15 MINUTES WITH...
This Is For MAKERS
From furlough to launching her very own creative business, graphic designer Sarah reveals how she shifted gears during the pandemic to try something new
Hi Sarah, how are you? What’s keeping you busy this month?
I’m good, thanks. After a slow start to spring and coming out of lockdown, I’m feeling inspired and buzzing with ideas.
What inspired you to start This Is For Makers and can you tell us a little bit about it?
I was furloughed from my job as a graphic designer in March 2020; after a couple of months of being at home in lockdown with my children and husband, I felt like I needed a challenge. I was faced with redundancy and had a few months where I didn’t need to pay nursery fees, so I felt as though I should use the opportunity to make a positive change in my life – at a time when everything in my life felt so out of control, I felt as though it was something I could have control over. It seemed natural for me to combine my sewing and design experience, and I initially set out to offer PDF Planners and stationery for sewists, but it continued to grow! I developed my own range of woven labels and later added a gift wrapping range. It was also an excellent creative outlet for me when I had lost my sewjo – I’ve been a graphic designer for nearly 20 years, and as I was on furlough, I was missing my day-to-day job.