People

Flossie talks to craft super-star and author of new book, Meet Me At Mikes, Pip Lincolne. Pip, who also runs a shop of the same name in Melbourne, tells us how she became a creator and lover of all things crafty and shares her own favourite places to shop.

Have you always been crafty?
I come from a family who took making for granted.  There was always someone baking, sewing, knitting, gardening, building, crocheting, growing at my place.  My dad used to make dresses for my sister and myself, my brother used to make me things for my dollhouse, my sister is very creative and my Mum and Nan are super crafty too!  Craft is as important as cooking or gardening or reading to me!

You run a craft store, craft group and have just released a book of projects - what is it about craft that you love?
I really like the fact that you can make things in the materials that you love, and make them unique.  I also love the fact that crafting is so dependable.  USUALLY if you follow a set of instructions – you’ll get a pretty good result.  Sometimes life is not so dependable – so there’s a real comfort in crafting and it’s lovely to see how you can hone your skills with practice.   I think that crafting is also about sharing skills and community – be it teaching someone to knit or making something for someone in need – it’s useful, ethical and social too.

What’s your favourite type of craft?
I LOVE to sew and to crochet!  I’m totally in love with making granny squares like my Nanna used to – and I like nothing better then to sew up something new from vintage materials!  I really like to put a contemporary twist on traditional techniques – with a sense of humour and a smidge of cute!

Where do you find inspiration for new projects?
Inspiration is all around – in books, thrift stores, on the internet… I take a notebook everywhere and write down my ideas pretty religiously so I can follow any little inspiration leads…!  I love Japanese crafting magazines and am really inspired by Vintage Children’s books and Vintage Craft books too!  I’m inspired by colour and pattern and nostalgia – I like the things I make to be useful and a bit sentimental too – making a wallet from a vintage storybook page or a tote from a dinky, souvenir tea-towel are my idea of heaven!

Are there any websites you visit for design inspiration?
Flickr is my absolute favourite site for inspiration.  It’s full of gorgeous images of  all sorts of things. It never fails to delight and surprise.  Design is Mine is also lovely and full of great finds and pretty images.  And I really love finding new music via LastFm and YouTube too!

Can you tell us a bit more about what we will find inside your shop, Meet Me At Mike’s?
We set up around 4 years ago. Mike’s is full of handmade things, vintage things, cute fashion, special books, homewares and collectables.  It’s kind of a mix of nostalgia and hearfelt, if that makes sense!  We sell the thing we love, and our shop is like a little home away from home for us.  I hope that our customers can feel that!

Your new book has been a huge success with pre-orders in Australia making selling out before it’s even hit the shelves! Why do you think craft has become so popular lately?
I think that people really want to spend their time doing something fun and productive… and they want to learn new things and preserve the crafts their Mum or Grandma might have practised before them.  I think they’re turning away from the mass produced and making decisions about buying or making things that are unique and made with care.  I think it’s okay to turn away from the ostentation of sparkly, shiny designer things.  The current economy has people holding their hand-crafted items aloft  with a new sense of pride – and I think that’s about the quality, uniqueness and ethics of handmade – which are all pretty great!

What’s your favourite project in the book?
My granny squares (in honour of my lovely Nan!!)  (Followed closely by my friend Gemma’s screen printed Friendship Hankies!)

What would be your advice for someone who wants to try creating a craft project but has never created anything before?
Please : Take your time, don’t be too hard on yourself, maintain a sense of humour and above all PERSERVERE.  It’s hard to be great at something straight away – but it’s MUCH easier to be great at something after a  bit of practise.  Keep trying and don’t get hung up on perfection.  Chat to the people around you  too, perhaps you have a seamstress living over your back fence or a knitter round the corner who could help you – open your eyes and ask around!

What’s the craft scene like in Melbourne?
Oh it’s just so VIBRANT!  Lots of great people making all sorts of amazing stuff.  Some are artisans and others having fun and still on their ‘L’ plates!  There are wonderful markets and a new contemporary craft aesthetic is coming to the fore, which is so great.   It’s a really energetic and inspiring community – and I feel so lucky to be part of it!

Do you have any favourite local haunts?
There’s a little café/bar around the corner from Mike’s called RadioBar – I love their chai lattes and the sweet girls that work there!  Kappaya on Johnston Street (Abbotsford) is the prettiest café I’ve ever been to.  Tiamo on Lygon Street for family style old fashioned Italian food.   My publisher shouted me to a lovely lunch at Cumulus Inc in the city – so good!  We’re really spoilt for choice in Melbourne.  I also recommend The European, Authentic Thai Taste in Abbotsford and Café Rosamond in Fitzroy.

Where do you shop for your own home?
I shop at The Camberwell Market (a local flea market) every week for collectables and vintage textiles (and The Queen Victoria Market for food).  I also shop on eBay for crocheted cushions and throws, at lots of thrift stores for mid-century ceramics and vintage linen and on Etsy too for handmade, unique items like candles and table-linen.  Lost and Found Market on Smith Street (Collingwood) is really great for vintage finds too!

What do you do when you’re not busy crafting?
I watch foodie DVDs, cook A LOT,  take photos, make my house look cute and fancy, grow things in our little garden, hang out with my kids (Rin 21, Max 13 and Ari 9) and family and trip around my lovely city!  I also write for Frankie Magazine and The Age – so I’m super busy, which is just the way I like it!

Get your hands on a copy of the absolutely gorgeous Meet Me At Mike’s – 26 crafty projects and things to make, by Pip Lincolne (Hardie Grant Books) here (Australia) or here (New Zealand).

Click here to make a project from the book.