Inspirational stories
05
Jo Southall modelling the jewellery she has made including, necklaces and bracelets for her hobby, Purl Beads
Purl Beads, to re-home it all.
Jo said:“I just made more jewellery
than I could wear and it gave me a
way of re-homing jewellery. Then
people started asking for me to
make personal items for them. These
commissions is what gave me a
purpose when my disability held me
back.”
Jo’s own experience of disability
has given her the motivation to
make other people’s disabilities
more manageable using her talent in
crafting jewellery.
“I have designed zip aids, which is
a metal key ring attached to a zip to
help people with arthritis. I have also
designed magnetic clasps. Although I
use simple and childish designs, most
people who have bought them find
them fashionable.”
Jo’s help to other disabled people
“...I strongly believe disabled
people should be able to buy
fashionable products that
help them, like the zip aids I
designed.”
hasn’t gone unnoticed. Jo commented
on how she gets many people
thanking her for creating just a
simple item with effective use.
“I have a friend with severe arthritis
in her hands who was beyond grateful
that I offered to make these for her.
Then I thought “Why not offer them
to the general public?” I strongly
believe disabled people should be
able to buy fashionable products that
they can use to help them with their
disability, like the zip aids I designed.”
Jo likes to describe her hobby as
“unique jewellery for unique people”
and “not off the shelf and only comes
in one colour.”
Jo explains that how her hobby
is not a profit-seeking enterprise
but focuses on creating something
personal, fashionable and helpful for
everyone.
“It’s about inspiration and not
about money at all. I didn’t break
even until after the first two years of
crafting.”
Because of this, Purl Beads is not
an easy hobby to do as Jo crafts in
between studies and on a budget.
“My advice to anyone interested in
creating a craft business, or hobby,
is to simply be patient. Be prepared
to not make a profit. In other words
make sure you can craft on a budget,
and definitely make sure you are
passionate about crafting because it
can be quite time consuming.”
Jo intends to carry on with crafting
jewellery for Purl Beads in between
her studies but she has aspirations to
officially start her social enterprise
later this year, after she graduates
from the University of Northampton,
along with inspirational plans to
build on her hobby and offer craft
lessons to local children.
Jo has also expressed that she is
thinking of expanding the line of
jewellery she currently makes into
fashionable and unique watches, with
the idea to make the strap watch from
scratch (using any material that the
buyer wishes) but buying the watch
face separately as it’s much more
trickier to craft by hand.
Jo Southall’s Facebook page for her
hobby, Purl Beads, can be found at:
facebook.com/PurlBeads