Austrailian Designer and TV Host Allison Whitlock is truly a Domestic Diva. I have been lucky enough to appear as a guest on the show Uncommon Threads and was SO excited to talk to Allison about ALL (and there are plenty!) her crafty goings-on!
I am so excited to get a chance to talk with you about your work! I love your show and adore the modern craft projects you create- not to mention you are an absolute doll!
Awe shucks…I’m a big fan of yours too! We had so much fun taping the Candiland episodes!
So how did you get your crafty start?
I guess I’ve always crafted…I’ve been stitching since I could hold a needle really and like many girls, Barbie was my first muse. I made her a lot of outfits with scraps from my Mum’s sewing basket. She made a lot of our clothes and taught me the basics and I just took it from there. My TV break came from an ad in Craig’s List while I was living in NYC. DIY were looking for a host who could crochet, sew, quilt and embroider … it was so random but I’d been doing all of that since I was a wee one and I thought – ‘hey why not!’.
As a guest and a big fan of your show Uncommon Threads, I am so bummed that it is not currently airing in the US- any idea when it will be shown again?
Ahh…the question I’m asked on my site constantly! The truth is that I really don’t know. At the beginning of the year DIY told me that the second season (which is currently airing in Australia) would go to air in the second quarter of the year. That came and went and they’ve kept me in the dark since then. But they have 65 eps that have only aired on HGTV. So now I’m pretty confident that they’ll get a run this year. In the mean time I’m working on some other projects and would love to get some new craft on TV soon! (since I spoke with Allison, DIY has started aring UT- check your local listings)
I’ve received a few letters about projects we did on your show from Australia- is Uncommon Threads airing there?
Uncommon Threads has been on in OZ for about 3 years. Its awesome that Aussie crafters can get a chance to see what’s happening in the U.S and I know that our craft community is loving the show.
When you are not involved in Crafty TV Shows- what can you usually be found doing?
Before I was in front of the camera I had been directing TV for years – so it was a pretty natural transition for me. So for the last 12 months I’ve stepped behind the camera once again in Australia and have been directing a few different shows including one with a very good friend of mine who is a fab landscape designer. The show ‘Dry Spell Gardening’ shows people how to design wow gardens that don’t impact heavily on the environment. It’s a huge issue in Oz right now because we are such a dry continent and it’s only getting worse. And as a design addict – it’s a great fit for me.
Aside from that I’m still designing for craft mags (Sew News, Sew Simple and Get Creative). I’m slowly putting together designs for a craft book that I hope to have out early next year.
I’m also a self confessed foodie and LOVE cooking. So dinner parties bring out my inner Martha/Nigella – I get to decorate, cook, eat, drink yummy wine and chat to friends – all of my favorite things rolled into one evening!
Tell me about Home Made Modern.
homeMADEmodern is a contemporary homewears line that I’m working on which will feature handmade details such as embroidery, felting and crochet. It’s taken me much longer than anticipated with all of the other projects that I’ve taken on, but it’s something that I’m pretty excited about! I’m developing products that I’ve designed as we speak and before I launch the site (www.homemademodern.com), I’ll be gathering designs from other textile and craft designers to feature on the label.
Do you ever sew clothing or do you prefer creating for the home?
Oh yeah…for sure! Actually last time we caught up at your groovy pad in LA I was wearing a dress I had made (note- the dress was fabulous!). Dresses are absolutely my favorite thing to make and there’s nothing like making something that fits your body perfectly! And I’m easily seduced by fabric so even if I’m shopping for work, I’ll see something that I have to have. And like all sewers it sometimes sits in my sewing cupboard for way too long!
What or who inspires you?
For me it’s so random…I’m a very visual person – so design in all fields is my passion. I love modern architecture, photography, and design. I travel a lot and find so many ideas when I do – just because I think that you see things in a really fresh way when they’re foreign to you. And I’m inspired by all of the crafty women that I meet along the way. You can never learn enough skills or techniques and there are so many chicks of all ages bringing something unique to the craft world that it’s just so inspirational.
What sewing machine do you use?
I’m a big fan of the Bernina! We used them on Uncommon Threads and then I went out and bought one myself. They handle both delicate and heavy fabrics so well. Prior to that I had been using a vintage Lemair Helvetia that was my Mum’s. It was that awesome 1960’s mint green and it was a sad day when it finally died. But I have to say, I don’t miss the tension issues it often had…she was a very temperamental machine!
What music do you usually listen to when you create?
Tori Amos seems to fit my creative energy most days and if I’m feeling a little dark – I can’t go past some old Portishead or Beth Gibbons. Bjork is another fav for me!
And a question I always ask- what’s your favorite candy?
And fav candy is definitely ICE CREAM (I’d almost sell my mother for it) … anything nutty, chocolatey or with lots of bits in it. I can’t have it in the freezer at home because I have absolutely no self control!
Uncommon Threads started airing on the DIY Network again this summer. (Yay!!)
Allison’s website: www.allisonwhitlock.com
Looking for more sewing patterns for Girls summer dresses? Check these lovely sewing patterns on Etsy.
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