I started when I was about 8 - 10 years old , experimenting making clothes for my Barbie doll , nobody showed me how ( my mother don’t sew ) , I was just happy designing / making different outfits . Then I went on to make my own clothes when I was a teenager , learning from books / mags ( I also taught myself to knit and crochet from books , no internet in those days )
I then went on to Teaching college , my main subject was Dressmaking . Fast forward … I worked in the Fashion industry for many years , until I retired 4 years ago . My last job before retiring was working with Fashion design students , advising and helping them making up their creations , I loved that job .
Folksy is now my creative outlet …plus I still make / knit some of my own clothes … 
x
I can’t remember where, but I visited a case-binders studio where they would create a bespoke case binding for individuals. A favourite book was case bound with the design being a merger of the original cover and the individual’s life. The original paper back book was well-worn but its new binding made it so attractive. Good luck.
I’m self taught in everything I do; sewing, textile art, mixed media, crochet, glasswork… I have bipolar disorder and one of it’s manifestations for me is the need to express creativity in diverse ways (and the quick acquisition of skills whilst manic!).
Also I came from a poor working class background which left me few opportunities to pursue artistic ventures - I left school to work rather than pursue the academic studies I craved (I wanted to teach history and English). This has left me hungry for the knowledge I couldn’t have then. I now have 2 degrees, I’m doing a Masters and will do a PhD afterwards - I’ll be in my 50s when I finish 
So my craving to learn comes out in different areas, not just creativity. It’s a yearning for what I could not do before but I now am free to do what I want.
Hello everyone, I first learned my craft when I was doing Special Effects Makeup for film and t.v. in America. I used to watch the Prop makers and after a while, I would help them make different props that are often made using foam and resin.
I worked in the U.S.A for nearly twenty years until I returned home to the U.K with my family.
As a struggling, single income family, my daughters gave me the idea recently to make my masks and props again and to sell them on line. So here goes!
Having moved from Mumbai to Canterbury was hard work to say the least. I missed my television job and the fast pace of city life. The job I had here was not creatively satisfying so I started to think of other options. I had always been a keen drawer and loved loved loved textiles especially cotton. I use to go to my favourite textile shop in Mumbai and get lost in there for hours picking and choosing what I could get tailored. Not having that access here and not knowing how to sew I thought about combining my love of textiles and drawing and come up with making some greetings cards.
I love deciding what animal to sketch and then what materials would look good. The end product brings me a lot of happiness.
Being away from home and loved ones is a real challenge but my craft brings me joy and happiness so I guess I just stumbled onto it while trying to figure things out.
I’m a Glazier by trade. Did an 8000 hour (4 year) apprenticeship back in New Zealand, and eventually became workshop foreman. I would cut hundreds of pieces of glass each week, mostly for supply to window fabricators. I always wanted to learn proper stained glass - we used to make a lot of imitation stuff - When I came to the UK, I took the opportunity to attend a variety of Art Glass courses at the Creative Glass Guild and Ely Stained Glass Museum: Copper Foiling, Stained Glass, Stained Glass with Glass Fusing, Traditional Glass Painting, Sandblasting & Engraving, Glass Slumping & Fusing.
I’m intrigued to know how you ended up as a Burnley supporter from New Zealand?
(As I’m married to a through-and-through Claret that was the first strip I looked for in your shop!)
Hi Helen, My Dad is from Burnley, and have Burnley roots going back several generations to the 1870s! I think that’s reason enough 
I only have one Burnley kit in my shop at the moment - that’s the ‘blingy’ one. I have several claret & blue designs in my flat or in a design phase, some of which will be uploaded over the next week, and I’m currently working on this seasons kit, so watch out for that one. Here’s a couple of my claret & blue designs for your viewing pleasure… I make my kits in 5 different sizes, prices begin at £10 and go upwards, depending on size & detail.
Thanks,
Jon
Definitely reasons enough… my eldest is a Burnley supporter too for pretty much the same reasons. Good luck with your shop and fingers crossed for the season, I imagine you’re doing a bit of nailbiting too…
Thanks. Yep, it’s getting to the business end of the season now. I expect there is more nailbiting going on in Leicester though… I had better get a Leicester City kit done.
Watercolour and silverwork,some lapidary so I can cut stones,polish slabs etc,a blacksmith taught me a bit,this helped a lot as I can make some of the tools I need but other than that I am self taught.
Hello my name is Vanessa Agyemang, i’m a newbie to Folksy so I thought I would just dive in. I make handmade limited edition lampshades and illustrations all curated by myself in the UK. I joined Folksy because I kept hearing about it and did some research and was impressed with what I found. I have a diploma in Interior Design and a degree in Interior Architecture, what I really should have studied was Product Design, but what can I say its all a learning process, heres a link to my shop: https://folksy.com/shops/CopperDust. I hope to be a regular participant
As a little girl I stayed with my nan, and she taught me all manner of yarncrafts and embroidery, as I didn’t have many toys there. The first proper thing I ever made was a massive grey shawl made of triangles, which I gave her to keep the chill off, and a cup mat for her tea cup. 30 years on she is in her 90s and still uses them <3
I have always been knitting and sewing, which I enjoyed at school and was taught by my mum at home. I also loved second-hand shop and jumble sale foraging when I was a teenager and making things like handbags out of old jeans with my friends. I have also dabbled in fashion design for a while doing a course at London College of Fashion and done a bit of silver clay modelling which I loved and did a short course in. More recently I have taught myself to crochet and am enjoying making beaded bracelets and learning macrame, mainly from books and on-line tutorials (although many tutorials are so fast, they make me long for a book to learn from!). The items I am now selling with my new venture WildSuede are boho style stacking bracelets using natural materials and sterling silver beads. I love making the items and love the results when they are finished - it is so rewarding to create beautiful items yourself!
Oh, and I only discovered Folksy by accident after it appeared in my search bar and I thought 'what’s that? Glad to be on board 
I did a degree in Surface Pattern design, and I now work full time as a product development designer at a toy company, I like to make and sell my crafts as a hobby really x
Hello guys, this is my first time on a forum!!!
I was taught to knit and crochet by my mother, she also taught me to sew. I used those skills when I was young and would make aran jumpers for other students when I was at college. Work got in the way and I did neither for a long time. I no longer am able to work due to ill health and have now rediscovered my passion for making knitting and crochet things for friends and family. They have encouraged me to sell my finished items and this is my attempt at that.
Its all very daunting and I keep doubting that my work is good enough but here goes. Any tips, or words of encouragement would be welcome. I’m terrified by Twitter lol.
A x
Welcome to the forum @Sunshinehooks You baby shoes are very cute.
Have a look round the forum for ideas for promoting your work. It can be daunting at first as it can take a while to build up sales but use that time to build up stock and get your work seen.
Good luck
Collecting driftwood and other treasures making ornamental items. Utilising workshop offcuts and turning them or modelling them by carving or other means. All totally unique and hand made by me.