Meet The Makers At Spotlight!

At Spotlight we love showcasing creative talent, and during Make It March we've been able to highlight the talents of so many amazingly crafty people! To inspire you along on your own craft journey here's a quick look into four of our crafters whose works you may have seen around our stores and online.

Trauma Teddy Program

The original trauma teddy group started in NSW in the 1990s, and the Red Cross branch in Frankston was approached in 2001 to join in. Then in 2015, Spotlight arranged to have the Trauma Teddy group come in once a month so customers could chat with them. It was the perfect outlet for people who wanted to knit but had no reason to, and it's also a great opportunity for Spotlight's customers to learn more about this amazing initiative!

Nic, Helen, Annalisa and Sue are part of the Trauma Teddy group that makes trauma teddies for kids who are in hospital or have an ambulance trip to help them feel less afraid. Some of the crafters also crochet blankets for kids in the chemo ward to help keep them warm, comfy and cosy, as well as little booties and beanies for premature babies. The group contains crafters with a wealth of experience - Sue has been crafting since she was just six years old, while Annalisa only began her crafting journey two years ago!

Every Friday they meet up and knit trauma teddies while chatting and having a cuppa. The people in the group make it worthwhile - camaraderie is strong, and COVID brought the team even closer together. The group loves hearing stories from parents regarding kids who have received teddies in the past and have held onto them for many years after. Hospitals and paramedics all say how great the teddies are for calming children and allowing treatment to start almost immediately.

They all love the wool and yarn departments at Spotlight - simply walking through the isles is enough to inspire new projects and garments in the eyes of many in the Trauma Teddies group. They advise anyone interested in starting a craft to just jump in and give it a go - you can always ask for help from any of the friendly experts at Spotlight!

Bec Arnold

Bec loves having busy hands (hence her handle @becsbusyhands on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest), and has tried just about every kind of craft you can think of! Having grown up with parents who were always making things, it was inevitable that Bec would fall into the crafting space - she's always playing and learning with new materials to challenge herself and make incredible gifts for her friends and family. Bec works a busy day job in healthcare, which is tiring both physically and mentally - but when she gets home, her hands still need to be busy and, luckily, she has so many fun and craft hobbies to turn to!

Bec has dabbled in embroidery, costume-making, baking, jewellery-making, papercraft and more! Best of all, Bec isn't afraid of failure. Trial and error is how Bec learns (along with a few YouTube tutorials), and finds her 'crafty fails' to all be part of the fun!

Michelle Dean

Sewing and fabrics are Michelle's passion, and she lends her expertise from fashion school, as well as her art training, to the Spotlight Frankston store. As a qualified tailor and dressmaker, Michelle adores making clothing and finds her inspiration from just about everywhere! New fabrics are especially helpful, as the type of fabric will dictate the best kind of clothing you can make with it.

Michelle finds her art and craft hobbies to be cathartic, as they are a wonderful way to wind down and relieve stress. Michelle recommends that, no matter what kind of craft you want to try, that you start with something small and manageable - once you have that completed, then you'll get that wonderful accomplished feeling that can inspire you to further crafting!

Jorden Lancaster

You'll find Jorden lending his expertise to the party and craft sections at Spotlight Frankston, and is a keen dabbler in many different types of crafts! Jorden is a talented needle artist, with crochet being his main love - although knitting, sewing and his latest crafty hobby, felting, are all in his wheelhouse.

Jorden has made hats, beanies and adorable critters with his crocheting, and recommends anyone curious about a certain craft to just get into Spotlight, grab what you need and dive right in!

Get Inspired To Start Making With Spotlight

Want more crafty inspiration? Read through our amazing Create blog (keep an eye out for our Creative Files, where we interview heaps of amazing crafters) and browse through our free craft projects for heaps of fun ideas you can try. And of course, check out our mammoth art and craft section online or at your nearest Spotlight store for all the supplies you need!