25/07/2024
🌟✨ It's Thankful Thursday and we are thrilled to introduce Thread Bear and Michele Reeves as this week's special feature!
My name is Michele and I own and run Thread Bear - Hand Made Baby & Children Attire upon St Edwards Street in Leek. I was inspired by my grandmother Hilda, at the age of 9, to learn how to knit and crochet. I was fascinated with her knitting and crocheting turning large skeins of wool into lovely hand made garments for our family and her close friends. I was eager to learn how to follow in my grandmother’s footsteps and I can recall my first ever knitting lesson with her and since that time I have never looked back. Knitting and crochet is so therapeutic.
Following on from my childhood I have continued to knit and crochet throughout my life, but I never really revealed to anyone about my passion for knitting as I was shy, and I did not want my school friends to label me as being old-fashioned. To this day I still become excited about new wools and different haberdashery products that appear in the shops, markets and on-line stores of today. Since I have been knitting I have only ever concentrated on baby attire and the reason behind this is because as a knitter I always like to see light at the end of the tunnel quickly and as a result you do not have projects that take many weeks to achieve the end results.
In 2016 I watched a TV documentary regarding artisan traders which triggered an idea of mine to become an actual artisan trader with my knitting / crochet and since that documentary I have never looked back. I sought various “Makers Markets” within Staffordshire and Cheshire and selected the ones that I wished to stand at, I had to create a name for my artisan business and Thread Bear was born and off to market we went. Looking back at the first “Makers Market” I attended in 2018 to the present day my hobby of knitting has now turned into a business which continues to grow successfully. The items that I create for babies include blankets, cardigans, dresses, hats, booties, jumpers and the ever-popular Amigurumi Crochet toys which are all 100% hand knitted / crochet using the finest quality yarns including merino, alpaca, mohair, angora, acrylic etc. I was amazed at how many people from all walks of life were eager to purchase “handmade” clothes for their little ones. I use traditional knitting patterns passed down from my grandmother incorporating a modern twist to them. Everything I create is totally “one off” and therefore everything within the Thread Bear Shop is unique.
I am now well-known in Leek as I used to stand within the Tressel Market of Leek indoor market, eventually moving to a permanent stall within the Butter Market. During the pandemic in my “spare time” (being away from the Market) I taught myself how to dressmake and I have now introduced a portfolio of handmade dresses, shirts, dungarees etc and therefore I dressmake up to the age of 6. Since the announcement for the market refurbishment, I decided to bite the bullet and look for a more permanent location and I moved into a shop upon St Edwards Street (used to be the fabric shop). The shop has had a complete refurbishment, and it is now modern and fresh.
My mother Margaret is also a huge part of the Thread Bear journey however, she did not follow in my grandmother’s footsteps with knitting as she used to detest the sound of a pair of knitting needles “clinking” together, but she is extremely good at crochet, especially either the “Granny Squares” or the “African Flower” crochet patterns. Margaret is 94 years of age now and unfortunately since the COVID pandemic she has been diagnosed with dementia which is progressing. However, to this day she still creates some wonderful crochet granny squares and I am a very firm believer that if your mind is active with a hobby it gives the individual something to focus on. I keep thinking of different ideas for the shop all the time and we are both working together on new toys, as these become a treasured heirloom for your baby.
Thread Bear is currently open every Wednesday and Saturday plus the first Sunday of the month for the “Totally Locally” Market due to the fact that I still work fulltime for the NHS, eventually I will be open more days in the near future. I am currently working on my website, but customers can follow me on the Facebook / Instagram Pages “Thread Bear Hand Made Baby & Children Attire” or if they are interested in anything then to message me via the pages. The added bonus to the shop is that I now have a window which is changed on a monthly basis so customers can see my creations and “Dare to be Different”. Finally, if you or you know someone who is having a baby, or have little ones and wish to them to be dressed in Hand Made Clothing which is so unique then please spread the word, as everything created is different and at affordable prices.
Thank you to my valued customers supporting Thread Bear and I welcome aboard new customers too. I will also be introducing a Loyalty Bonus Scheme and a Christmas Club soon.
Let’s all give Michele and Thread Bear the support they deserve!