Magpie Belfast

Magpie is a Belfast based crafting business run by Shanti McAllister . It started life in a Stitch & Bitch group in 2009 based on a mutual desire to find time to craft with friends and a love of upcycling.

Magpie Belfast started out making and selling hand-crafted goods from re-found materials. The business has evolved over the past few years and I now focus on helping other people unleash their own creativity, mostly through my sewing classes, but also through workshops for kids and adults alike.

My creative values are expressed in my business name and motto, "Magpie Belfast: lovingly found, foraged and crafted". Like a Magpie I can’t help but collect things. I hate being wasteful and believe that junk can often be turned into something beautiful with a little love and some imagination!

Magpie's inspirations:
The mend-and-make-do attitude inherited from my parents and grandparents
My love of upcycling – turning waste into useful and beautiful items
My HUGE hoard of craft and haberdashery materials
Donations from friends and family that allow me to keep my hoard well-stocked!
Design aesthetics drawn from my multi-cultural background and travels throughout the rest of the world.

The materials for my own projects come from things I find in charity shops, beach combing excursions, donations from friends and relatives and things I’ve hoarded for years because I just knew they’d come in useful one day! Everything I make has a history – a family tree -which I think makes each item even more special.