Meet Our Kit Makers!!

From the Individuals category:

   Tracey Ayre 

Facebook: Bluebird Designs NI

Instagram: @bluebirddesignsni

Website: www.bluebirddesignsni.com

Tracey is the creator and designer of Bluebird Designs NI. She runs polymer clay workshops in several locations, including classes in Boom Studios and workshops for community groups in North Down and Ards. With this kit, she hopes to introduce people to the joy of making and creating with polymer clay.  

    Sue Cathcart

Instagram: @mrhoracepapers

Website: www.mr-papers.com

Etsy: MrPapersCorporation

Sue is the mastermind behind Mr Papers and a collection of kooky characters whose lives are spun out on social media and through multimedia art forms. Her work can be found on Facebook, in the Craft NI Gallery, and on Etsy. In this kit, makers will be introduced to Peggy Pegmanns, a peg doll who requires clothing to be made for her for an upcoming invitation to Belfast Castle. Make her an outfit fit for a princess or for Primark - you decide!

   Cheryl Convie

Instagram: @lottie.and.rosie.ltd

Cheryl, the face behind Lottie and Rosie, runs classes for beginning crochet, and this kit is great for those wishing to practice their newly-learned skills. She wants to help people create a beautiful keepsake and aims to design a range of kits to suit everyone's desires. She is keen to see finished work, so don't forget to send her a picture on Instagram when you've finished your piece! 

   Claire Dunwoody

Instagram: @nodoknots

Etsy: NodoKnots

Claire is a macrame teacher and self-confessed plantaholic. Her creations can be seen on Instagram and are sold on Etsy. For this challenge, she has paired with another maker - together, they are Pots & Knots - to allow people to create their own macrame hanging plant shelves with bespoke, plant-printed clay. 

    Pamela Emerson

Website: www.thecraftyhistorian.com

Pamela, also known as The Crafty Historian and a Top Floor Art Studio Group member, focuses primarily on patchwork and the history of textiles. Her ambition is to make patchwork appeal by using bright colours and making it a skill accessible to all. Also a plant lover, she integrates botanicals where she can. In this kit, makers will learn to make a patchwork flower coaster using traditional hand sewing English paper-piecing techniques and recycled fabric, just like they used to be made.

  Deirdre Gorman

Instagram: @mindfulmakes_ireland

Facebook: Mindful Makes Ireland

Deirdre aims to provide people with contentment and mindfulness while learning a new skill and producing something beautiful. The goal of Mindful Makes Craft kits is to allow the mind to refocus on the present moment while making and learning something new! 

    Lynda Kelly

Lynda is known for her careful stitching, whether embroidery or quilting or sewing, and is also an excellent wool-spinner, knitter, and felter. She also teaches workshops and is a member of the Top Floor Art Studio Group. Her brand, The Black Third, is launching soon with the creation of this kit, where makers will learn to create a beautiful fabric tray (basic) or box (intermediate). Her work can be found at Top Floor Art Gallery.

   Cara McCaughey

Instagram: @long.runs.the.fox

Etsy: LongRunstheFox

Cara is the face behind Long Runs the Fox and can be found on Instagram and Etsy. Her creations of vintage mirrors enhanced with vinyl illustrations are unique and quirky. In her kit, makers will learn the technique behind the craft whilst creating a bespoke piece for themselves or a loved one. 

    Laura Morwood

Instagram: @lauramorwood1966

Website: www.lauramorwood.com

Laura, originally from Amsterdam, loves to create objects that are at once beautiful and useful. Her focus is on handmade leather bags and textiles, and she believes that the quality of materials makes the construction of the object all that more special. In this kit, adventurous beginners in crochet will learn to make 3D crochet objects with luscious Donegal Tweed yarn to hang as a mobile or wall hanging.

    Julie Murphy

Instagram: @juliemurphysculpture

Website: www.juliemurphy.co.uk

Julie creates magnificent wire sculptures and is also an intaglio printmaker. Her art stems from a love of drawing and sees wire sculpture as an extension of the drawn line. Her work can be seen on her website. Julie's kit, featuring a wire-sculpted robin, is for ambitious makers not afraid to get stuck in and create something magical. 

    Adele Pound

Instagram: @adelepound

Website: www.adelepound.co.uk

Adele is a keen birdwatcher and wildlife illustrator. She uses humour, curiosity and drawing to bring to life her observations about the world around us, especially animals. In her kit, makers will learn to make Bob, a cute little paper robin to brighten up any space. Find Adele online and in several shops around Northern Ireland, including the Craft NI Gallery.

    Bridget Pullen

Instagram: @bridgetspullen

Facebook: Bridget Pullen Art

Bridget is an accomplished artist who specialises in batik and silk painting as well as portraits in a variety of media. She is part of the South Down Collective and the Top Floor Art Studio Group. Her kit consists of a fabric wreath made with a special technique that does not require sewing or glue and is easy enough for young people to create (with supervision). The result is a fun-loving wreath paying homage to the NHS through its rainbow design. 

   Nikki Terlik

Instagram: @empathycreations

Facebook: Empathy Creations

Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/handmade/EmpathyCreations-Jewellery

Nikki, a jewellery designer, specialising in copper, silver, and semi-precious stones, runs her business under the name Empathy Creations. Her pieces reflect shape, form and emotions with splashes of colour. In this kit, makers will learn how to create their very own Tree of Life brooch with wire and semi-precious stones. 

From the Communities category:

    Hazel Bland, The Hens' Shed at Rowallane Community Hub, Saintfield

Website: www.rowallanehub.co.uk

Hazel is a member of the Top Floor Art Studio Group and is also a committee member for the Rowallane Community Hub, and a member of The Hens' Shed, a group for women of all ages to come together and craft. Hazel is an accomplished crafter and enjoys knitting, papercraft, needlecrafts, and sewing. This kit will allow people to create a decorated memory book that can be used for special occasions, as a memory aid for those with dementia, or just to give to someone you love.

    Therese Gorman, Women's Art Group, Spectrum Centre, Belfast

Facebook: Spectrum Centre

As an ex-art teacher, Therese is no stranger to all things crafty and can be found on Facebook with her business, Mindful Makes Ireland. She assists the Spectrum Centre with a group of about 50 women who use craft as a reason to gather socially and make friends. In this kit, people will create a flower or other small folk art piece from vintage and recycled materials. The finished piece can be hung, framed, or worn. 

   Madeline McGreevy, NI Craftivists

Facebook: NI Craftivists

Madeline is the genius behind Kathleen's Attic, a business that teaches and encourages crafts to people of all ages and abilities. Also, as an Education Officer at the Ulster Folk Museum, Madeline is well-versed in developing craft workshops and promoting traditional crafts. She founded the NI chapter of the Craftivists, currently only 'meeting' through Facebook, to encourage gentle protest and the expression of political opinions through craft. This kit was conceived as a direct response to the murder of Sarah Everard, a woman who was killed while walking home one night. Makers will create a template using their own footprint, stitch their own messages on it, and hang the footprint where it can be seen and spark awareness and interest. 

    Claire Mooney, Moneydarragh Hub, Moneydarragh

Facebook: Moneydarragh Hub

Website: www.moneydarraghhub.org

Claire is a fabulous jewellery designer and maker and runs her own business under Claire Mooney Silver. She is also a valued contributor to the Moneydarragh Hub and assists in running programmes and workshops. This kit was designed with families in mind and allows the creation of a windchime with clay pieces that you make yourself, either by following the included designs or letting your imagination run wild. Paints are included to finish off your clay creations.