Spin Spin is the name of my creative business and has been around in one form or another since 2006 or so. Oh, and who am I? Susan Fitzgerald, an independent designer and screen printer from Melbourne. This blog is a place for me to document what I'm doing and what inspires my work.
History.
It all started with my rediscovery of sewing when I borrowed my Mum's old 1970s machine. It was the mid-2000s and I was reading about lots of fun sewing projects on blogs such as Looby Lu, Camilla Engman, Kirin Notebook and Moopy & Me. I hadn't used a sewing machine since high school but was quite crafting in my youth and had a lot of fun getting back into making things.
Not long after that I began experimenting with screen printing onto fabric, partially as a way to spend some time away from the computer while I was studying graphic design. I really enjoyed the process of screen printing and the fact that you end up with an working object at the end of it. I also kind of liked that you can't undo mistakes and in fact, they often end up as happy accidents.
Products & business.
I began with printing tea towels for fun, then moved on to cushions, fabric yardage, cards, buttons and various other bits and pieces. I set up an Etsy shop and even started a blog of my own in 2007 (although it took a few years to get up the courage to write my first post!) Since then I've expanded into wholesale, on a small scale, and have created custom work for and/or collaborated with local businesses including Volker Haug, Paper Tiger Products, Matt T handmade bags and Dead Man Espresso, although I now find that working on my own projects more than fills my time.
Other stuff.
When not getting crafty, I like taking photos, listening to music, riding my bike around town, baking, drinking nice coffee & sitting on the couch in my flat with a beer and a magazine, dreaming of one day having a backyard, a dog and maybe a fruit tree or two.
Notes about the work and materials.
I hand make and print all items that I sell, with the exception of yardage fabric which is printed locally by Ink & Spindle. I love brown paper and string and work exclusively with natural fabrics including linen, hemp and organic cotton. All inks used are water based and ecofriendly. Waste is kept to a minimum and all packaging is unbleached and biodegradable.
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