For our Mothers Who Make series, we’re sharing the stories of women balancing creativity, craft businesses and motherhood – often with very little spare time, but a lot of heart.
In this interview, we speak to Rachael, the maker behind Crafty Rachael, whose love of jewellery-making began in childhood and grew through encouragement from her family and a deep joy in creating by hand. Now she’s in the trenches of motherhood, navigating life as a new mum alongside running her jewellery business and building new skills, Rachael shares an honest and thoughtful insight into what it really looks like to keep making while embracing motherhood.
1. Let’s start from the beginning – can you tell us a bit about yourself and your jewellery business?
My name is Rachael, I’m 37 years old and live in between Bradford and Leeds. I am originally from County Durham but relocated for work. I am a museum curator specialising in temporary exhibitions.
Crafty Rachael is my small jewellery business, which I started in 2013. Crafty Rachael currently specialises in sterling silver wire wrapped jewellery. I create my pieces by threading, wrapping and winding wire around high quality natural gemstones and freshwater pearls. My ideas come from a variety of sources – be it nature, history or travel experiences.
I am currently a Diploma student of the Jewellers Academy, where I’m learning techniques such as silversmithing, and plan to add new lines to my jewellery in the future.
2. Was crafting something that’s always been part of your life, or did you discover it later on?
Crafting has always been part of my life. Since I was a little girl, I’ve been obsessed with making jewellery. On family holidays, all my pocket money would disappear in bead shops and, as a budding curator, I would ‘curate’ my bead collection and create jewellery for family and friends. One of the earliest memories I have of jewellery making is receiving a beading loom and choker-making kit from my Aunt Kate, who lives in America.
My family have always encouraged me to be creative, as they can see the joy it brings me. I have dabbled in other crafts, such as sewing and knitting, but jewellery has always been my focus.
In 2009, my mam and a close friend encouraged me to join them and sell my jewellery at Christmas craft fairs. The intention initially was to save enough money to travel around the world before getting a “real job”.
For four years, my friend and I sold jewellery and accessories as Bon Designs across the Northeast of England. In 2013, I decided to go it alone and created Crafty Rachael. Originally, I planned to sell a wide variety of home crafts, as I also enjoy sewing and knitting, but in the end I decided to focus on my main passion of jewellery making.
3. You’ve mentioned your mum inspired you to start selling at craft fairs – how has she influenced your creativity and your jewellery business over the years?
My mum has always encouraged my creativity. She is a retired primary school teacher, so she is a natural when it comes to teaching and nurturing. For about 17 years now she has made adorable felt Christmas decorations to sell at my stalls, to help us attract customers but also because she enjoys making them. She has also sat with me for hours on end at craft fairs, on freezing cold days, talking to customers and looking after my stall. In her retirement, she has taken up silversmithing and painting, so is now exploring her own creative nature.
4. Fast forward to 2024, when you were pregnant with your first child – how did you think motherhood might affect your jewellery-making business?
At first, I wasn’t sure how much time I’d have to dedicate to my craft – I had visions of making when the baby slept. I worried when I was pregnant that if I didn’t dedicate some time to my business that it would fail and not achieve what I wanted it to, so I hoped I could continue to work on my jewellery designs and invest time in my business. I also wanted to prepare for my upcoming Silver Jewellery Diploma, which would be commencing in September 2025, and thought I would have plenty of time to get started before going back to work in January 2026.
5. Looking back now, how did your expectations compare with reality?
The reality is it is so difficult to carve out time for yourself and your passions as a new mum. It is difficult to make time to shower and brush your teeth, let alone practice your craft and manage a business. As time goes on and your child grows, you get some of your time back – in my case, thanks to a supportive partner and our family.
As everyone says when you’re pregnant, “your life will never be the same when your baby is here”, and that is true – life is so much better with my little boy, but I value the time I have to do what I love and make jewellery.
6. How has having Hamish changed your approach to creating and running your business?
The hours I make jewellery have certainly changed. I do any “loud making” when he is awake, and any packing or wire wrapping when he is asleep on an evening. Since returning to work, I am conscious of the time I spend with Hamish and want to make sure I am there to watch Tractor Ted with him and play with all his toys – including the potato masher and colander he regularly steals from the kitchen cupboard. I don’t want to fill my weekends working away at my bench – I want to be present with him and my partner, Jake. Saying that – I crave time to work on my jewellery and come up with new designs, so for now nap times and evenings will have to suffice.
7. How do you manage to fit creating in around Hamish? Do you have any tips for other crafting mums?
As Hamish is 14 months now, it is somewhat easier to dedicate time to my craft. Jake and our families help look after Hamish, to allow me time to work on my jewellery. Hamish also goes to nursery, which means I can take annual leave from my day job to dedicate to my craft, without getting called in to help with a particularly bad nappy, failed nap attempts or to give him a feed.
My advice would be taking some time off to be mum – they will only be little once, and you will miss the contact naps and endless cuddles. If you have a supportive partner, family and or friends close to you, take up their offer to watch your child for an hour or two. I appreciate if you have a young baby, it is more difficult if you EBF (exclusively breastfeed), as the time you can have away from them initially is brief, but even just an hour is useful to get your ideas onto paper, restock some of your best sellers or update your Folksy listings.
8. With Mother’s Day coming up, what message would you like to share with other mums who make?
Happy Mother’s Day! I hope all mums have a fabulous day with their children. Always remember to make time for you, as being creative can be such a great way to relax and take your mind off thoughts like, “when can I do the next load of washing?”
9. What’s your favourite piece you’ve made recently, and what makes it special to you?
Recently I have made my first gold wedding band. It is a lovely classic yellow gold ring, which will one day be my own wedding ring (Jake and I are engaged). It means a lot to make my own ring and means so much more to me than a ring purchased from the high street.
10. Looking ahead, what dreams or goals do you have for your jewellery business and creativity while balancing motherhood?
My long-term dream is to expand on my jewellery range and work on the business at least part time. By doing this, I hope to manage my time more effectively and therefore spend more of it with my family. When you have children, your priorities change and you really want to be around for them and not miss anything as they grow and hit milestones.
Rachael’s story is a gentle reminder that creativity doesn’t disappear when you become a mum – but it doesn’t stay the same, it changes shape. Whether it’s fitting wire wrapping into nap times, leaning on family support, or learning to be present both at the bench and with her little boy, her experience reflects the evolving, imperfect balance so many mums who make will recognise.
