Introducing…
Our new kid on the block, expert up-cycler and
super seamstress, Jeanette Archer, can teach you how to make a pretty pair of shorty PJs out of a couple of unwanted cotton shirts. She’s a thrifty momma with years
of sewing experience, we’re thrilled that she’s joined our merry Ministry band
of sisters and I urge you to check out her blog and then book on her course!
What first drew
you to your craft ?
I have been
sewing since I was a child. I remember making dresses for my dolls with a box
of pastel coloured tissues at my grandparent’s house. My mother shouted at me
for making a mess, but my granddad encouraged me. One of my most
treasured possessions as an eight year old was a paper bag full of tiny fabric
scraps, a needle and thread. I was convinced I could stitch up something lovely
with those scraps.
As a teenager,
unable to afford the kind of clothes I wanted to wear I began sewing. We would
be given huge bags of hand me downs from family with older cousins, and I loved
trawling through those bags for items I could cut and stitch and dye into the
clothes I wanted.
What’s your crafting
background?
I was taught to
sew at school. I completed the old fashioned O level and A level needlework.
After completing an Art Foundation year at Birmingham Polytechnic, I went on to
study Surface Pattern Design, specializing in printed textiles.
I have spent
the last eighteen years raising my large family, but have kept busy crafting
during that time, designing and making cloth nappies, baby carriers, fabrics
and children’s clothing which I have sold online and at various craft fairs.
Did you train professionally
as a seamstress or are you self taught?
As I have said
above, I am a trained seamstress and surface pattern designer, but I strive to
improve my skills by attending workshops when I can. I have taught myself the
basics of pattern drafting, but this is an area I would love to get more
professional training in.
What are your
main sources of inspiration?
I am inspired
by everything! I am drawn to pattern and colour everywhere, and obsessively
take photos of anything that catches my eye; peeling paint, a faded print on an
old tea towel, a feather or leaf lying on the pavement, everything!
I am a huge
Pinterest fan, and can easily lose myself on there for an hour or more.
I love vintage
clothing, particularly the styles of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. I like to be
inspired by those eras and hopefully come up with something that is my own
style, rather than feeling like I’m wearing a costume.
I spend far too
much time rummaging through boxes of old linens in charity shops!
Who’s been the
biggest influence on your career so far?
That would have
to be my needlework teacher from school, Mrs Geddes. She was a proper lady,
wearing tweeds and twinsets. She never batted an eyelid when I showed up for
lessons with crazy hair (or once a shaven head!), and she gave me the skills
and confidence to create with fabric. She would often bring tea and scones to
lessons, and of course the tea was always in a cup and saucer.
What’s the best
thing about being a crafter?
Sewing for me
is a meditation; I can feel myself relaxing as soon as I begin. I thoroughly
enjoy the process, right through the planning, making and completing. Of course
it’s fabulous wearing something you made yourself too, and even more fabulous
if it’s made from something that might otherwise have been discarded.
Do you do any
other crafts in your spare time, apart from what you specialise in?
I knit, badly,
crochet a tiny bit, and I get very messy with creative play in my role as a
childminder and Mummy.
What’s you’re
the best thing you’ve ever made?
Difficult
question. I think probably my best friend’s wedding dress and my eldest
daughter’s prom dress.
Have you ever
made a creative mistake?
Oh yes of
course! Everyone does, and as frustrating as it is, I hopefully learn from them
each time.
And your favourite
tool or material?
That would have
to be my main sewing machine, a Husqvarna Lily. I love how it does a little
purr when I switch it on, like it’s saying hello.
Where can we
see / buy your work?
What have you
got coming up in the future?
Really looking
forward to teaching upcycling classes at the Ministry of Craft obviously, but
I’m also working on two new children’s patterns to sell in my Etsy store.
Jeanette's first upcycling course at Ministry, Sew your own Pyjamas: Short, sweet & upcycled
