Sew Inspirational: Charli & Jax
Welcome to Sew Inspirational! These blog posts are to showcase fabulous sewing, and perhaps you might find some inspiration for yourself. I am particularly inspired by mums who manage to fit sewing and craftiness into their busy busy lives...
Meet Charli & Jax! Charli & Jax is a collaboration between the lovely Krissy and Kate. They live in sunny Mackay, Queensland, each have little kids, and still manage to find the inspiration and time to start their own business - creating beautiful handmade items for Mums and kids!
Wet bags, wipes cases, bibs and cloths.. all beautiful accessories, handmade by these talented ladies. I asked Krissy & Kate to share a few more details about their lovely work...
When did you start sewing, and how did you learn the basics?
Krissy - Ha Ha! Sewing is a strong word for me! My mum has been nagging me for years to learn to sew as she is amazing at dress making. It was only in about January this year that Kate and I became inspired to start 'charli&jax' that I actually sat behind a machine and had a crack. At the moment though, Kate is our star sewer! I'm a bit more experienced with the hot glue gun!
Kate - Basically I started sewing a couple of months ago, when Krissy and I decided to put our creative talent to work. My parents bought me a sewing machine about 4 years ago and it had been sitting in the cupboard ever since. My mum gave me a quick run down on the machine and it went on from there, alot of trial and error. I think we are both doing pretty good considering we haven't been sewing for ages.
What was the inspiration to sew, and to start your business?
Krissy - It was actually Kate's idea to get creative and sell some of our things at local markets. So we started with appliqued singlets, wipes cases, bibs and burp cloths, and some children's wall art. When we received such positive feedback from our first market we decided to expand our range. Now we have a website and over 200 facebook fans.
Kate - We started out doing a few singlets and canvases and thought we would do a couple of markets as Krissy mentioned and we got a lot of positive feedback. We believe our products are a little unique and make the perfect gift for mother and baby.
You make such beautiful things for Mums and kids - do you have a favourite item to make? And if so, why is it your favourite?
Krissy - My favourite thing to make are the wipes cases. The materials we use are so funky and it's great seeing them come together.
Kate - I enjoy making a variety of products and it is great seeing the final product. It gives me a sense of pride when we get positive feedback from people on what we've made.
How do you fit sewing into your busy lives as mums?
Krissy - I am lucky to have a baby that usually enjoys her daytime naps. But, there are a lot of late nights and busy, busy days too!
Kate - I am not so lucky in the baby sleeping department during the day but manage to fit it in between naps and after Jaxon goes to sleep of a night time. It is great to have something we do for ourselves as babies tend to take up alot of time and consume you.
If we want to know more about the gorgeous Charli & Jax range, where can we buy, how can we get in touch?
We'd love for people to check out our facebook page (search 'charli&jax') and become a fan.
They can also take a look at our website (www.charliandjax.bigcartel.com) or contact us via email or phone (charliandjax@hotmail.com or 0402337739 / 0423005804)
Thanks Krissy and Kate for sharing some of your inspiration, and ideas!
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