Organic Elephant T’Shirt 2-3 years

Marie Cole (aka Wee) – Designer/Maker
I love to sew. I learnt the basics of sewing at school and I have been sewing ever since. Combining my love for sewing and my love for nature and all things wild (having grown up surrounded by hillside and wildlife in Gloucester), I created a range of unique hand-drawn and hand-cut animal applique designs made from felt and I applied them to high quality, ethically produced baby and children’s clothes.

I began selling my first collection at house parties around Gloucestershire in 2007 and I continue to sell to regulars in Gloucestershire as well as to customers around the world. I am committed to producing locally in Gloucestershire and sourcing my materials from local businesses whenever possible. I continue to increase my use of organic fabrics throughout my collection in line with my journey towards sustainability.

When creating a new design I like to begin the process by roughly drawing the design onto paper, then again onto foam and finally onto felt. The felt is cut out and pieced together in layers and glued to create the finished applique. The applique is then machine sewn onto the clothing. Every felt design that I create is drawn out by hand using the foam as templates, cut out by hand and machine sewn. Sewing the design really brings it to life and there’s nothing quite like seeing it on the clothing for the first time.

The felt that I use for the appliques is made from 100% polyester. Created for use in the clothing industry it is machine washable on a 30 degree wash and colour fast so it won’t run or fade. The felt and glue that I use are both made from synthetic materials that are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.