By Alesha Capone
For Manor Lakes resident Lori Collins, knitting and sewing is more than a hobby – it is her life’s passion.
Ms Collins said while she was growing up, she loved wandering around the craft pavilions at the Royal Melbourne Show with her grandmother.
“She instilled in me my love for sewing and creating,” Ms Collins said.
She said after many years of wishing she had the courage to enter her own handiwork in the show, she finally took the plunge this year.
“I am so incredibly proud to have submitted two exhibits that were designed, pattern-made and handcrafted by myself,” Ms Collins said.
One of her entries, a handcrafted cloth doll, received a ‘highly commended’ award from the show’s judges. Ms Collins said she was “beyond thrilled” with the result.
Ms Collins said although some people might find knitting and sewing “uncool”, she was keen to pass her craft skills onto the next generation.
“Being a woman in her 30s and seeing it as a dying art form, I want to be able to pass these skills down to my two-year-old little girl,” she said.
“The skills and love of handcraft instilled in me by my grandmother, and then my mum, has been something that has given me so many opportunities in life – to study in fashion design, become a retail buyer and now start my own small handmade business.”
