Introducing Le from Tea and Cake Crochet. Where every item is handmade!! From her home studio in Warburton, Victoria, Le crochets her creations in the Yarra Valley, with intention for each piece to be long lasting and have a well-worn life.
Find out why Le started creating and why she is so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
After all these years, it still amazes me what can be made with a ball of yarn and a little hook and just how addictive it is! It's important to me that I create things that have a purpose. I want my pieces to be functional and beautiful, and the handmade element brings in the meaningful. My pieces are made to last and forge a deep connection between the wearer, the user and the maker.
I don't pigeonhole my makes.
I hook up anything and everything from neck warmers, beanies, shawls, ponchos, jumpers, vests, bags and more. You can use my pieces as 'special' items in your everyday. I especially love the opportunity to work with a client to create a custom piece just for them. A piece that carries a story and a legacy for years to come. I enjoy bringing other people's ideas to life and I make personal pieces that reflect their needs and desires.
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
The Tea and Cake Crochet name links my lifelong passion for food as a former chef, and my love for making. In the same way I loved creating food to share, I enjoy making pieces that connect me to others. Crocheting for me, always starts with a cup of tea. I've had many starts during my crochet journey from making for friends to being part of a beautiful makers collective in Warburton where I taught workshops and helped bring more crocheters into the world. Unfortunately, we shut down during covid but that flame still burned slow until I found MadeIt.
This time around, my journey started with a Japanese knot bag that I didn't see anywhere else. Initially, I needed to earn extra money to pay for my daughter's school trip to Japan and then I got hooked on the MadeIt community! The real freedom is being able to create in my own time, enjoy the making and still be available for family and life. I am grateful for every order. My hope is that every customer enjoys wonderful adventures with their new creations.
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
I've always loved making things from scratch - handmade and homemade - that have life beyond the whim of mass producers. I seek to level up the classics- beanies, scarves, gloves for example and breathe life into new designs. At the heart of my work is the joy of creating for and sharing with other people. Sometimes the yarn inspires the piece, other times it is a response to a need I have in my own life I feel others might benefit from. Every piece has a little part of me woven into its life.
The seasons influence what I make, but I also respond to the colours and textures of yarn I come across. I am always trying to use Australian Made yarn however the pull of something luscious and gorgeous created elsewhere is omnipresent. The beautiful landscapes around where I live and work are a constant source of inspiration. I use stitches to reflect the rocks in the river and chosen colour schemes of the trees, the mountains, the native flowers and fungi that surround my Yarra Valley home. I love all the colours, and I look to nature for clarity on my process - the colours in the sunset, a shade of green in moss or a combination that feels alive.
Where did you learn your craft?
Right here at home! I've always had a high regard for homemade that is grounded in my love for good food that can be shared. Yarn is another exploration of the same respect for quality, care and connection. I started crocheting during the latter stages of my pregnancy when I'd left work and needed something nourishing to do. I was sitting on the deck at home looking at the mountains.
My mum had given me a crochet book and I had a granny square tutorial on pause and repeat. After 5hrs, I had my first wonky square! That was it, addiction begun! I taught myself by not being afraid of making mistakes. I learnt how to read patterns and explored how different hooks and yarn weights created different effects. All my learning came from experiments and practice and receiving fabulous compliments!
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
Being part of the handmade movement has provided me with such a lovely way to connect, contribute to and share with others. I know that no matter how busy life gets, crochet will always fit into the spaces that life leaves behind. There's still so much to make.
Le is a much loved member of the MadeIt Collective, posting regularly in our Facebook Group ~ MadeIt: Handmade not Massmade Australia ~ and sharing her new creations as they are released. If you haven't connected with Tea and Cake Crochet make sure you join our FB Group and say hi !
