Hello AnnMarie! Can you tell us a bit about you and Crafty Studio?
Crafty Studio is the product of myself, AnnMarie, and my husband, Fintan. We sell a range of art, craft and sewing supplies from our studio, the Crafty Studio.
I have always been creating in some way or another all my life. The daughter to a pattern-maker/ tailoress and an ‘I can make anything’ mechanic, I caught the making bug very early. I grew up surrounded by fabric, watching my mam sew while I hemmed curtains after school. There were often trips to fabric warehouses that have long since closed up!
Years later, all grown up with little people of my own to look after, I’m doing something similar, though I’m yet to get them to hem anything! I teach Art and Design in a local secondary school, plus sewing and textiles classes with local community groups. When I’m not teaching, I am in our studio, the Crafty Studio!
While teaching sewing classes, students remarked on how difficult it was to find fabric and haberdashery. The local old reliable shops were all closing down. This led Fintan and I to set up the Crafty Studio website. We aim to supply quality materials for a variety of arts and crafts at a good value price.
Crafty Studio has been a great outlet for me over the past year. Yes, we are only a year old! I took leave from my job some years ago to care for my children who are both autistic. The idea of building a business that would be flexible around their needs was so important. The support from the sewing community has been simply amazing, especially through these tough few months. From both Fintan and I, thank you!