I’m a costume maker who has started an etsy shop selling hand-carved leather and tatted products. I graduated from RADA’s PGDip in Costume for Theatre and Film little over a year ago and have been making for tv and theatre since then until theatres closed and lockdown began. I spent my time keeping myself busy learning new skills, developing and furthering others. I decided to start a little etsy shop that I could maintain between jobs when things started up again. I’ve loved learning more about leather carving and using the tools my grandmother used to have and reacquainting myself with tatting, which my grandfather tried teaching me when I was 10, it’s wonderful to use his old shuttles. It’s such a special thing to be able to reconnect with family in that way and share skills that can be passed down.
CatrionaBradley.etsy.com and @imperfectbuttons on Instagram
[Image Descriptions:
Left: Leather buttons scattered over a red background, stylised flowers are carved and stamped into the brown leather 4 hole buttons.
Middle: 4 sets of coasters viewed from above on a green and yellow grid. In the top left corner is a circular coaster with two curling feathers opposite each other with a thin rimmed carved into the edge. In the top right corner is circular coaster with a raised octagonal border, surrounding a leather carved 8 petalled flower with textured background. In the bottom left corner is a square coaster with a butterfly, its wings reaching into the 4 corners covering stylised leaves in the background. The wings are decorated with lines, indentations and circles. In the bottom right corner is a circular coaster with a side/front view of a rose, with 3 small leaves and a textured background.
Right: an intricate lace bookmark in a variegated thread transitioning from deep purple to lilac. The central design is mirrored with lots of loops finishing in a tassel on both ends of the bookmark. It lies of a dark green felt background. Next to it lies a light brown birch tatting shuttle with a semi-circle surrounding them. The semi-circle is made of 7 reels of thread that are variegated from a deep colour to a pastel. From left to right there is red, orange, yellow, sage green, light blue, deep blue and purple.]