Mollie Makes #76

SAVE 20% at wool & the gang + 8 pull out papers faux fur stole

MAKE IT!

CROCHET

GRANNY BLANKET

guilt-free felt cakes!

MOON & STARS

MOBILE MINI

CORK PURSE EASY-STITCH MERIT BADGES

NEON TAPESTRY

SUITCASE PAPER

FLOWERS

& CONCRETE VASE

PRINTED TOTE BAG

&more..

Treat yourself!

CONTENTS

16

18

ON THE COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP SOWELS; STYLING: BECKI CLARK; MODEL: ALEXANDRA FIA

FELT PATISSERIE

Talk to us! @MollieMakes

MollieMakes

76

Terrarium jars

INTRODUCING... LIVING

The latest news from the world of handmade

Fill your life and home with crafted goodness

9 INTRODUCING…

45 LIVING

Handpicked crafty happenings

Our top picks of the most lovely buys for a hand-crafted, creative home

14 TRENDS Be inspired by Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2017, plus make terrarium jars

18 FELT PATISSERIE Craft a selection of calorie-free treats

48 HOME TOUR SarahLou Francis shows us around the feminine home she shares with her daughter

54 KITCHEN ACCESSORIES Sew an oven glove and pot holder set

26 TEA AND A CHAT We talk to Jade Harwood, co-founder of yarn sensation Wool and the Gang

59 CROCHET BLANKET

32 SEWING HACK

63 MAGAZINE RACK

An easy-sew patchwork faux fur stole

Organise your living space and indulge your metallic obsession with a copper pipe rack

36 GOOD READ facebook.com/MollieMakes

issue number seventy six

Achieve mindfulness through making

The granny square gets a floral makeover

67 PULL-OUT PAPERS EXCLUSIVE! Cut and paste these Papio Press illustrations

40 FLOWERS AND VASE pinterest.com/MollieMakes

4 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 76

youtube.com/user/MollieMakes

Prettify an industrial-chic concrete vase with delicate paper peonies

98 TEMPLATES All you need to make this issue’s projects

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE 24 Subscribe UK

89

Mini cork purse

Subscribe today to get over £50 worth of craft goodies, including fabric and a kit!

84 Subscribe overseas International subscribers save up to 40%

40

Flowers and vase

85

Merit badges

LOVING

Treats and treasures to fall in love with

77

SUGAR RUSH

Cake in the office? The Mollies are there, poised to take advantage with a cheeky cuppa. This month, we’re channelling our sweet tooth into making with Christine Leech’s collection of mini felt patisserie – find out how to craft them on page 18.

Talking of sweet, this issue is packed with ‘aaah’-factor makes. From Chloe Hardisty’s tiny tapestry suitcase to Liz Stiglets’ childhood-inspired merit badges to reward all the best qualities like kindness and creativity, you’ll be radiating good thoughts!

If you’re in need of creative inspiration, read up on Wool and the Gang’s journey from NY start-up to knitting superstars on page 26. Plus, share your makes with us online using #molliemakers – I love seeing them.

Tapestry suitcase

Cath Dean Editor

75 LOVING Beautiful things to adore and make

77 MINI SUITCASE Use chunky yarn and plastic canvas to make a retro-style craft storage bag

81 BABY MOBILE A night sky hanging with twinkly stars

85 MERIT BADGES Embroider a trio of badges to reward pals’ good deeds and best qualities

89 MINI PURSE

81

Night sky mobile

Carry your cards and small change in this fabric-lined cork leather purse

93 KNITTED HEADBAND Keep ears warm and look good doing it

106 BACK PAGE PROJECT Lizzie King and her passion for tie-dye Subscribe at molliemakes.com

er Turn the page to dirnscovto your free gift! Tu page 67 for your papers

INTRODUCING trends

THIS MONTH WE’RE OBSESSING ABOUT...

GREENERY

PHOTOGRAPH: CHRISTOPHER DRAKE

Take inspiration from Pantone’s 2017 Colour of the Year – Greenery

Give tired furniture a new lease of life with a coat of Chalk Paint. www.anniesloan.com

14 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 76

INTRODUCING trends 03

01

02

01

Rejuvenate your

wardrobe and wave goodbye to winter. www.boden.co.uk 02

Give a nod to the

look while showing your love of a cheeky G&T. www.tattydevine.com 03

Nurture your inner

plant lady with a monthly subscription. www.geo-fleur.com 04

Turn your landline

into a hotline. www. wildandwolf.com 05

Spring clean your

home (or hide things in a storage basket). www. lacerisesurlegateau.fr 06

Any excuse to crack

open a bottle of fizz...

08

www.oliverbonas.com 07

Collage-style prints

+ botanical greenery = a win for your walls.

04

www.kittymccall.com 08

A fresh-feeling trend

calls for a fresh pair of

05

kicks. www.office.co.uk

06

MAKE IT! TURN THE PAGE TO 07

Subscribe at molliemakes.com

DIY THE GREENERY TREND 76 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 15

PHOTOGRAPH: DAVE CAUDERY; STYLING: BECKI CLARK; PROPS: MERI MERI, WWW.MERIMERI.COM

La patisserie, mais oui!

Give yourself a sugar rush with Christine Leech’s scrumptious handmade goodies

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USA READERS: SEE PAGE 84

Describe WATG’s style in a few words.

Bold and colourful, with an emphasis on timeless designs.

Building a brand with...

WOOL AND THE GANG Jade Harwood reveals the passion, energy and drive that established WATG and inspired a new generation of knitters Words: JESSICA BATEMAN Photographs: FIONA MURRAY

If you knit or crochet, there’s no way Wool and the Gang will have passed you by. The epitome of current crafting, its sleek designs and trademark chunky yarns have revolutionised yarn crafts.

It all began ten years ago when cofounders Jade Harwood and Auralie Popper were studying Fashion Textiles at Central Saint Martins. Auralie met Swiss model Lisa Sabrier, a fanatical knitter with a vision for a young, hip yarn pattern company. She enlisted the pair’s talents, and after graduating they spent three years in New York City 26 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 76

building the brand. Opening a SoHo pop-up shop, they launched a range of kits, as well as ready-to-wear pieces made by Peruvian artisans.

Now in London with a 16-strong team, the brand straddles the bridge between tech start-up and craft business.

Recently acquired by heritage label DMC, their thriving online community is almost as important – if not more so – than the products themselves. We met with co-founder and Creative Director Jade Harwood to chat about the secrets behind Wool and the Gang’s success.

When did you first learn to knit?

My nan taught me when I was seven – I have lovely memories of her teaching me how to making clothes for my teddies.

I rediscovered it when I was about 14, when I decided I wanted to go into fashion.

I even wrote to Central St Martins asking how I could get onto their fashion course!

Tell us your original vision for WATG. We wanted to make knitting easy, fun and fast, but most of all, inspiring for a new generation. When we first started WATG, you’d go to a knitting store or haberdashery and it’d be hard to know where to begin.

We initially made kits with our trademark chunky CrazySexyWool and chunky needles, so they’d knit up quickly. They were all simple pieces – we were really inspired by the American Apparel approach of wearable basics in a wide range of colours. You choose a design, choose a colour, and you get a kit with everything you need and easy instructions.

How did you and Auralie go about building the brand after graduating?

Being 23 and just out of uni, we decided we wanted to be based in New York, so we

INTRODUCING tea & a chat

‘We wanted to make knitting easy, fun, and inspiring for a new generation’

02

01

saved up loads of money and moved out there. It’s the best place to make things happen, and happen fast – I think everyone there has an open, entrepreneurial mind.

We got on the hustle and opened up a pop-up shop within a month, which really helped us learn about our customers and what they wanted. It was an immersive space where you could experience the brand – super tiny, with a table down the centre, and a wall of yarn in different colours at the end. People loved the story, the concept, and seeing us put the kits Subscribe at molliemakes.com

together, too. We saw loads of celebrities there – Meryl Streep came in once!

What took you to the next level – a well-recognised brand with a team?

After New York, we realised we needed investment if we were going to take things further. We were quite ballsy, and approached all the biggest names in venture capitalism. I’d describe finding investors for your business similar to dating – you’re looking for someone to get married to and make something amazing

03

01

Mood board

02

WATG’s chunky

generation in

yarns were

WATG’s studio. “I

specifically

come from a textiles

developed for easy,

background, so my

super-quick knits.

creative process

03

Knitting samples

starts with the

and swatches lined

material,” says Jade.

up for inspection.

76 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 27

WATERCOLOUR BRUSHSTROKE: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

Rock,paper, scissors Contrast textures with delicate paper peonies in a concrete vase – Lana Red shows you how

Sewing

hack

Join the fash pack with Hannah Silvani’s multi-coloured fake fur stole

76 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 33

LIVING home tour

SarahLou Francis lives and works from her dreamy, feminine home in Sussex Words: LOTTIE STOREY Photography: SARAHLOU FRANCIS

When your home town’s name sounds similar to a fictional Disney kingdom, the bar is set pretty high. Luckily, Arundel in West Sussex possesses a gem of a family abode. Not quite a castle, the home of SarahLou Francis and her daughter, Beth, is full of charm none the less.

What SarahLou’s home does share with that of the Frozen princesses of Arendelle is a pretty, feminine style. “I have a very definite palette of colours I use: generally muted shades of blush,

48 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 76

LIVING home tour

SarahLou’s living room is the heart of her home. Patio doors on two sides make for a light, breezy space, which also doubles up as her office.

Subscribe at molliemakes.com

76 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 49

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LOVING

76

OH, YOU PRETTY THINGS! MOODBOARDS & MUSINGS TO INSPIRE US If you’re already nursing an obsession with Meri Meri’s party ranges, their beautiful new homeware collection isn’t going to help. From children’s bedding and prints to character cushions and felt finger puppets, their signature sweet style translates perfectly. www.shopmerimeri.co.uk

Subscribe at molliemakes.com

76 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 75

Too hot to handle

PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP SOWELS; STYLING: BECKI CLARK

Up the style stakes with your kitchen accessories – Ali Burdon shows you how

54 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 76

76 MOLLIEMAKES.COM 55

76

@Molliemakes

@Molliemakes

molliemakes.com 26 MOLLIEMAKES 3

MAIN IMAGE STYLING: BECKI CLARK, PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVE CAUDREY

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