February 2019 – Ealing Craft Collective

This week I had a lovely chat with a very local lady about her craft business.

Maria lives in Ealing and has just started up an Etsy shop for her handmade and very beautiful jewellery.

“RoundTheTwistDesigns came about when I started making jewellery whilst recovering from postnatal depression. I totally fell in love with wire work- it’s so satisfying when a piece comes together from a jumble of wire and beads into something beautiful. It’s a great way to re-purpose and recycle old pieces too. The nature of wire work also means that each item is always unique, a bit like humans!

I think creativity is ingrained in our nature as human beings. For me- feeding my creative side has been part of a healing journey.

I live in Hanwell and love the community here- especially the great bunch of mums who also help keep me sane! There is a great community spirit and people are really supportive of local businesses.”

Not only has Maria used craft to help in her recovery from PND, she’s also making her jewellery by using old broken jewellery that might have ended up in landfill, and working the beads and embellishments into her designs. Eco-friendly and gorgeous.

Do check out her designs on Instagram: https://instagram.com/roundthetwistdesigns

Or visit her Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/RoundTheTwistDesigns

Now the Ealing Craft Collective is up and running, I should introduce myself. I’m a mum of three gorgeous, lively kids, living in the London Borough of Ealing and i’m a secret crafter.

I mean not completely secret, lots of people know I make stuff, but I do it for fun and for me rather than making a living from it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been there – I’ve had an Etsy shop (that i think cost me more money than i ever made! ha ha), I’ve made pocket money from making birthday cakes for friends and I save myself money every year making handmade gifts for family, but I craft mainly because it makes me happy and it’s challenging and it calms me down after a busy day with the kids.

Particularly after my first baby, and I think a few people I know have been through this, I felt like i’d lost my identity. I wasn’t me any more, I was a new person – ‘Mum’, a weary, sleep deprived source of food, love and entertainment who did literally nothing for herself. Getting back into crafting in the few hours I had after my son went to sleep helped me to regain who I was again. Gave me a focus and a plan, and made me smile.

So here I am, wanting to find out more, particularly about crafting in my local area. What’s on, who’s doing it and why. Who’s trying to make money from it, or to improve their mental health with it, and can we help them. What’s on for kids, or knitters or cake decorators, and where you can go for info or supplies. And i hope to find some new ideas, maybe even start a new skill or group myself.

Please join me on the journey. Get in touch if you have info, or pictures or news or would like to start a new group who crochet down the pub every Tuesday. I’d love to help.

You can find me on:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ealingcraftcollective/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ealingcraft

and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ealingcraft/

Please join in, and happy crafting!