Meet the Maker: The Woolly Pedlar

Tell us a little bit about your background?

Teacher of kids with learning difficulties for 25 yrs. Left due to ill health & started blogging about living sustainably & recycling. Made a pair of armwarmers using recycled knitwear and the rest is history! Have always loved creating and making clothes, and have a passion for recycling and using what we have.

What inspires your work?

Inspired originally by Katwise from America, who sells the tutorials for making armwarmers and sweatercoats. Now I like to create my own designs inspired by form and shape. I love working with colour.

My customers inspire my work often, and I like to meet the needs of folk who are looking for something out of the ordinary. Hoping to be an antidote to boring high street fashion. Ethical fashion and eco pratices inspire me, as well as the whole sustainability issues.

How do you develop your ideas?

What I make very much depends on what knitwear I find to recycle. Once I have a good haul of woollies I put them into colour piles to see what works well. I then begin to build up pieces depending on the size, shape, and colourway I am working with.

What is it about your creative practice you enjoy the most?

I enjoy creating one off pieces, and the relationship that comes with my customers because of this. I also enjoy the raltionships I have built through social media

Do you face any challenges in producing your art?

It used to be a challenge finding enough jumpers to recycle, but at the moment I have a good source of recycled woollies. I suppose getting my work seen by people can be a challenge.

Do you have anything new and exciting planned for your work?

More of the same, and getting my work out and about in more places