what katie did nz

I have strong memories of my mum's frustrations while sitting in front of the sewing machine - sewing did not come naturally to her, and the few projects that she successfully completed were paid for in blood and episodes of swearing and tears. 

For all that, I loved the light blue satin clown pants with upside down pockets and odd patches and ribbons that she lovingly made for me from an old nightie for clown day at kindergarten one day. They were a staple in the dress-ups box for years afterwards. 

As I've had children of my own, I've got a lot of satisfaction out of making things for them and developing my sewing skills. My sewing-competent mother-in-law bought me a sewing machine that is a lot more reliable than the one mum was trying to sew with, and encouraged me with learning the basics of sewing. I get so much satisfaction out of creating, and love spending time sewing.  As my confidence has grown, the projects have got more ambitious, and I've got so much pleasure out of making items that I can't find in the shops for my kids. 

I have now decided to start making things for other's children, and share the pleasure of dressing little ones in cute dresses, stylish swing coats, and dress-up costumes that aren't covered in branding. 

The process of selling things is completely separate from the actual making of things, so I'm starting out small and seeing where it goes. You can view some of the things I have made on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/whatkatiedidnz or on etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/whatkatiedidnz. Let's see where it goes!