Cathie Wedekind lives in Auckland with her husband, one of her daughters, and two teenage grandchildren. Home doubles as production headquarters for her range of babywear and toys, Mimi and Rufus, and having recently retired from full time employment as a commercial project coordinator, Cathie is looking forward to spending more time designing and crafting her products.
Joe Wright of Bearwood Workshop handcrafts his beautiful wooden homewares and sculpture – all made from sustainable and recycled New Zealand native timber – from a little tractor shed in Glendhu Bay overlooking Lake Wanaka. After years of working as a designer in many different disciplines, running his own consultancy and clocking up the air miles with large corporations as clients, he decided to shed it all and go back to his roots. His days are now spent following his passion: designing and making simple, beautiful, sustainable items that will stand the test of time.
Christchurch yarn-crafter extraordinaire Pip Currie rediscovered the joy of knitting while at university, and is now completely obsessed with all things knitting, crochet and fibre related. She loves the joy of making and creating with her own two hands, the wonder of natural fibres, and the amazing feeling of wearing something handmade. Wanting to be able to share this passion with others led to Littlest Pip Knits.
After a career in New Zealand’s fashion industry, Rachel Moore felt it was time to combine her textile knowledge and and artistic creativity together – leading to the creation of her Ingredients Design brand (also known as texdesign here on Felt). Rachel works with 100% linen fabric for its environmental and tactile qualities, and sees her work as providing the ingredients to make a space a home.
Nelson-based Pieter Wessels of Hendrik’s Leather is a self-taught leather craftsman who makes high quality leather wallets and card holders that are hand cut and hand stitched using the traditional saddle stitch method. His classic and durable designs are made to last for years to come.
Christie Rishworth’s laundry doubles as a busy production unit for her Earth Bar vegan soaps and haircare. Her own journey to find soap recipes that were gentle on skin and the environment, combined with her interest in traditional skills, has resulted in an Auckland-based business that fits her ethical approach and her family life.
Otago-based graphic designer Astrid Erasmuson loves to sew, so her talents have been perfectly combined in her Plum Billy textiles: swaddles and wraps, scarves, cushion covers and tea towels. Working from her home in Port Chalmers, she’s inspired by the native birds that enjoy her garden. Her native avian and botanical designs are brought to life on quality natural cottons and linens.
Glen and Linda Turner are the creative minds behind Studio Three Two Four, a Christchurch-based small business specialising in striking wooden mosaic wall art and home decor pieces – all created from locally sourced materials. Glen has been making one off items for many years using the resources available to him. Whether it’s a piece of furniture, custom wood art or a home decor item, he has always enjoyed what he does and the sense of satisfaction that comes with it.
When Canterbury jeweller Fiona Boeyen of Fantail & Co Jewellery was younger, she wanted to be an archaeologist. How people lived a long time ago – and how they decorated themselves with jewellery – fascinated her. As she grew up, this interest developed into being a jeweller herself, still with a strong interest in history. Fiona enjoys making her distinctive style of earrings, rings and pendants, and loves to meld river stones, sea glass, and semi precious stones into her work.
Nurse and creative stitcher Hannah Bentley of Hannah B. Creative designs and hand embroiders all sorts of original and fun hand embroidered art work from her Christchurch home. Her modern, quirky take on traditional hoop embroidery is at times beautiful, at times humorous, and sometimes fantastically surreal.