Life at the Crafty Squirrel HQ

Support Small Business Day - Saturday 4 October 2014

The Crafty Squirrel HQ - with yarn bombed pole.

The Crafty Squirrel at the Melbourne Craft & Quilt Fair - June 2014

We are finalists in the CGU Commerce Ballarat Business Excellence Awards!

We won! Pictured here with Mr Squirrel - my number one fan and supporter!

It’s been a massive year so far at the Crafty Squirrel HQ – with lots of really amazing things happening! I recently turned the BIG 40 and I feel as though this milestone has brought with it many opportunities to celebrate the hard work that has gone in to building my small business over the last 10 years.

For the first time in June I had a stall at the Melbourne Craft & Quilt Fair at the Convention & Exhibition Centre and was delighted to meet so many of you! This was such a great success I have booked in again for next year – mark the 23 to 26 July 2015 in your diaries! Subsequent day trips up to visit the store have been many and I have loved having the opportunity to share my work and the treasures in store with you all.

In recent times I was named a finalist in the CGU Commerce Ballarat – Business Excellence Awards in the inaugural Creative Industries category. I went on to win this category and was totally blown away by the whole experience! Amazing and such an honour!

I was also asked recently by the Small Business Victoria team to be part of their publicity campaign for Support Small Business Day coming up this Saturday – 4 October. We had such a fabulous time in store last year with this fantastic initiative and we are gearing up again for it to be a fun day with lots of giveaways and special offers.

The outpouring of kind words and support across Instagram & Facebook when I was asked to remove my yarn bombing on the pole outside the store was impressive! Whilst it has still not been resolved – I anticipate that it will get to stay…fingers crossed everybody!

Behind the scenes I have been designing and working on a number of new products that will be launched at The Big Design Market on the 5, 6 & 7 December at the Royal Exhibition Buildings, Carlton. This is a must visit event for Christmas shopping!

Whether it’s in store or at an event – I really love meeting you all, make sure to say hello!

Until next time – happy crafting!

Morgan xx

Come and visit us at the Craft & Quilt Fair!

It's been slightly nuts around here (pardon the pun) over the last couple of months as I have been preparing lots of new products to launch at my first ever Craft & Quilt fair in Melbourne - opening this Thursday at 9am!

Continuing on with my LOVE of vintage sheets - I will be releasing a super special Vintage Charm Pack which contains 64 different 101/2 inch squares for all sorts of crafty projects - or you can use the free pattern included and sew them all together into your very own vintage quilt. I've also put together an easy as 1, 2, 3 DIY Vintage sheet Bunting Kit and and have some lovely mixed packs of 21/2" hexagons plus lots more!

Opening hours are 9am to 5pm - Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 June. Hope to see you there!

Vintage Sheet Bunting

Charm Square Quilt

Help us de-stash!

Its been a busy start to the year at the Crafty Squirrel HQ and before we get very excited about having our first ever stall at the Craft and Quilt Fair, Melbourne in late June - we are getting super duper excited about the fact that on Sunday we are joining together with a few other crafty crew to empty our studios and have a good old de-stash! SO.....if you like vintage and new patchwork fabrics, vintage habedashery, assorted craft items, books, gifts and more - then you best pop in at our pop up this Sunday 8am to 1pm at the Ballarat Showgrounds. See you there!

Vintage Sheets and The Big Design Market!

Cast offs Vintage Tunic Top by Morgan Wills

Piles of vintage sheets becoming cushions & quilts

Funnily enough I consider myself a bit of a squirrel when it comes to gathering all manner of craft related bits and bobs I think I may be able to use in my work. I’m passionate about re-purposing, recycling and generally up-cycling discarded fabrics into new and loved products. I’ve been working with felted woollen jumpers for many years now – turning them into scarves, blankets, Babushka dolls and more. 

In my travels over the years, collecting materials from here there and everywhere – I somewhere along the way discovered vintage sheets from the 60’s & 70’s. It was the floral patterns and colours that particularly caught my eye and let’s face it - I was a child of the 70’s – so there is a good dose of nostalgia associated with them – I think it was inevitable that I started to collect them!

The piles grew and grew - as I kept stacking them up in the corner of my studio. I knew that one day they would become a new product and last year I started to dip into them when I produced my ‘Cute as a button’ range of cushions, pincushions and rattles.

In recent months they have had my full attention as I have been working on an idea for turning them into vintage inspired quilts and women’s clothing. When my clever quilting friend Emma from Ballarat Patchwork closed her store I knew she would be the one to work with me on bringing the quilts and quilt kits to life – collaborating has been fun! The two sample quilt designs – Circles & Squares and Chevron pattern are almost finished and will be available for purchase as pre-cut kits with full instructions and ready to sew.

The beginning of my women’s clothing range has been inspired by styles I like to wear myself. My first design is a loose fitting tunic style top with pockets (I love pockets!) and will be made in small (10 to 12), medium (14 to 16) and large (16 plus). I love the fact that the beauty of using vintage fabrics means you won’t see anyone else wearing the same top as you!

So there you have it! It’s been a long process in design and prototyping to get to the product launch stage and I’m delighted to say that these and lots of other crafty bits and bobs I have made and gathered will be available on my stand at the Big Design Market on the 6, 7, & 8 December at the Royal Exhibition Buildings, Carlton Gardens.

I look forward to seeing you there! Morgan x

Exciting news this month!

The Crafty Squirrel had a little feature in this months CountryStyle Magazine! Yay!

What a wonderful way to meet a whole new bunch of lovely creative customers! 

Its been very busy here at the Crafty Squirrel HQ because of this and also because I am gearing up for two fabulous markets this weekend.

On Friday (4 Oct) from 6pm to 10pm and Saturday (5 Oct) from 10am to 5pm you can find me at The wonderful Melbourne Finders Keepers market at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens.

AND! On Sunday (6 Oct) you can find me popping up at The Design Exchange market in the Mining Exchange, Lydiard Street, Ballarat from 10am to 4pm.

What a busy Squirrel! Hope to see you out and about this weekend! x

Visit us at the Maribyrnong Makers Market!

Every year in September I have a big Spring Sale at my favourite market - the Maribyrnong Makers Market.
Put it in your diary and make a day of it! Love to see you there!

Visit me at the Lark Garage Sale!

I've spent the last few weeks having a big cleanup! What a job! But guess what? The results of all of this sorting out and tidying up are going to be for sale at the Lark Garage Sale!

For those of you who came a couple of years ago - you will know how great the Lark sales are - worth a lovely drive to Daylesford for!

I'll have lots of samples and seconds from my own ranges, crafty bits & bobs, a few vintage treasures and discontinued shop stock.

Come along and snap up a bargain next Saturday - the 20 July from 10am to 3pm.

Because I will be in Daylesford all day the Crafty Squirrel shop will be closed for the day.

Definitely not to be missed! Love to see you there!