Tahlia Paige
Tell us a bit about yourself
Hi, I’m Tahlia David.
I learnt to sew from my grandmothers when I was very young, and studied textiles in school which always kept me interested through to University. It was after I graduated though that the business got going, inspired by endangered species and how I could do my bit to help them through my craft. The collection started with Hedgehogs and Red Squirrels, both of which support a dedicated charity now, and joined by the Otter and their charity recently. There is also an Endangered Asia collection, showing three Asian species that also need help. These creatures are a huge inspiration for me, and will continue to influence my work going forward.
What type of craft do you specialise in?
Textiles and surface pattern design, I design the patterns, print them onto fabric and then make them into my own gift range.
Describe your creations:
I design each pattern from scratch, literally from sketches while researching on wildlife websites. I then draw them up on my Ipad with all the right colours and start piecing the pattern together on Photoshop. I like to make sure the pattern repeats well, so there is no start and end to it and I can just print out metres and just make all my gifts out of it. I use a soft cotton, it works for everything I want to make! Then depending on what I want to make, I can use towelling for exfoliating pads, brushed cotton for skincare cloths, satin for sleep masks and waterproof lining for toiletry bags, just so everything does what I want it to be able to do! Every product is unique, the pattern will never be exactly the same from product to product, and because I design the fabrics myself, you won't find the same items anywhere else.
What would you like to share with our audience?
I wanted my gift collections to work well together, so you could buy a few different items and it's a great gift set. That's why I have a few bundles available, to make shopping for a gift as easy as possible. My collection of gifts is mostly aimed at women, but I also want to make gift sets an easy experience for men too on special occasions. I have always enjoyed the experience of gift-giving, getting a cute set and watching someone open it, seeing someone smile over something they wouldn't have stretched the budget for themselves. Gifts can be such a love language for people, and doesn't have to be expensive. My brand values show affordability is also important to me, pricing my products at points where you get great value for the money you pay.
Any awards & recognitions
My hedgehog pattern won second place in a wildlife art competition, I was also nominated for Graduate Business of the Year by Cardiff Met, my University.
Contact details
Website: www.tahliapaige.co.uk
