When I was a little girl, I used to watch my mother at her sewing machine amazed at the needle bobbing up and down, the wheel spinning the belt as her foot rocked the pedal of her old treadle Singer sewing machine.
Every birthday she would make me a beautiful 'birthday dress'. Usually they involved lots of lace, and I always felt like the most special girl in the whole world when I put them on.
I remember dancing in the paddock, feeling the grass between my toes, sunshine beaming down and lace flowing around me in the wind. There was such joy in that moment, and the gift of her beautiful creations was so much more than the physical dress.
When I got older she taught me how to sew, passing on her wealth of knowledge, and putting up with me raiding her sewing supplies. With all the lessons on how to sew straight lines, and hem, and everything I have learnt since then I still think the most important one was the one I learnt as a little girl in that paddock. The way the right garment can make you feel special. The love she put into her creations I could feel when I wore them, and I still feel when I think about it today.
I try to put a little of that love into the clothes I create, and hope that they bring that same joy to people when they wear them.
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