Tell us about you?
I’m Anthea; I live at Port Lincoln, South Australia with my husband of 13 years, my 9 year old daughter and 7 year old son.
I have been creative and crafting for as long as I can remember. As a child I made my own Barbie doll clothes and dolls house furnishings, and since then have honed my skills through years of experience at the sewing machine, sewing clothing for myself and my children and items for the home.
How did your business name come about?
“Angel” is from my daughter’s name, Angelia. “Lea” means meadow and as we live on our own “meadow” I thought it was appropriate but I also liked the sound of the two names together.
Tell us about your products and which are your favourites and why?
I design a range of fresh and fun patterns including children’s clothing, soft toys, bags, appliqué designs and anything else that takes my fancy! My patterns are easy to follow and include detailed step-by-step instructions and lots of photographs, making them achievable for even the beginner sewer.
My owl pattern is my favourite and it was also my first softie pattern. From that I discovered a love for softie making so you will definitely be seeing a few more softie patterns from me in the future!
My other favourite patterns would have to be Fergus the Frog and Cleo the Cow because they are so cheerful and cheeky looking and make me smile just looking at them.
Where do you find inspiration for new designs?
I always find this question hard to answer. I would have to agree with what someone else said that ideas come about through the creative process. Working on one project can lead to ideas for another. The hardest part is usually making myself get started.
What does the future hold for you
I hope that in the future I’ll still be designing new patterns – I have so many ideas in my head that I want to try out so hopefully I will get the chance to turn those ideas into patterns. I’m currently working on a fox softie pattern so hope to have that out before too long.
