A Wagga mother and daughter duo are helping the community to connect with their creative side.
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Fiona Durman started Ashculme Textiles with her mother, Roswitha Spence, to sell their products and teach people the art of weaving.
Mrs Spence said her passion for arts has been with her since birth.
“I remember always wanting to make things,” she said.
“I had a needle and scissors in my hand when I was 3.”
Mrs Spence said she was very particular to not ram her passion down her daughter’s throat, but rather encourage enthusiasm.
“My husband came from a family where they baked the bricks for the house they made,” she said.
“When my family were evacuated we had to make everything for ourselves.
“We are a family of makers.”
Ms Durman said they bought some alpacas and together wanted to start a business that not only made products from scratch, but passed the skills onto others.
“I think people are looking for something to connect to because we are so busy with life and I think people just want to slow down a bit and find something they can create,’ she said.
“We have been running it for three years.
“People have been really enthusiastic and really encouraging and children really love it.”
Like her mother, Ms Durman said she has always loved textile arts.
“We started this business together and mum was very integral in helping me start,” she said.
“She does the quilting and I do the weaving.
“Our style is very different, but we balance each other.”
Ms Durman said she enjoys seeing children’s confidence boosted after a session of weaving.
“It engages another side of the brain so it helps with learning and all areas,” she said.
“You use your feet and hands so it’s a strong left to right rhythm which is calming.”
People need to do something for themselves, Ms Durman said.
“That’s why it’s important to keep these skills going,” she said.
“For children, it’s also about learning the connection between the alpacas and animals and how their clothes are made.”
Making her own products is still an important part of her business and will often sell her items at local markets.
“It started off purely as selling,” she said.
“I love making things myself and I love sharing it with people.
“I am trying to get us into more markets around Wagga.”
For more information go to www.ashculmetextiles.com.au.