Mrs Campbell runs Clementine and Thread, a yarn-dying and embroidery stall at Olive Tree Markets. 

But the success of the business, Mrs Campbell said, has its roots in a shift right down in the heart of the west.

“There’s value and understanding in the hand-made market,” she said.

“The process is important, we want to say we’ve knitted or woven this hat or scarf or cowl. 

“Part of it is what’s expected in a western culture.

“You want something that someone’s hands have been involved with through love, care and desire – not child labor.”

And while she spends much of her time searching for shades between aqua and teal, she said her work is satisfying on a personal level.

“One of my strongest memory is my mother as a utilitarian maker,” she said. 

“She can make anything, but only if you need it. 

“As a headstrong tween I spent some pocket money on embroidery thread and my mother was horrified. She just couldn’t see the point of it.

“Making beautiful things, as a calming and meditative process, has always appealed to me.” 

Clementine and Thread came about as a way of helping her friends get started in the craft. 

“It came from a need to find a pattern different than what Nanna offered you 50 years ago,” she said.

“People are increasingly discovering that working with crappy material makes them less likely to enjoy it and less likely to finish.

“[People] value their time and also value the process.”

Mrs Campbell acknowledged the hand-made, boutique market is all too often geared to those in the slicker suburbs. 

She said she works to make her embroidery kits accessibly priced to give as many people the opportunity to find enjoyment in her thread.

Clementine and Thread will be at the Olive Tree Market’s Autumn meeting at Maitland Regional Art Gallery on April 23 from 9am until 2pm.