We've been friends with the lovely Tamara Maynes for most of T&W's life. She was a nominee in our first Emerging Designer Award in 2012, she was part of our Hand-Made Markets in 2013 (curated by fellow creative Jacqui Fink), we've picked her brain about her creative inspirations and she has shared a Week in Pictures as well as her Christmas styling tips with us.

So we're well and truly up for celebrating the release of her first book The Maker. It's a gorgeous exploration of the way crafted and hand-made items can take your home beyond 'decorated' to a deeper and more unique level of connectedness. It showcases the work of some of her fellow creatives, and includes a few great DIY projects. Here Tamara shares a few insights about what 'making' means...

Is there a 'maker' in everyone?
Yes! Making functional and/or decorative pieces for your home requires the same passion and level of commitment to skill as cooking considered meals or establishing a beautiful garden. There is definitely a maker in everyone and it's my intention to stir that in all who read The Maker!

"This old girl has been with me for over a decade," says Tamara. "She's as heavy as a small car and a total bitch to move, but I would drag her out of a burning building if it ever came down to it!"

What role do your creative pursuits play in your life – are they an escape, solace, stimulation or something else?
These days most of my creative pursuits are commercial so there is an over-riding element of almost giving away the experience for others to enjoy. This makes me incredibly happy but I will always love the overwhelming peace and satisfaction I feel when I labour over something just for me, to enjoy in the privacy of my own space -it's when I'm most grounded.

A modern quilt by US-based Meg Callahan combines digital printing with machine stitching.

What significance do hand made objects have in your home, and what do you think they add to a space?
I'm a renter and being the homebody I am, I never quite feel secure. The fact of living in a space that doesn't belong to me is blurred by the pieces that fill it - in particular the pieces I have made. I connect so deeply with them that no matter what wall they hang on, or corner they light, I am home.

Making and hand-made objects give you the incredible ability via your hands to create a space that is yours on a very personal level. To me they take a space beyond decorating, allowing you to 'make' a home in the most perfect sense.

Embroidery by London-based fine artist Kate Keara Pelen.

Your book includes the work of a number of other creatives – what is the common thread in this community?
As with all makers, those featured in the book have different drivers that shape them and deems their output unique, but the most common thread is that they are essentially carrying on the legacy of those that made before them. The foundations of the modern maker are rooted in history - a fact that leaves them with a true sense of camaraderie and feeling like they are contributing something significant.

The creatives who worked behind the scenes with me, such as the amazing Tracy Lines who not only designed The Maker but was a driving force behind it,  photographer Eve Wilson, conceptual artist Karina Sharpe, and my book assistant Kate Farrell, were all completely in it for love and the joy of creating something unique together.

Sydney-based Georgina Brown's papier mâché bowls are patched with vintage fabrics, Japanese boro and vintage tickings.

What projects are you hoping to explore next? 
After such a focused and collaborative 18 months working solidly on the book, I'm really looking forward to going it alone, looking inward and experimenting by crafting more pieces for my own home and some special one-off pieces to add to prop hire inventory at The Establishment Studios. I have some craft techniques and raw materials I am desperate to research and play with!



The Maker: Beyond Decorating: Crafting a Unique Space by Tamara Maynes, with photography by Eve Wilson, is published by Murdoch Books (RRP $59.99). 

Order your copy online or go along to the free book signing and Maker's Market on Saturday 5 December at The School, Sydney.