1
Describe your earliest memory
of haberdashery or textile craft.
Lying on the floor beside my mum
as she sewed on her old Singer
treadle machine. She was making
me a Mickey Mouse pillow, and it
became my cuddle pillow until I was
a teenager. I felt so close to Mum
when she sewed, and perhaps this
is why I love it so much myself.2
Can you recall the craft shop/s
of your childhood? What were
they like and how did they diff er
from today’s stores? Edwards and
Lambs, in Queen Street, Brisbane,
Qld, always had lovely fabrics, as
did Bayards, where you’d purchase
some fabric and they’d tie it up in
brown paper and string and whizz
your docket up to accounts in a tin
on a string, and it would come back
all ready to be added to your parcel.
Also, Boston’s Silks was a lovely shop
in Brisbane: the owner was apparently
partial to the odd flutter, so on some
Saturday mornings, if you timed it
right, you could get a real bargain
in beautiful imported fabrics if he
wanted some cash to bet on the
horses. Much later, when I first started
patchwork, in the late ’70s and early
’80s, the best place to buy ‘American
Cottons’, as they were called, was at
Tumble Togs over at Alderley – theywere all laid out on tables, folded and
marked with a price and amount. The
gentleman who owned this business
was constantly amazed at the
creativity of the customers in using
these little scraps of fabric.3
What was the first thing you
remember buying from a
haberdashery shop as a child?
It would have to have been at
Gardams’ Silk Store, in Brisbane,
where Mum was buying some lace
for a special outfit for a wedding.
I remember the glamour and the
special feeling of being out shopping
with her. There were four of us kids
at the time, and she would take us to
the Regent Theatre for malted milks
in big tin milkshake beakers. How we
loved going out with her!4
What was the first project you
made with fabric, thread, yarn
or haberdashery? What was it like
and who else was involved?It was
a pink brunch coat, and I cut it out
and made it myself with no help from
anyone. I was 10 at the time, and
I finished it one night after everyone
had gone to bed, using my mum’s
sewing machine. She and I had
bought the fabric and pattern, and
she was going to help me with it, but
I wanted to do it myself. She was
very surprised and delighted when
I showed her the next day.5
What made you decide to
own a haberdashery or craft
business? For example, was there
a family history of such things,
did you have retail experience in
another field or did it grow from
a love of craft itself? Definitely from
a passion – I’ve loved sewing all my
life. Watching my mum sew inspired
me, as she was always happiest
when she was creating, whether it
was in the kitchen, home or at the
sewing machine, so I associated
being happy with sewing. My dad
had his own business, a simple
spray-painting shop, and I could see
that the independence it gave him
was something you couldn’t get by
working for a boss. Dad only barely
scraped a living, with five kids to
support, but, in his own way, he was
a very happy and satisfied man, so
I guess he was a role model in a way,
humble and quiet as he is.Leslie McConnell,
FAERIES IN
MY GARDEN1
Describe your earliest memory of
haberdashery or textile craft. I was born
in Belgium and was surrounded by people
doing creative textiles, but I was not one bit
interested in any of it.2
Can you recall the craft shop/s of your
childhood? What were they like and how
did they diff er from today’s stores? I never
went to any craft stores; my childhood was
climbing trees or reading books.3
What was the first thing you remember
buying from a haberdashery shop as a
child? Nothing.4
What was the first project you made with
fabric, thread, yarn or haberdashery?
What was it like and who else was involved?
I paid a girlfriend to do my school sewing project.5
What made you decide to own a
haberdashery or craft business? For
example, was there a family history of such
things, did you have retail experience in
another field or did it grow from a love of
craft itself? Habadash is full of gorgeousness:
antique and vintage buttons, lace, jewellery,
ribbons, quirky bits and bobs (not a real
haberdashery). I was a picture framer for nearly
30 years, and this business is a follow-up to
having something creative and artistic to do.
I think of all the items in the shop as art. I love
finding all the stuff ... and I still don’t sew!Sonia Collard,
HABADASHHomespun 85HSP1511_p084-088 My First Brush with Haby Feature.indd 85 9/23/2014 9:36:42 AM
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