makes a beautiful gift for boys, girls and grown ups too!
Name three things in life you just can‘t do without? My gorgeous husband & our wonderful children, and our puppy! But they‘re not really ’things‘, and besides, my husband goes off to courses, exercises & war, so I‘ve had to learn to live without him for long periods!

So here are my picks:

1. My Cath Kidston vintage-style sewing box, which holds everything I need to sew.

2. My Janome industrial sewing machine, as she glides beautifully through all my sewing projects.

3. My ’good‘ scissors which are strictly for fabric, ribbon & thread only! My catchcry is the same as my mother & my grandmother before me: “Not the good scissors!

Thanks Jennie for talking to Mathilda's Market! Below are some of Jennie's fun creations:

Why thank you Mathilda's, that was really rather sweet of you!! Comg alone to Mathilda's in Manuka, Canberra ACT (or your local city - this month they cover almost every state) & do some lovely shopping. Love Posie

on the road to Gundagai

tossing hay to the horses from the ute

rainbow trout success

tree climbing & then tree leaping!!

fly fishing lessons with Daddy

Greetings all,

With my husband's lovely best mate out in Gundagai, it's a short hop over there for a great weekend away, when you live in Canberra. We went fishing in the Tumut River, with a lovely Rainbow Trout finding its way onto our dinner plates on Saturday night; the children fed the horses & met the foals on the farm; we made damper by the river bank; some craft by the camp fire & all round lovely flowers to smell in the Spring gardens.

Must say, i won't duck away for the weekend after a full day on canteen duty again, as i wasn't in charge of the final packing of the car, a man was. Bless my husband, however, he didn't have my last minute & all important list in his head & we left behind anything warm for our eldest daughter & the boy's gum boots. One twin had to make do without pyjamas also, but they didn't mind!! We came straight from school so they had their sneakers & warm school jackets, just to be sure!!

A fabulous weekend away, now it's time to knuckle down & finish off orders, prepare for markets, get through the busy P&C fundraising season & prepare the house for Summer. It's certainly heating up now, so we can put away the Winter gear & the below zero evenings of last week!! Tally ho, love Posie

get knitting with Art Viva needles

Greetings all,

My fabulous haul of knitting needles have arrived in store!! Do you have the celebrity urge to get knitting too?? Try these stunningly gorgeous hand crafted needles on for size. In a variety of lengths, sizes, colours & combinations, the wonderful folk at Art Viva created these knitting needles from Tasmanian Oak, right here in Australia. The timbers are from environmentally sustainable sources & each needle is indvidually handmade & finished using natural, organic oils. Your yarn will glide over the beautiful smooth finish. The spotty balls on the ends are hand painted in a variety of fun colours. Each needle has both metric & US sizes stamped on them, to avoid confusion.

Really love your knitting, well try a set of sizes & colours which are packed in a fabulous tube made from original 1950's & 1960's newspapers, featuring the most incredible ads. Have a closer look at the detail, find Elizabeth Taylor as a spokesmodel for jewllery & the ultimate in housewifey advertising appeal for cleaning agents. Brilliant!! Check out the great value prices by buying the sets!!

Check them out, they are in the Posie on line shop now!! Love Posie

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

Greetings all, no i'm not 3 months early it's just that when you go grocery shopping & your children are pointing out Christmas decorations, you start to see your last quarter of the year flash before your eyes.

Well stocking up on fabrics over at Retro Mummy, bless her fabulousness . . . i'm also stocking up on organic cotton baby suits, cotton singlets & Ts for my new cookie cutter screen print range to launch in November. It's easier to sell one off cuteness at markets rather than on line, but we'll see what i can do for non ACT locals.
I have booked in & confirmed all my markets for November & December, i haven't confirmed Old Bus Depot yet, so fingers crossed i'm back there in mid December, as for me last year - December was the ONLY decent trade i ever did at that place.
So this is my Christmas Market schedule, pretty busy but wow, the Canberra (& Sydney) market scenes have really stepped up. Sticking to the high end markets like Handmade & school fairs that i'm associated with, i'm keeping it sensible. I wish wish wish i could make it to Allie's Attic in Sydney, that concept is so much fun, but it clashes with Mathilda's weekend which i booked 6 months ago. My market motto is "there is always another market" so maybe i'll sneak up to do one of Allie's great events next year with a family visit??

. . . November 2009 . . .
Ravenswood School Fair at Ravenswood School for Girls, Pacific Highway to Cecil Street, Gordon NSWSaturday 7th November 9a.m. to 4p.m.
Campbell School Fair at Campbell Primary School, Blamey Avenue to Chauvel Street, Campbell ACTSaturday 14th November 10a.m. to 2p.m. Mathilda's Market Canberra at the Bradman Room, Manuka Oval on Manuka Circut, Manuka ACTSunday 15th November 10a.m. to 2p.m.
Handmade Canberra's UpMarket at the Yarralumla Woolshed,Adelaide Avenue to Cotter Road, Yarralumla ACT Friday 20th November 6p.m. to 9p.m. & Saturday 21st November 10a.m. to 4p.m.
. . . December 2009 . . . Ginger Lane Markets at Old Parliament House,Canberra ACTFriday 4th December 5p.m. to 9p.m.
Hall Markets at Hall Showground,Barton Highway to Gladstone Street, Hall ACTSunday 6th December 10a.m. to 4p.m.
MOCCA Manuka Child Care Centre Fair,Manuka Circuit to Flinders Street, Manuka ACTSaturday 12th December TBA
Old Bus Depot Markets, outside stall Wentworth Avenue, Kingston ACTSunday 13th December 10a.m. to 4p.m.
Old Bus Depot Markets, outside stall Wentworth Avenue, Kingston ACTSaturday 19th December 10a.m. to 4p.m.
Old Bus Depot Markets, outside stall Wentworth Avenue, Kingston ACTSunday 20th December 10a.m. to 4p.m.
Remember at markets i sell a full range of handmade original pieces, imported fabric, Meet Me at Mike's Craft book & depending on the market style or stall size, i also bring my Dumpling Dynasty, Lark, Lady Bird vintage tin range plus Rosie Flo colouring in books. Oh & a whole lot more. EFTPOS available, your goodies are popped in super cute bags & most packaging is biodegradable or post use recylced from Green Wares Australia.
Would love to meet you at any of these events, love Posie