Welcome to my shop on Folksy!
If my shop is 'taking a break', please email me on HandMaidSW@yahoo.co.uk with any item/s you are interested in.
I send orders as quickly as possible and will email a photograph of the packaged order to let you know it's on its way.
Thank you!

A collection of handmade gifts, greeting cards & prints using recycled fabrics/materials, original photographic prints or crafted artwork.

Hello & welcome to my shop!

I created HandMaidSW on Folksy in 2013 as somewhere I could exhibit &, hopefully, sell a few things I made at home in Hertfordshire, which I share with my partner Geoff. From then on I began creating collections of handmade gifts, greeting cards & prints using recycled fabrics/materials, original photographs or crafted digital artwork.

I started sewing at a young age with my mum, who taught me how to use her sewing machine under her guidance, as well as how to make my own patterns. After buying my own sewing machine I made clothes, customised outfits, & even ventured into soft furnishings for the home as one-off designs. I also began to try other crafts like basic embroidery, patchwork, knitting, crochet, counted cross-stitch, tapestry & upholstery.

My interest in photography began as a teenager, whether it was people, buildings, scenery, the beach or wildlife, I would try to capture whatever caught my eye. This was definitely, & still is, a learning process! From a small disc camera to 35mm, I now use a digital camera & love its immediacy!

Today I try to incorporate my former careers & life skills, together with what inspires me, whether I am on the computer in our small cellar, gluing & packaging on the dining room table, sewing in our spare room or just being out in the garden. Some things take a long time to put together & then, suddenly, somehow, it just works! Inspiration to complete a new design comes along & I think, yes – that’s what I was searching for!

Of course not everything makes it into my shop – that’s what my “ideas folder” is for – a place to jot down or doodle ideas, & create lists of things I hope to make in the future. Sometimes my ideas start with just a phrase or one of my photographs, or I can be inspired by other peoples’ examples. I always strive for that unique element or design to make it my own, to create something I’ve not seen before. Then, hopefully, someone else will like my designs & ideas too!

Thanks for reading!

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