Gayle Holmes
PROJECT CONTRIBUTOR
Describe yourself in five words or less.
A radical and fun-loving addictive perfectionist.
Why do you like craft?
Craft lets the zany stuff inside me get out. It helps me relax, makes me feel good and it lets me be a little girl again – playing with colour and shape ... and DOLLS!
Tell us your favourite quote or sentiment.
Always be a little kinder than necessary.
What’s your favourite kind of craft?
I love it all! Stitching, painting and cutting things out with my scroll saw. I’ve just started making soap and candles – and my 80-year-old mum has even got me into jewellery making. I just hope I live long enough to try all the other crafts out there!
Is your family supportive of your time spent crafting?
My husband bought me a scroll saw about five years ago to give me something to do on weekends besides school work – I was a high school maths teacher. Before that I wasn't into craft at all, but that led to stitching, which led to patchwork, which led to ... a craft addiction! So if he complains that I spend too much time crafting I remind him that he started it!
My husband and mum are proud of my projects and that's all the support I need.
Are your family members crafty? If so, what do they do?
My mum is a very gifted crafter. She’s 80, as I said and still produces spectacular work. She patchworks, makes porcelain dolls, paints, makes jewellery ... there’s not much she hasn't done. So, I guess it must be in the genes! My husband can build anything at all, and often does the fiddly or complicated wooden bits on my projects. He’s also shown me how to use all kinds of drills, routers and saws. I have lots of crafty talent and inspiration around me.
Tell us something unusual about yourself.
Craft makes me feel good deep down inside. I do it mainly for fun and when a project stops being fun for me, I usually file it under ‘R’. This can stand for Reject, Rotten or Rubbish – take your pick!
Are your items mainly decorative or practical?
I suppose my projects are useful about half the time. Crafters don't have to justify the usefulness of everything they make. And every time my husband buys new tools, half of which I’m sure he can't possibly need, I buy more craft materials! That's fair, don't you think?
What advice would you give to someone looking to get into craft?
Buy a kit or pattern you LOVE. Be patient with yourself, if it turns out ‘yuck’, hang it on your wall anyway and laugh every time you walk past. Then try another project, make it with a friend or group, have lots of coffee and cake as you work, talk lots, laugh even more, so that every creation is a memorable experience! That way, craft will bring you the joy it was meant to.
What is the most disastrous craft project/s you have made?
How much time do you have? As a designer, I make lots of things that end up at the bottom of the junk cupboard. Hate the colour, the shape is wrong, it puckers ... but the worst has to be a crazy patch vest years ago. I had no pattern or instructions, but I thought it looked easy, so I just started sewing bits together. I ended up with the weirdest-shaped, warped thing you can imagine. It couldn't even be used as a rug for the dog it was so stiff and stupid. Still can't do crazy patch.
What is your greatest crafting achievement?
It would have to be making a small coffee table about six years ago. I turned the legs on the lathe, and used the router on the top. That experience helped me overcome my fear of machines, gave me the confidence to try new things outside my comfort zone and showed me that I could learn new skills. It taught me to plan, think and take chances – all skills essential to succeed when undertaking craft projects.
Any parting words?
Your projects should be a reflection of the person that’s hiding inside you. Forget what other people think or like. Above all, have fun, and love what you do!
