Monday maker - Sarah Davies part 3

Sarah – The maker

What are your three most important advices to any upcoming crafter?

1. Always make time to think & if an idea comes to you jot it down!

It's amazing how life comes between you and making things, so a to do list book or an ideas book is very useful. Also gives you something to doodle in while you are thinking.

2. Don't be afraid to do something different

As wonderful as someone else's creations are, don't be afraid to do something a little different. My knitted softies are based upon a readily available pattern but I started out with the squishies – panda's and pigs that came from out of the blue!

3. If it doesn't work abandon it, don't force something that's not right

It's frustrating if things don't work out just right, and usually pushing yourself through to the end leaves you feeling exhausted & disappointed. If it's not working, put it aside and start something else.

Why are your pieces special?

Because they are made for the one child that loves them. Some of my pieces stay with me for a long time until the one child who can't live without it comes along. Steveo the sooty dog was sold to a little boy who corrected me and said he was a Fred. 6 months later at a different craft fair I spotted this little boy and a very much loved in need of a was “Fred” the dog. His Mum told me it was his constant companion & was the “best buy” she'd made all year.

In general what gifts or pieces do you like or dislike?

I like gifts that give, by this I mean a practical gift to the person that has been sold in aid of a good cause or a gift that can be loved by not only by the recipient but perhaps by another generation as well.

I'm not too keen on the cheap branded gift that has been bought as a joke. They usually end straight in my charity box for swift removal to someone who may like a perfume called "Womaniser"

Can you tell us about a gift that you will never forget? 

When I was young I was given a coconut. Doesn't sound special but it came in the post still in it's BIG green outer casing. The address was etched into the side like something from Robinson Crusoe.

Until then I never knew that coconuts were seeds that actually hung from trees inside these big green skins. It took us AGES to peel apart the stringy flesh to revel the coconut and even longer to break it open to drink the milk and eat the flesh.

What do you have planned for the future?  

I'm working on writing the stories that come with my softies, so that they come as a complete gift set. I may even add some illustrations.