Tiny Tangimoana in the Manuwatu is home to Sabine Schneider, artisan dyer and creator of Curiouser & Curiouser yarns for the adventurous crafter. Characterised by lush colourways and tempting textures, her yarns are hand painted in small batches, making each one unique.
From her home on beautiful Waiheke Island, designer Melanie Wadham has started her own eco-friendly lingerie line, By Nature, specialising in sustainability without compromising on luxury. Her garments are made from bamboo fabric, which is naturally antibacterial and as soft as silk, as well as being environmentally sound.
Apricot is the creative outlet of aspiring crochet queen Manda Grubner. Based in Wellington, the fashion design student and crafty mother of two learnt to crochet from her mum and now creates her own distinctive garments and accessories.
Lou’s Shoes is an artisan leatherworking business based in Dunedin. Lou Clifton moved overseas to learn the craft of shoemaking and returned with aspirations to enliven the craft in New Zealand, where training and apprenticeships in shoemaking are no longer offered.
Based in the Wairarapa, Sharyl Skipsey started her jewellery label flameRED in 2009 after moving with her family from Wellington to Featherston for a change of lifestyle. Since then, her creative outlet has grown into a successful small business both online and through retailers around the country.
From a little riverside cottage in Otago, Rosie Riley creates beautiful batches of the boutique soap that her shop Honey and Spice is known for. Rosie’s passion for soap-making has inspired her to build her craft into a literal cottage industry, and she can often be seen among local markets with her brightly coloured wooden barrow laden in luscious soaps, in full Victorian swing.
Dunedin-based designer and maker Joanna Livingston started her label Little Minx in 2009. She made her Christchurch market debut at A Craft Affair last year and more recently hit the Wellington craft scene at Craft 2.0 in April.
From his studio in Nelson, Mike Hindmarsh designs distinctively stylish contemporary furniture. He specialises in sustainable furniture designs in plywood and his work has been featured in Urbis and appeared in Air New Zealand’s KiaOra magazine. Selected pieces from Mike’s furniture range can be seen in his Felt shop, mikesdesigns.
Andrea Mae Miller is a fine art printmaker by trade, selling her limited edition prints in galleries around New Zealand. Her Felt shop, Peter’s Thumb, is an opportunity for Andrea to use her designs in a more informal and playful context, creating objects that are both functional and beautiful.
Gilt and Envy is the collection of Dunedin-based painter and illustrator Andy McCready. Andy’s distinctive pieces pop up in exhibitions around New Zealand, including at several shows at Pixel Ink Gallery in Wellington and most recently at joint exhibition Belligerence and Bubblegum in Dunedin, at which sponsorship from a hair salon gave her the chance to bring the girls in her paintings to life.