Sewing
I’ve been into crafts for as long as I can remember. Each Christmas and birthday (unfortunately at the same time of year!) would bring a new craft kit. The excitement of seeing a familiar shaped box wrapped up under the tree was tantalising. Some of the more memorable kits included silk painting, weaving, candle making, paper making, glass painting and a mini-greenhouse (so this last one isn’t technically crafty but certainly stoked my passion for gardening…). My parents and brother would then be subject to ‘presents’ of whatever I had made; some more successful than others… The first real venture into a sewing (if you ignore hand-sewing a dinosaur made out of felt from a kit) was when Mum taught me to use her sewing machine so we could make a waistcoat for a wedding. It was amazing (I mean the act of sewing, not the early 1990s fashion statement)!
Since then, I’ve been hooked. All throughout school and university I would be designing and sewing; producing costumes for drama productions or creating a collection for a fashion show. Some of those designs may now seem rather dated but producing outfits for my friends to model was fantastic.
It’s been a while since school and university but I still take every opportunity to sew which is how Jo Hayduk Designs has finally become a reality!
Style
Finding a style that suits can be really difficult and I wouldn’t say it’s something that I’ve mastered yet, but I’m having fun finding out! For me, finding your style is about wearing clothes that make you feel fantastic every day. Your style can be influenced by what is deemed fashionable each season, but if ankle length skirts make you feel amazing then surely it doesn’t matter if it is no longer on trend?
Sustainability
Sustainability, and making sure that we preserve our planet for many future generations is hugely important to me. Now I’m not suggesting for one minute that we all try to be self-sufficient and stop flying all over the world; it’s about being aware of the impact that we are making to our environment and the little steps we can take to make sure that this beautiful planet is still healthy for many years to come. My ‘day job’ for the last 10 years has been working in the environment sector (first in renewable energy and then in recycling and resource efficiency for a charity called WRAP). WRAP produce lots of research and engaging campaigns – does anyone remember the voice of Eddie Izzard on an advert saying “Recycle – the possibilities are endless”?
Escaping to the Garden
So, if I’m not sewing fabric then I like to be sowing seeds! Watching the miracle of tiny seeds growing into bushy plants each year is spellbinding. Being outside in the garden, listening to the birds and watching the bees dancing from flower to flower gives me such a sense of calm. Of course stress levels rise when you find that your pea seedlings have been pecked by the pigeons and almost everything else has been demolished by slugs, but even so, the garden does produce its rewards. I find the beauty of plants can certainly be inspiring to designs so please forgive the odd photo of my garden appearing in these blogs!
