Craft Focus - October/November (Issue 75)

47 PROFILE tillyandthebuttons.com craftcotton.com now stocked in over 200 shops around the world, including John Lewis and Liberty London. I’ve written two bestselling books and have a third one coming out in early 2020. I also teach classes online and continue to share tips and inspiration on our blog and with our 140,000+ Instagram followers. You’re launching a new collection with The Craft Cotton Company – tell us more! Yes, I’m so excited. It’s been brilliant working with the lovely people at The Craft Cotton Company to bring my fabric dreams to life. We have created a range of beautiful organic cotton jersey that is super soft to the touch. My second book Stretch! is all about sewing with knit fabrics such as jersey, so this was the perfect choice for us. Anyone who knows me will remember that I’m obsessed with stripes, so of course we have included dreamy rainbow Breton designs, as well as gorgeous geometrics and fun hand prints. The fabric is ideal for making t-shirts, dresses, roll neck tops, pyjamas, baby clothes and more. I can’t wait to see what people make with it. What does online learning offer for contemporary crafters? We started sharing workshops online a few years ago to make it easier for customers from all over the world to sew with us. Video lessons are accessible whenever it suits the student, so they can fit it around the rest of their lives. They get a front row seat in the class with close-up footage of the sewing in action, and they can pause, rewind and revisit the lessons whenever they need a refresher. It’s amazing to have thousands of students rather than just a handful. What are your most popular patterns? Our bestselling pattern is the Stevie tunic, an easy-to-sew top or dress. The Cleo dungaree dress is also extremely popular – apparently it was responsible for a shortage of dungaree clips the year it was released! Quick and easy patterns are most in demand, both with beginners and more experienced stitchers looking for a speedy, satisfying project. Our customers share their makes on Instagram, which then inspires their followers to have a go, and so on. What inspires you? I keep a sketchbook with me for when design inspiration strikes – whether it’s watching a movie or seeing an amazing outfit that someone’s wearing on the tube. In terms of business, I love listening to podcasts with entrepreneur interviews – How I Built This is one of my favourites. I also follow other creative business women on Instagram, which keeps me motivated to grow my own brand. What do you love about the craft industry? Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I get to help people make stuff for a living. I really do have the best job in the world. The people are lovely, from our customers who inspire me every day with the creativity they inject into their makes, to ‘Team Buttons’, who never run out of enthusiasm for sewing, and my colleagues in other companies who design gorgeous products. We’re seeing lots in the media about the ways in which craft can be used to improve wellbeing – is this something you’ve noticed? We are always getting emails from customers telling us how sewing has helped them through anxiety, depression, ill health and other obstacles in their lives. It’s something I can relate to personally, having found solace in craft during particularly difficult times. Sitting down to make something with your hands and witnessing the idea you had in your head become a tangible object can give you an immense feeling of achievement, as well as a strong sense of connection to the world. If you can make a dress yourself, from scratch, there’s no telling what else you can do. What are your plans for 2020? My next book, Make It Simple , will be published by Quadrille (Hardie Grant) in February. It’s full of quick and easy dressmaking projects, as well as my secret sewing shortcuts, with the aim of helping even the busiest of people fit creativity into their lives. I’m so proud of it and hope it will inspire more people to get making. We are also working on some new pattern designs, and I hope there will be more fabric collaborations with The Craft Cotton Company in future. My head is buzzing with ideas! “It’s been bril liant working with the lovely people at The Craft C otton C ompany and bringing my fabric dreams to life. We have created a range of beautiful organic cotton jersey that is super-soft to the touch.”