An Interview with Hannah Read-Baldrey of Couture Craft Gifts!
We spoke to the lovely Hannah Read-Baldrey of Couture Craft Gifts, where she tells us all about her crafting journey, her inspiration and (most importantly) who she would invite to her dream crafting retreat!
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi, my name is Hannah. I am primarily a craft designer, I have been making and crafting since I can remember, which I mainly put down to my mother, who was a very creative primary school teacher. After graduating with a Theatre and Costume design degree at Central St Martins, I went on to work in film and advertising in the Art Department. Here, I developed a real passion for making handmade props which somehow led me to work on fashion shoots creating bespoke props and then to more commercial craft projects including the first-ever Hobbycraft Magazine. From there my passion grew and I worked with lots of brands as their craft ambassador, creating content and projects. I have always loved and worked on social media and over the years presented crafts for tv and various socila channels. In 2019 I set up the start-up indie brand MakeBox & Co. with my husband called MakeBox & Co. We live in southeast London with our two children in a terraced house with a pink door.
Tell us a bit about your new book.
I love a handmade gift, but I think there can be a stigma attached to this not being as good or valid as a bought one. In this book, I strive to dispel this myth. Crafting is couture and therefore can be oh-so wonderful. We are also living in a time where we don’t have as much cash to spend on gifting, this book shows you how to make gorgeous projects that look super slick, without the price tag.
What is your favourite project/technique featured?
I love them all! I have carefully curated sections of this book from quick crafts to more involved projects. I do adore the dried flower wreath but also love the embroidered picture frames, I don’t know, you choose!
Where do you look for inspiration?
As a designer I seek inspiration from so many places, I love fashion and trends and colour. This can be from well designed television shows and movies to art exhibitions, vintage books to glossy magazines. The seasons, I love nature and flowers. Or even what my kids are into, anywhere really!
What makes up for the challenges?
There are oh so many challenges, this is a very interesting question. Day to day, as a small business owner who set up shop just before the pandemic with a baby in arms then in a cost of living crisis it’s hard! But being able to design and directly put out there my designs, to have that freedom is priceless. I love collaborating with people to get a new perspective on design. With every project I design, I know I get better at what I do.
What do you think the “Next Big Thing” in your craft will be?
I have a very exciting collaboration with the fashion brand Nobody’s Child coming out in July 2024. ( the same time as the book!) I’ve been working on this for quite some time and I feel it is the next big thing. The collaboration is a series of embroidery kits to apply to your clothing. This is a wonderful way to upcycle and gain more life from your clothes to essentially love them for longer. I think that personalisation is everything these days and I can’t wait to see people applying them to their clothes.
How big a part, if any, does sustainability play in your work?
I try to keep sustainability at the heart of what I do and what we do at MakeBox and overall as a designer. It makes me a little cross when I see so much packaging in craft kits, especially kid's kits. You can make so many simple changes these days that reduce your environmental impact. I also love the fact that crafting lends itself to sustainability; upcycling using existing materials, and sewing using vintage or deadstock fabric.
Who (dead or alive) would you invite to the perfect Crafting retreat?
Great question. I would invite Jill Scott, who is one of my all time favorite singers, to entertain us whilst we make. Then moving on to the most hilarious women alive: Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Kirstin Wig, Tina Fey & Maya Rudolph. Because we know that would be so much fun. Then add in Kayvan Novak and Matt Berry for a mix! Oh can I add in Prince too…
What advice would you give to your beginner self?
Everything you make is lovely, even if it’s not perfect. Every time you make something you get better.
In one word, how would you describe your book?
GORGEOUS!
1 fun fact about yourself that not many people know?
After going to art school I studied drama and went on to run a comedy night in Clapham called Sit Down Sundays. It was a fantastic time for emerging comedians, and we had some now very famous faces on our show before they were famous from David Earl to the boys from the Inbetweeners.
What’s next for you?
There is always something new around the corner, I just hope this book goes well so I can afford a holiday!
We are simply so excited for the release of the stunning Couture Craft Gifts. A massive thanks to Hannah for taking the time to speak with us about her upcoming release.
Make sure you go and pre-order Hannah's new book Couture Craft Gifts now, out July 16th!
