Friday Follower - Melinda

Many of my blog followers are local girls. It makes my heart sing to keep discovering talent right here in Brisbane. So, today we will meet fellow Brisbanite Melinda Hume of Moose & Bird who makes the loveliest products from vintage fabrics and doilies.

1. Who is Moose & Bird?
At the beginning of 2010, I decided to venture into the exciting world of handmade. After months of procrastinating and contemplating a business name to no avail, my somewhat frustrated husband suggested the name ‘Moose & Bird’. ‘Moose’ is the name I fondly called my Mum when I was growing up (I have no idea why??) and 'Bird' is in reference to me (as I may or may not have a slight obsession with these sweet feathered creatures). Moose & Bird is my creative outlet and I love being involved in all aspects of the business from design and patternmaking through to sewing and marketing. It makes for a very interesting and busy life!

2. What inspires you?
The feeling of being inspired is priceless. My greatest sources of inspiration are patterned vintage fabrics, mis-matched and clashing colours, design and craft books, magazines and crafty blogs. Decor8 design blog is a daily source of inspiration and I pour over issues of Peppermint, Frankie and Real Living magazines. I also love reading about other creative people who are making a living out of their ‘craft’, to me this is the ultimate source of inspiration and motivation.

3. How long have you been crafting for?
I feel like I have been crafting forever! My Great Nana, Grandmother and Mum were and still are avid crafters so you could say it is in my blood. Crafting is my destiny... it’s my way of living a fulfilling life. When I was growing up I dabbled in lots of different crafty pursuits including cross-stitch, ceramics, quilling and folk art but nothing sparked my passion quite the same way that whipping up a cushion on my Janome (sewing machine) does!

After I got married, my nesting instincts kicked in and I started making all sorts of bits and bobs for our house. This is where my obsession with cushions began. My husband thinks our couch and bed have far too many cushions on them but I say a girl can never have too many cushions!

4. Is Moose and Bird your full-time occupation?
Unfortunately not but I’m working on it! Since completing my Diploma of Textiles almost 5 years ago I have worked as a machinist, a clothing quality control assistant and most recently as a children’s wear designer. I have made a few big decisions over the past few weeks and will be finishing up in my design role at the beginning of July to pursue a more ‘low key’ job which will hopefully allow me a little more time to focus on growing moose & bird. Exciting times are ahead... I’ll keep you updated!

5. What can we expect from Moose and Bird in the near future?

The future is looking very very bright in the land of moose & bird! I have been absolutely overwhelmed with the support of the handmade community since starting moose & bird a mere 6 months ago. Over the coming months I'm hoping to add a few new designs to my cushion range and am also hoping to attend more handmade markets and really get involved in the crafting community in and around Brisbane. I love nothing more than ‘setting up shop’ at a market, meeting lovely customers and talking ‘craft’ with like minded people.

6. Would you share something interesting about you that isn't common knowledge?

Questions like this are always tough as I wouldn’t say I was an outrageously interesting person. But I can’t leave it blank so... prior to studying textile design and entering into the wild world of fashion I dabbled in a number of university degrees including Oral Health, Health Science and Business. To this day, I still don’t know what I was thinking but I’m so glad I finally decided to head down a creative path.

We're glad too Melinda! Thank you for sharing your story and being an inspiration for just following your dream. I look forward to meeting you in person and seeing your lovely wares at the upcoming BrisStyle Indie Eco Markets on July 10th.

Melinda's vintage sweetness is also available through the Moose & Bird Etsy shop. Say hello to Melinda over at the Moose & Bird blog.

For more local and Australian crafty goodness, don't forget to visit the Finders Keepers markets in Brisbane this weekend.

Photos are courtesy of Melinda Hume.