By day you might find Matt Caley getting to grips with a chainsaw on a country park, but by evening you’ll find him at the sewing machine, transforming old canvas tents into unique handmade bags. Here, he explains how a hobby has turned into something much more
I’ve always had hobbies – even if I do have three children and two quite mad spaniels! Hobbies have usually taken me to the end of the garden, where the shed is, but during the winter of 2022/23 I wanted to change that (I was fed up with going out in the cold, wet and dark). So…an indoor hobby was needed: nothing messy, something I could dip in and out of (that bit is a bit of a joke now – I’m so busy I’m constantly at the sewing machine every evening). I’ve always admired my mother-in-law’s sewing, so I thought I would have a go at that! I bought a heavy duty sewing machine, as I had been given an old canvas tent that I thought I could use for some projects.
When did you first have the idea for Reworked Canvas and what is the thinking behind it?
To be honest, it just happened. I started making a few bags for the family and then it just evolved. My wife Anna suggested I do a few craft fairs with the bags I was making. I wasn’t sure – I thought ‘who is going to buy these?’ After a couple of very successful fairs, talking to people about turning the old tents into bags, this completely changed my mind! When I realized people really like the bags, I thought ‘go for it, let see what happens’, so I started booking in more fairs and markets, and with that the sewing continues well into the night.
What were you doing before (or what are you doing as well as)?
I manage a country park in Norwich, so by day I’m mowing or out with the chainsaw. I do find the sewing machine quite relaxing come evenings.
Where do you source the tents?
So, the tents are all old canvas, most will be over 50 years old, and tend to come with a lot of metal poles – which, compared to modern tents, are very heavy and not very compact. Unfortunately, that makes them unused a lot of the time, and they sit at the back of the shed or garage waiting to be taken to the dump. The old canvas still has decades of life left in it, and can be repurposed into other things – in my case literally bags for life!
What do you rework the canvas into?
At the moment, it is just shopper bags. I think the size of them is just right – not too deep that the shopping at the bottom gets squashed! People love guessing where the handles come from!
Where can people find your products? Where are you based?
I am covering a lot of markets and craft fairs this year. We will be at markets in Wymondham, Reepham, and Holt. Some of the craft fairs we will be at are Mundesley, Aylsham, Burnham Market and lots in between. We have just launched a website which should make it easy to see where we will be over the year.
Would you like to name check your little helper?
One of my cocker spaniels is called Bear, he’s chocolate! And usually found in the armchair next to me at the sewing machine.
What are your dreams for your business?
This is a hard one to say, as I didn’t originally have any ideas of setting up a business and spending my weekends at craft fairs and markets, but I am glad I have done because the people you meet along the way are all lovey to chat to and makes a great end to the week and a great start of the next.
Reworked Canvas will be appearing at Wymondham Farmers’ Market on Saturday March 16, from 9am to 1pm. Visit Reworked Canvas, @reworkedcanvas on Instagram and Reworked on Folksy.
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