A little bit about us....

Well hey there, pleased to meet you!

One of our favourite parts of this business is meeting all of our wonderful customers and getting to hear your stories and history. We love chatting with people from all walks of life, and forming bonds through our love of craft and fabric. 

We figured that many of you like to hear a bit more about what has led us here, and the start of Minerva's Bower (short version: never underestimate the magic of the friendships you make at your kids swimming lessons!)

Clare  Craft and arts and handmade were highly valued in my house when I was growing up. Things were repaired, or kept ready to repurpose (cough*not hoarding*cough). My maternal grandfather was an English tailor, and my mum is a wonderful seamstress. Birthdays always featured lovingly handmade items, and we were always encouraged to try our hand at crafts. I slowly built up my skills sewing clothes, costumes, furnishings and toys. I had several part time sewing jobs, from costume productions to couture, although I never thought about turning my hobby into a full time role. 

Kylie  Like Clare, I grew up around making. My grandmother was a dressmaker, my mother sewed and my great-grandmother was an extraordinary knitter. As a teenager, hand sewn clothing was always my preference and while I didn't necessarily have that much patience for proper finishing, I was quite happy to wear hems that were stapled and pants finished with a safety pin. I treasure my  formal dresses sewn by my grandmother and still have fabric from her sewing days. I have always sewn and could easily spend hours lost in a fabric store, but it wasn't until Clare and I met that my background crafting really leapt into the foreground.

I love that a craft which brings me such joy and meditation is also purposeful and useful and connected with my views of personal worth and environmental ethics. 

Fast forward to 2013 and those fateful swimming lessons. Our friendship quickly grew from chats and tea, to sewing days and  fabric buying trips. We dreamed a lot about starting a business together, firstly focussed on making items ourselves. A lightbulb moment occured when our local dressmaking fabric store was sold and closed - we could go for gold and live our dreams!! 

 And voila! Here we are, living and breathing fabrics all day long, and loving every minute. 

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Big love, Clare and Kylie