Sew Quirky Furlicity

A BIG HAPPY HELLO, from me, Mandy! The creative soul behind Sew Quirky. Below is more about me and my creative journey.

I live in beautiful sunny Queensland, 4 hours north of Brisbane, in the town of Burnett Heads. I can see and hear rolling waves and smell the salty fresh air. I can enjoy all my favourite things by the sea. From my studio I enjoy the company of Kangaroo's. A neigh and a moOOoo from some neighbouring furry friends. My sewing space is always neat, BEFORE cyclone Mandy starts a new project! I can’t wait until the day I have my own studio.

I have always been interested in craft and fabrics from a very young age. I would collect anything and everything as a child, I even had a stash of toilet rolls hidden from Mum and Dad. I drove them mad collecting and chasing feathers. 

During High School, I had a deep love for visual art and today I thoroughly enjoy combining textiles and visual art together! There is a great sense of pride that comes from creating something unique, with your own hands. This is amazing on its own, but what enticed and motivated me to pursue this craft was teaching the next generation to sew. This is what led me into a career as a High School Textiles Teacher. Teaching others fills my heart with happiness. I find it so rewarding to see their faces light up, so proud of what they create!

Developing my own sewing patterns gives me the opportunity to spread my love of creating with not only my local community, but the whole world! I am extremely passionate and determined to achieve my dreams of inspiring and teaching the next generation to sew. I live and breathe creativity and I always try to entice my “non-sewing friends” to get involved!

I cannot think of a word that encompasses how passionate I am about my craft. I’m so passionate about sewing and being creative, I’m sure my heart is pieced together in liberty fabric, covered in glitter and scattered with buttons. My whole world revolves around inspiring the young & the young at heart to sew.

Creating something handmade is so expressive and designing a pattern to share with others is more meaningful than meets the eye. You never know where one of your designs will end up. Created with love from its maker and likely gifted, how special is that! It could be welcoming a new little human into the world or even brightening someone’s day who may be suffering. Craft has the power to even enlighten, relax and soothe the soul of the maker. How awesome is that? That’s why I love it.

Never be afraid to try something new guys! Find something that inspires you and give it a go. The feeling of creating something with your own hands will have you wanting more and more! Always remember that there is no need for perfection, embrace your projects uniqueness and celebrate your achievement.