Maker Spotlight: Look What Mum’s Made
Maker Spotlight: Look What Mum’s Made
Say Hello to Etsy Shop Owner, Denise!
This week I’m shining the spotlight on one of my favourite makers. Denise is the owner of Look What Mum’s Made, an Etsy shop that specialises in handmade baby items. You may recognise some of her work as we often repost pictures of her fantastic projects on our wool shop’s Instagram account, and it’s now my pleasure to share the story behind this amazing small business with you.
Denise is a local maker based in Hull and has been running her Etsy shop for about 10 years, along with successful Instagram and Facebook accounts. Her experience with crafting started when she was just 7 years old; her mum, Sylvia, taught her to knit and crochet, skills that she has since shared with her own daughters. ‘I was chatting with my Mum last night about when she taught me to knit and crochet, and I remembered how we had 3 local yarn shops then. Even at that age I would love looking at all the different yarns. It was one of my favourite things to do as a child and I still look forward to it now.’ Family is at the heart of Look What Mum’s Made, which is what makes this small business so special. Three generations of Denise’s family have visited our wool shop, and it’s lovely to see these pastimes being passed down. ‘My Mum helps me a lot, especially with the knitted sets for my Etsy shop,’ Denise told me. ‘We love planning new makes together.’
The crafty gene definitely runs in this family, with Denise and her daughters dabbling in a wide range of hobbies. ‘All three of my daughters are very creative. Emma loves Art and Cross Stitch. Lucy loves Amigurumi and her favourite yarn is the Ricorumi DK because she loves all the colours. Amie loves using my circular knitting machine to make fluffy socks.’ As well as knitting and crochet, Denise also enjoys card making, jewellery making and scrapbooking, and recently added a circular knitting machine to this list. It’s no surprise that there are new projects being shared by Look What Mum’s Made several times a week. I find it really encouraging to see this kind of crafty commitment, which is partly why Denise set up social media accounts for her small business. ‘I could share my makes with more people and hopefully inspire them too.’
After a decade of selling handmade items on Etsy, I wanted to know what the favourites are at Look What Mum’s Made. ‘My best sellers on Etsy are the Bunny Parade Blanket and my knitted dolls clothes sets.’ Denise has created bunny blankets in such a wide range of colour variations for her customers, and I never tire of seeing these beautiful projects. The Bunny Parade Blanket is a pattern by Denise’s favourite crochet designer, Kerry Jayne Designs. ‘I also love Huggable Bears, Mary Jane Tearooms, Little Cotton Rabbits and Toft patterns.’ I’d recommend searching out these designers for some lovely patterns and inspiration!
When your craft turns into a side hustle, it can sometimes be a struggle to make things for yourself. ‘It is hard to find time to make things for me but I do try and have some time over the weekend for myself to make gifts for family and friends and often with our daughters.’ I wondered what Denise’s favourite projects are during her downtime, and what yarns she likes to use. ‘I enjoy everything I make but when it’s my time I do enjoy making toys. I love seeing their different personalities as I make them!’ Denise recently made a set of fabulous hedgehogs with King Cole Tinsel yarn which you can see below.
‘I love working with most yarns, but Hayfield is one of my favourite brands as I love the range of colours and types of yarn.’ Hayfield DK is often the yarn of choice for bunny blankets and, combined with Denise’s talent for crafting, Look What Mum’s Made is able to offer very high quality creations.
Finally, I asked Denise to share the project that is currently on her hook, and what her crafting plans are for 2022. ‘At the moment I’m working on a larger sized Bunny Parade Blanket which is nice for a change. I also have plans to make some new crochet clothes sets and different blankets. During my me time, I have lots of new toy patterns I want to try.’ It sounds like Denise will be very busy for the foreseeable future, whether creating products for her Etsy shop with her mum or spending time sharing her love of crafting with her daughters.
Thank you so much Denise for sharing your story with me! If you enjoyed this article, make sure you follow Look What Mum’s Made on Instagram (click here) and Facebook (click here), and you can find her fabulous Etsy shop by clicking here.