We Make London: Designer Feature Series: Meet Molly Moo and Jessica Too

About Molly Moo and Jessica Too:

Molly Moo and Jessica too is home of quirky, colourful, fun, one of a kind homewares, gifts and plushies using reclaimed and/or remnant fabrics. All items are individually handmade by me, Gemma Payne, and as I love to upcycle fabrics, buttons and notions to make lovely new items from unloved items of clothing, bed linen, curtains etc., I rarely make 2 items the same. I love to make plushies – steggies in various sizes, superhero aliens, robots and spiders in clashing hues made from fabrics from various decades and bunnies and bears made from felted knitwear. I’ve recently been working on my Best of British range so expect quirky Union Jacks, pinstripes, tweeds and tartans.

Pink Label at Molly Moo and Jessica too was launched in the early Summer of 2011 to showcase the handmade children’s garments that I make. Upcycling and refashioning is an important aspect of this range too and all garments I make are one of a kind. You might see images of my 2 girls Jess and Molly doing a spot of modelling too. Can’t think where I got the name of my business from – can you?

Inspirations:

My girls are my biggest personal inspirations. My eldest Jess, loves to draw and she has an incredible output of work. It is impossible to keep every drawing, but I wanted to be able to cherish some of them which led me to come up with the idea of making cushions from children’s drawings; by preserving the drawings by printing them onto fabric and stitching over them to give permanence. This led onto making Christmas decorations from children’s drawings with the idea of getting out something really special and meaningful year after year. She also helps with the outfit choices for my Superhero Aliens whilst Molly helps with quality control by testing how well my plushies withstand handling and cuddling.

I also get inspiration from the work that other crafters are doing by looking at books, magazines, online shops and blogs. I feel very lucky that my personal circumstances that give me the time to pursue my dream of sewing and selling whilst being a stay at home mum have coincided with the craft boom.

Best Sellers:

My best seller or my signature piece of work are my stegosauruses or steggies made using a pattern designed by Caitlin Bell from the wonderful ‘101 Great Ways to Sew A Metre’ by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins. I made my first one in May 2010 and have since gone on to make and sell a large number of them. I’ve adapted the pattern and made smaller versions and this Christmas I have made hanging decorations in the shape of a stegosaurus which have proved to be incredibly popular. As well as a huge variety of custom orders I also make Memory Make or Keepsake ones. I must give my customers a lot of credit as they have come up with some great custom order steggies such as Peppa Pig and Union Jack ones that have gone on to be big sellers.

I would say that my Union Jack steggies are my signature piece of work as they are the most popular ones I make and I’ve been lucky enough that they have graced a number of Etsy Treasury lists and most recently the front page of a Wow Thank You Christmas leaflet. They proved to be popular with tourists and Brits alike at my stall at the We Make London’s section of the Thames Festival this Summer.

We Make Christmas Pop Up Shopping Experience:

I will be bringing a large selection of my wide ranging stock from both Molly Moo and Jessica too and Pink Label at Molly Moo and Jessica too to the Christmas fair. I will, of course, be bringing plushies including steggies, Christmas decorations and girls’ clothing such as netted half circle skirts and peasant dresses in Vintage and Vintage inspired fabrics. I will also be making ruffled nappy covers and simple dresses in Christmas themed fabrics as well as expanding my Best Of British range to include steggies using iconic British designer fabrics.