Nikki Hufton, Derbyshire based Success Coach, interviews her dear friend Sandi Millichip-Massocchi about her passion – making memories for people and celebrating important events in their life.
Sandi, what are your earliest memories with regards to sewing?
My grandfather was an outstanding tailor, and when I was a child, I would spend hours looking at his sample books, which gave me a love of tweeds and heavy materials. To this day I still cherish a pair of his crimping shears.
What is the first thing you sewed?
I spent hours designing and making patterns for clothes for my Barbie dolls. Then, in secondary school I made my first outfit, a skirt and blouse, after which I started knitting and sewing my own clothes. When my daughter was born prematurely, I would come home from hospital and make her something to wear for the next day. Once she was in school, I studied for a City and Guilds in interior design.
How did you start your business ‘Family Comforts’?
It was inspired by one of the most precious people in my life; my caring, loving, wonderful Dad. Gordon was born in 1926, the youngest of five children, in a terraced house in Hayfield. He lived there until joining the Royal Corps of Signals in 1944, and was posted to Belgium to pick up Morse code messages from the enemy. He led a very interesting and exciting life. In 2010 our family moved to Cardiff; and a year later we were joined by my Dad. Unfortunately, he became quite frail and I gave up my job to become his carer for over four years. It was an honour to look after him and hands down, the best job I’ve ever done, nothing will come close to it. Sadly, he passed away two years ago. Being such a smartly dressed gentleman, my father was always wearing a smart shirt and colourful tie, and I therefore inherited a large selection of his colourful ties.
Not long afterwards I was commissioned to make a Memory Bear from a child’s school uniform. This was such fun that I decided to investigate further into bear making; I enrolled on a heritage bear course, which in turn inspired me to go down the road of becoming a bear artist. Then came the ‘Eureka’ moment when it became obvious what to do with my father’s ties… turn them into a Memory Bear for myself! And so, Gordon Bear was born! I put his picture on Facebook and had an overwhelming response for orders - and so Family Comforts was created.
Do you just make Memory Bears?
Family Comforts has now developed beyond Memory Bears. Firstly, I introduced a number of different animals to my collection, which has grown to the menagerie I have today, consisting of elephants, foxes, rabbits, unicorns, horses, dogs, dinosaurs and dragons. The bears can be ordered customised to suit the customer’s wishes. At the moment I’m in the process of making wall mounted animal heads.
What are the most popular materials your bears are made from?
The majority of bears are made from the clothing of loved ones using a familiar dress, suit or even a football shirt that reminds the family of someone they have lost, which I know provides great comfort and helps them remember much happier times. Also, I use horse and dog blankets for those who want a memory of their animals.
I also have many orders from babies’ first clothes and I can weight them to equal what their birth weight was! I also use wedding outfits and school uniforms, as well as more recently, Armed Forces uniforms.
Have you found that you have been unable to make a bear from a particular piece of material?
So far, I’ve been able to make a Family Comfort from every type of material sent to me, from denim jeans to chiffon blouses! I’ve used items such as winter coats, tweed jackets, scarves, woolly gloves, bed socks, dressing gowns, shirts, and even wedding dresses.
What do you enjoy most about making Family Comforts?
I am so passionate about all the animals I create for my customers and feel very honoured to be entrusted with their loved one’s clothing. I know how much my Gordon Bear means to me and my family and I therefore put the same care and love into each bear I create.
Taking them back to their ‘forever homes’ and seeing the smiles and tears of my customers is priceless to me.
How can someone order a Family Comfort from you?
I can be contacted by either phone, email, Facebook, Instagram or my website. Once an order has been placed, I always have an in-depth design consultation to ensure each Family Comfort is unique to your own specification. I am always interested in the background of the person I’m making the Family Comfort of so I can visualise that person’s character and capture their uniqueness within the final creation.
Tell us about your involvement with the charities you support?
For every Family Comfort I make I donate 5% to a nominated charity. Over the last 12 months I’ve raised over £1,000 to City Hospice and £40 to Valley of the Hospice. Other charities I am involved with are Noah’s Ark and the military charity The Not Forgotten Society.
About Sandi
Sandi Millichip – Massocchi is an accomplished artist, designer and crafter with over 40 years experience of making unique products that families can treasure. If you’d like more information about Family Comforts, you can contact Sandi on 07984 741447, email her at sandi.millichip-massocchi@family-comforts.co.ukor see her Facebook page @itssewwoolly-family comforts and you can also order through the website.
Comments