Handmade wool jumpers in high demand as Victoria’s winter bites

Owner Tracey Kersten said the cold winter had brought both local and Melbourne customers to her shop’s doorstep looking for wool jumpers.

“We are having a hard time keeping up with pure wool jumpers for children,” she said.

“I’ve actually got quite a number of families coming from Melbourne to buy knitted stuff from us because they can’t find it anywhere else.”

Because of the high demand for Ms Kersten’s products, she has decided to expand her shop, as well as start selling her items online.

“Things are starting to pick up a bit more and people are asking ‘can you go online?’ so that they don’t have to drive all the way from Melbourne to purchase the things,” she said.

“We’re hoping to get an office space available later this year.

“Hopefully by Christmas, definitely, we will have a website available.”

Ms Kersten opened Made With Love by Tracey in 2021, and she said the business did well despite COVID-19 because people started knitting as a hobby.

“Knitting became quite popular during COVID because it wasn't an overly expensive craft to pick up, and you only needed a few supplies,” she said.

“If you only ever made a scarf, well, it didn't really matter if that's all you ever made during COVID.”

Ms Kersten said fibre work was a great hobby, and there was no shame in being a beginner.

“No such thing as a stupid question,” she said.

“Everyone's got to start somewhere and don’t feel embarrassed.

“If you think it’s a silly question, just come in and ask — we don’t mind.”

Made With Love by Tracey is a handmade children’s clothing store and a gift shop, but it also sells wool supplies and crafting materials such as knitting needles, crochet hooks, cross-stitch patterns and more.

“My mum used to own the material shop (Fabrics ’n’ More) up the street, so I used to make a few children’s clothes up there to sell, and they just got really, really popular,” Ms Kersten said.

“I thought, ‘well, I might as well open my own store’.

“My mum and my grandmother taught me how to sew and how to knit, and we've always done it.”

Ms Kersten found her passion for fibre work when she was about five or six years old.

“It’s just something that our family has always done,” she said.

“I probably started knitting again when I was in Year 11 and 12 at high school doing a few bits and pieces; my mum had opened the store by then.

“I was making a few bits and pieces for her store, and it’s just got to the point where I needed my own space.”

When Ms Kersten’s mother closed her shop, she started helping at Made With Love by Tracey by sewing all the handmade fabric kids’ garments.

“My grandmother used to come and help out watching the store for me while I was used to sew out the back,” she said.

“Now that my mum’s closed her shop, she does all the sewing for me.”

Ms Kersten said most garments took a week to complete, but some local knitters could make them in a quicker timeframe.

“There’s a few local ladies that also knit for me, they usually get a couple of jumpers made a week,” she said.

“It’s really fast!

“The sewn stuff, it might take us 45 minutes to an hour to make a garment.”

Ms Kersten’s business sponsors various events in Seymour, including the crafts area at the Seymour Show.

“We greatly appreciate their (locals’) support,” she said.

“Wool shops are closing down everywhere across the state, so if they don’t buy from locals, then unfortunately, the locals, just can’t stay open.”