Meet the Maker - Amanda Flor

Our next maker is no stranger to us all, her 2 delightful girls graced many of our listings. Introducing Amanda Flor, our talented sewist from Queensland. Amanda is always dazzling us with her creative eye and stunning makes since 2021. You can find more of Amanda's gorgeous creations at @_amf28.

Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I live in sunny North Queensland, Australia with my husband and 3 children. I love creating in every way possible and seeing people’s faces light up when they receive the things that I have created. I found a passion for sewing all different types of clothes and quilts when my children were born. During the day, I work as a teacher and in my spare time, I’m always busy with some sort of project on the go.

How did you learn to sew and when? 
I learnt to sew in my teenage years, helping cut patterns and sewing costumes with my mum. I progressed to hand sewing teddy bears for myself and my nieces and nephews. My mum gifted me her sewing machine when I was having my first child and that is when I took a class to appliqué and sew a mini quilt. I started sewing quilts and some basic shorts and t-shirts for my son but it wasn’t until I had my daughter that delved into making more clothes and plenty of dresses for her.

What's your favourite type of fabric to work with? 
I love to sew with lots of different types of fabrics but my favourite would be working with knit fabrics as they are nice and quick to make. Plus they wash and wear so well and don’t need lots of ironing.

What's your favourite Peony make to date? 
I have so many makes that I absolutely love and there are just some that I can’t part with when the girls have grown out of them. One of my favourite makes would have to be the Mariposa butterfly hand embroidery on the Juniper dress as it is one of my favourite hand embroidery patterns.

What are your sewing goals for this year? 
This year I want to push my creativity further and push myself to create different clothes for the girls that have been on my inspiration board that I haven’t had a chance to make. I want do more pattern mashing to create unique pieces!

What sewing tip have you learned along the way that you use all the time and why?
My biggest sewing tip would be to check and check again before cutting out your patterns (and skirt lengths!). There have been plenty of times that I have not double checked and managed to accidently cut the skirt lengths too short.

What is your biggest sewing achievement or challenge to date? Tell us about it!
My biggest achievement would be my mash creation of the Wednesday Raven dress that I made for my eldest daughter. She was absolutely delighted with it and has claimed that she will keep it forever. I planned and thought through the process over and over making sure it was recognisable as the Wednesday Raven dress while still being true to my own unique vision.

What advice would you give to someone learning to sew? 
Make sure you read through each step carefully and don’t be afraid just give it a go!

𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮,

𝓐𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓪