Meet the makers: Ellie Laycock

Ellie Laycock, who makes beautiful cushions from vintage scarves and linen, talks to us about hunting, stuffing and the challenges of combining making with being a single mother

Ellie Laycock with cushions

1. Tell us about the name – Hunted and Stuffed. It conjures up visions of giant moose heads – but you make cushions!

I liked the cheekiness of the name – I didn’t want anything too serious. It’s quite appropriate: I hunt down vintage fabrics and buttons, turn them into cushions and stuff them!

2. Where do you source your vintage fabrics?

I scour eBay, car boot sales, Sunday markets. It can be hit and miss. Sometimes you don’t see anything, but at one sale I went to on Wandsworth Road there was a pile of vintage silk scarves in one corner and a heap of old linen in another. The stuff I bought there kept me going for months! It’s a bit trickier now with Malakai [her 10-month-old son], as I can’t carry as much as I used to.

3. You’re a professional photographer – why did you move across into making cushions?

I trained in sculpture, and I’ve been a professional photographer for 11 years. But when I had Malakai I was stuck at home and I wanted to do something creative. So I made some cushions from some vintage kimono material and showed them to a friend who is a stylist. She really rated them, so I went ahead and started making more of them.

4. What gave you the idea of using scarves and tea towels?

I kept coming across beautiful scarves, but I don’t wear them myself. I’m more into accessorising a room than an outfit! And tea towels are the same size as a standard pillow. Other cushions made from tea towels usually fold the tea towel in half, so you lose the impact of the full design.

5. Which designs sell best?

The iconic graphic designs, such as Penguin classic covers or London Underground maps, are quite popular. I’m drawn to souvenirs of London or royalty, street maps and illustrations of Britain.

6. You already have online shops on Etsy and Folksy. What was the appeal of joining Makerhood?

I just think it’s an excellent idea to promote local makers to local buyers. I also wanted to meet other people with something in common – not just craftspeople but people interested in buying locally.

7. How can I find out more?

My blog is at www.huntedandstuffed.blogspot.com, and you can see my photographic portfolio at www.ellielaycock.co.uk.

8. What do you like about living in Brixton?

I’ve lived here for 10 years. Before I lived here I kept coming here and then had to get home, so I decided I might as well move here! It has a centre of its own, and I found it welcoming and fun. It’s the friendliest place I’ve lived in and it’s got everything I need – I don’t want to live anywhere else.

9. What’s your top tip for a bit of “hidden Brixton”?

Go for a café latte at Café Tana on Brixton Hill. They’re really friendly and do great coffee.

You can see Ellie’s fabulous cushions at http://brixton.makerhood.com/hunted-and-stuffed.

Meet the makers: Carly Telford

Carly Telford is a self-taught cake maker whose repertoire has expanded from chocolate brownies to cup cakes and wedding cakes.

1. Why Pi Cakes?

I used to have a top with “Sweetie” written on it, so my friends nicknamed me “Pi” – without an “e” at the end, because two of them were American and said it with a southern drawl! Then when I was thinking about a name for my stall, Pi Cakes seemed appropriate because of the association of pies and cakes.

2. Have you always been fond of baking?

I only started around seven years ago. My mum didn’t cook much, so I had to teach myself. I spent a lot of time in America and I loved their chocolate brownies, but they didn’t taste the same over here – they were too dry. They should be crisp on top but moist and chewy in the middle. So I got a recipe off the internet and had a go at making them myself. The first batch was overcooked – but still tasted much better than anything I could buy commercially!

3. What made you decide to start selling your cakes to the public?

I started buying recipe books and experimenting with other recipes, like caramel shortbread, and all my friends and colleagues gave really constructive feedback. Then last year I made some brownies for my partner’s Christmas do and got several orders, including one from a café owner. This made me think that my cakes were good enough to sell.

4. How have you found dealing with the regulations for food makers?

I’ve done a lot of research. I’ve done the food hygiene certificates 1 and 2, and I’ve been inspected by Lambeth Council. It was a bit nerve-wracking – but a lot of it is common sense. I keep all my baking ingredients and utensils completely separate to ensure there is no cross-contamination.

5. How can Makerhood help you?

When I went to a Makerhood meeting and met Kristina and Karen I loved what they were trying to do. It really gave me the confidence to try selling my cakes online. I had thought about setting up my own website, but it was a very scary process. I already had some great photos of my cakes taken by Sami Dinelli, a colleague at work who is also a photographer. So I set up my stall immediately! I make everything fresh to order, so people can ask if they’d like a different colour or ingredients.

6. So what ambitions do you have for Pi Cakes in the future?

Ultimately I’d like to have my own tea or coffee shop, with all my cakes on display. I’m also expanding into wedding cakes – I’m making a two-tier cake and 80 cup cakes for a friend who’s getting married in October.

7. What’s your top tip for a bit of “hidden Brixton”?

My favourite place in Brixton is the Windmill pub on Blenheim Gardens, off Brixton Hill. It’s a fantastic music pub with great bands and dancing. It doesn’t look much from the outside, and the dog on the roof can be a bit offputting, but it’s a fantastic place.

You can get Carly’s amazing cakes here: http://brixton.makerhood.com/picakes

Win £15 to spend on Makerhood!

As an extra incentive to support local makers as they start off online, we’re offering a weekly prize of £15 to spend on Makerhood.

Every week from 18 July to 4 September, we will pick one name at random from everyone who has bought something from the Makerhood website that week. The lucky winner will get £15 to spend on any item they like on the site.

So visit Makerhood Brixton, support local makers and start spending now to be in with a chance!

A flying start

children's workshop
Makerhood sketching and origami workshop with Pam Williams at the Lambeth Country Show

It’s been a frantic weekend, with a Makerhood stall at the Urban Art Fair in Josephine Avenue, a Makerhood workshop with Pam Williams at the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park, and handing out Makerhood flyers at the show and around Brixton Village.

Chris Patton of Eight B Design shows his cards to a buyer at the Urban Art Fair

Oh – and did we mention that the Makerhood website went live at noon on Saturday? Since then, we’ve had more than 1,000 unique visitors and almost 12,000 page views. More importantly, we’ve made our first sales and had lots of new members signing up. People have also started chatting on the forums.

Some of the great comments we’ve had so far:

  • “The website is a brilliant idea :)”
  • “Can you set one up in provincial Mozambique?”
  • “It looks marvellous…Congratulatio​ns!”
  • “Just found out about Makerhood – what a great idea! From first glance the website looks fab. Will be investigating further when back home.”
  • “Makerhood is a fantastic local community resource and the outcome of a very participatory design process.”
  • “South Londoners, Makerhood looks cool and very promising!”
  • “Everyone, check out Makerhood & buy locally-made stuff in Brixton – after a year of hard work, they went live today!”
  • “Makerhood – loving your new site guys – thanks for what you do and well done!”

    •  
    As we’ve explained, the site is still in beta – this means that you can buy and sell through the site, but we’re still adding new features and styling and ironing out any bugs. So do go and have a look and let us know what you think!

    http://brixton.makerhood.com/

    Makerhood now live in beta!

    As of Noon today, we are now live!

    After lots of busy behind the scenes work, our new online local goods market for Brixton, Herne Hill, Camberwell, East Dulwich, Clapham and Stockwell, is up and running. On the website you’ll find over 20 fantastic local makers offering beautiful art, yummy food, pretty crafts and much much more!

    You can visit the site here. We think it looks awesome (but then we would, wouldn’t we) but don’t just take our word for it, go and have a look yourselves!

    Getting to this stage has been a huge collective effort from everyone involved with Makerhood, from the core team to lots of other people who have given us great advice, information and guidance. We could not have done it without you. Now the real work begins!

    Here’s five things you can do right now on our website:

    1) Add and find out about local workshops,
    2) Set up stalls to sell goods you have made,
    3) Read/Write in the forums, meeting and learning from people like you
    4) Buy things to support local makers
    5) Give us feedback – for us, the next few weeks are all about learning.

    Don’t forget we’re in Beta – so do send us any bug reports, so we can fix any problems ASAP.

    Similarly, if you’ve any questions, ideas, suggestions – email on hello@makerhood com or via our online contact form.  Alternatively, we’re at the Urban Art Fair and Lambeth Country Show this weekend, so do come and say hello!

    In the meantime, happy shopping!

    Love from everyone at Makerhood.

    Makerhood at Urban Art Fair

    This weekend is going to be a busy one for Makerhood. We’ll have a stall at the Urban Art Fair on Josephine Avenue, and we’ll also be running a sketching workshop and handing out publicity flyers at the Lambeth Country Show.

    Urban Art is London’s largest annual al fresco art fair, so it’s a good chance for us to spread the word about Makerhood to both makers and buyers. We also hope to be able to show visitors a working version of our website – how exciting!

    As part of our stall, we’ll have six members of Makerhood exhibiting (and hopefully selling!) some of their work.

    Print by Elena Blanco

    Elena Blanco is a Spanish artist and illustrator living in Herne Hill. She studied architecture in Barcelona and is inspired by great Catalan artists such as architect Antoni Gaudi and designer Javier Mariscal, as well as 19th-century Japanese prints. She will be selling limited edition digital prints.

    Painting by Morgan Tipping

    Morgan Tipping is inspired by journeys that she has taken in the UK and Europe and from  living in India.  Her paintings are on ceramic, paper and board – vast landscapes, misty horizons and haunting faces. Since 2010 she’s been painting crowds: crowds of pilgrims in India and crowds wading through flooded streets in Bangladesh, as well as images of post-war rationing of the 1950s in Britain.

    Cards, labels and notebooks by Chris Patton

    Chris Patton is a graphic designer and photographer, who will be selling greeting cards, notebooks and labels. His love of pattern and vivid colour results in products that are contemporary, striking, diverse and quirky.

    Print by Emily Wilkinson

    Emily Wilkinson is an illustrator, artist and mapper. A professional image-maker and a hobbyist maker of tactile objects, she is inspired by many interests,  including ecology, fiction, psychology, poetry, food, learning, language, education, femininity and gender, and communities.

    Print by Ray Stanbrook

    Ray Stanbrook is an experienced graphic designer from south London. He’ll be selling a range of graphic prints and screen prints  – all inspired by Brockwell Park.

    Print by Gillian Arnold

    Gillian Arnold is an artist based in south-east London. She is originally from Belfast, and has a masters degree in textiles from Chelsea College of Art. Gillian prints her own fabric for wall art, fashion and furnishing accessories, as well as working on private commissions.

    Urban Art Fair is open 10am to 6pm on both Saturday and Sunday 16 and 17 July, on Josephine Avenue, SW2. It’s just around the corner from Brockwell Park, so you can also visit the Lambeth Country Show. So come and meet us and some of our makers!

    Interview with Fiona Douglas, Oh Sew Brixton

    This is the fourth in an occasional series of interviews with local people who inspire us.

    Oh Sew Brixton is a sewing school & workshop based in south London, concentrating on teaching creative dressmaking. Fiona Douglas, the owner and founder of Oh Sew Brixton, took time out to tell us about her love of sewing, good puns and the occasional
    cross-dresser!

    1.       When you meet someone for the first time, how do you describe Oh Sew Brixton to them?

    It isn’t complicated – we teach sewing and dressmaking!  If you want the sales pitch, then we have a lovely spacious studio dedicated specifically to teaching.  We also aim to be welcoming to everyone, whatever age, size and ability level you are.

    2.       Where did the idea come from?

    I’ve always loved to sew as a hobby and I could see that it was at last undergoing something of a renaissance. I wrote the business plan for fun whilst I was between freelance contracts.  This might sound a bit weird, but I used to work in marketing so this was relatively easy for me and was my way of seeing whether it was viable. Then I saw the space in Piano House and couldn’t think of a reason why I shouldn’t have a go.

    3.       At Makerhood we love a good pun – did you have any good alternative names you discarded?

    I do have a very fabulous alternative name, but it’s top secret as it will most probably be used for my next sewing related venture.  But Brixton Sewcial was in there, also Brixton Stitching, Dream Seams.  Oh Sew Brixton was a working title which made everyone smile so it kind of stuck.

    I have also threatened to start a blog called ‘Do you really want to sew your armholes together?’….

    4.       How did you get into sewing in the first place?

    My Mum was a keen sew-er so I picked it up from her at a very early age. Over the years it has always been a great way of calming down after a stressful week of work.

    5.       How can people get involved with you?

    Check the website and then give me a call and sign up for a course.

    6.       Does it matter if I’ve never done this before?

    Beginners are very welcome and we have plenty of classes for those new to sewing.

    7.       I bet it’s a great place to meet women – do you get many men coming along?

    Only one or two, mostly aspiring fashion designers and the occasional cross-dresser!

    8.       There seems to be an increased interest in these type of skills. Why do you think that is?

    A timely collision of increasing environmental concerns and the onset of recession, I reckon.

    9.       How do you see Oh Sew Brixton growing and expanding?

    I’m looking at opening a fabric shop, together with an online sewing business targeted at beginners.  I have considered an additional school (Oh Sew Camden?), but I already work too many evenings as it is!

    10.   How can Makerhood help you?

    Find me customers, of course, but also it has been really nice to meet other local sellers and I do hope that that aspect of Makerhood does continue.

    Bonus questions: Share a bit of ‘hidden’ Brixton with us…
    It’s a bit predictable coming from a sewing school, but I would have to recommend Simply Fabrics on Atlantic Road.  Very good value, a bit random in its selection but you can always guarantee finding some really nice fabric for £2-3 per metre.  If only Robert would stop telling my beginners dressmaking students that “your first dress will be rubbish anyway, so it doesn’t matter what fabric you use”…

    First Monday of the Month: Monthly update

    As we rapidly approach the launch of our Beta site, this is an attempt to sum up what’s happened over the past month, and where possible look at what’s coming up.

    Our intention is to provide this monthly update at the start of the month, with it in the form of a proper newsletter in due course. Until then, we’ll post the update on the blog. Happy Reading!

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    Makers’ Meetings

    We’ve held six Makers’ Meetings in the past month. These have offered us a great opportunity to explain the project to potential sellers and get their feedback on our emerging online marketplace. As a result of these sessions we’ve been able to fix lots of bugs and also identified questions and issues which we might have missed.

    Feedback from the sessions about Makerhood has been great, and attendees also welcomed the chance to meet fellow Makers. A HUGE thank you to everyone who attended.

    Due to popular demand, we’ve added one more session on Thursday 7 July, 6.30pm, Cafe Roha (103, Acre Lane). Please book in the form at the bottom of this page please. 

    You can read what local photographer Laura Ward said about the session she attended on her blog.

     

    Local People love the idea of Makerhood

    During June we published the results of an online survey which asked people about the Makerhood concept and the philosophy behind it. From great quotes to five key conclusions, the input from 106 people who took part has been invaluable. If you don’t want to read the full post outlining the key conclusions, spend 30 seconds looking at some nice graphs which sum up your thoughts.

     

    People who inspire us

    We’ve started to produce irregular interviews with local people who have inspired us. These have proved to be very popular, so we’ll have more in future months. Check out previous interviews with artist Pam Williams, Urban Art Fair’s Tim Sutton and Stockwell based Sweet View.

    Not to be out done, Kristina also did her own video with VisionOntv after the OpenTech conference at which she spoke. Click here to watch the five minute Makerhood OpenTech video.

     

    Meet Us and Get Involved

    Finally just a reminder of some pre launch meetings we have coming up, including drinks, which you are very welcome to join us at!

    If you want to volunteer with Makerhood, as well as sell your wares, then our doors are always open. In the past month we’ve been very lucky to have Kim, Chris and Viv join us, but we’re always hungry for more help. So if you want to get involved in whatever way you can, email us: hello@makerhood.com – and let’s chat!

    Another opportunity for Makers – The Renegade Craft Fair

    We came across this today (thanks Rachel!), and thought many of you would be interested in it; news of London’s first Renegade Craft Fair.

    Typically based in the States, Renegade organise annual free-to-attend events focussing on “DIY and indie-craft culture”.

    This Autumn, London joins the ranks of Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin on their list of venues.

    Based at The Old Truman Brewery on October 8+9, 2011, from 11am – 6pm each day the event promises workshops and plenty of opportunities to buy and sell!
    Applications for independent craft artists to take part are open from today until July 29th.  Makers can submit an application to sell here.

    Whilst you can find out more about the history of The Renegade Craft Fair here.