THE STORY OF THE BUSY BEE
Made with love. Sent with a smile.
My name is Ashley and I am the Busy Bee! I’m from a tiny town called Bruthen in East Gippsland, Victoria. My parents own the local post office and I’ve lived here for the last 21 years. From a background in nursing & midwifery, a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 22, then a major change of direction into science & psychology has somehow led me to a sewing machine and here I am!
I’ve always appreciated the value of something that is handmade and in truth I shared that in my cooking because I never really did have a love for sewing! I nearly failed year 8 mandatory textiles and instead continued on doing woodwork as an elective because I was simply better at it.
Fast forward to the devastating 2019/2020 bushfires where we very nearly lost our entire community during those years. Many days and nights were spent awake on ember watch, keeping track of the fire front and praying for a miracle through the choking smoke - all while wearing a heavy duty N-95 face mask. We survived, physically unhurt, our home and town still standing but the mental scars of that summer were still so raw when COVID hit. And suddenly we had to wear a mask for a whole different reason and I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t. I’d put on a mask and instantly I smelled smoke when there was none and the fear would come rushing back (despite being perfectly safe).
I knew we had no choice. Masks were mandatory - but I needed to find a way to protect myself and my community without the crippling anxiety and memories.The next biggest issue was finding a mask that wouldn’t fog up my glasses! I couldn’t find any. So, much Googling, researching, watching YouTube clips, lots and lots and LOTS of trial and error, in August 2020 we settled on a design and the mask making began in earnest! When I first advertised them for sale in our local post office, I had hoped to sell a few. Twelve months on I have made and sold over 1,500 and counting! Having mastered the circa 1980’s Janome sewing machine of my mothers, I then ventured into making blankets as gifts for friends having babes and not being able to see them in person due to fires, flood and then COVID.
The comfort and warm hug of a handmade blanket was all I could give them. By word of mouth I have now made blankets for teeny tiny newborns right up to a super king size Harry Potter quilt as well as everything in between! No request is too big or too small or too “strange” - if I can source Faux Silverback Gorilla fabric custom printed and shipped from Germany, I will find a way to make your ideas come to life. With repeated lockdowns and isolated in a rural area, surrounded by the devastation of the summer that was, getting lost in pretty fabrics and being able to create something that puts a smile on the face of someone else has gotten me through. A year on from that very first mask, I have outgrown my Facebook page and have now launched this website for the many creations to come.
