About Me

Hi there!

I'm Amanda - a classically trained Australian soprano, caffeine dependent, raising a family, and making your bespoke crochet orders from my home in South East London. I love mugs, jumpers, cozy blankets, classic novels, all music, opera/theatre/musicals, travelling, and getting out and walking in nature.

I spent my entire life dedicated to music, and teaching, but I've always been into my crafts. After the birth of our first child in 2016, sleep deprivation destroyed my ability to concentrate on cross-stitching, and so I turned to the handcraft that had always thwarted me: crochet!

I completed my first project, a brontosaurus lovingly dubbed Bruno, in only a few days, and I was hooked. Literally.

Fast forward to a lot of online friend encouragement, and I officially launched Leigh Leigh Gum Tree in 2018.

Thanks to a lot of support from a wonderful friend in Newcastle, and her beautiful photography, I found my niche, pivoting the business into specialising in bespoke and timeless crochet pieces, in a boho vintage style with plenty of botanic influence.

These days you'll find me busy crocheting the beautiful granny square bags throughout the year, but I love coming back to my wearable accessories, zero waste products, and seasonal decorations for Easter, Autumn, and especially Christmas! You'll find me making in my "office" (couch), shooting content while kneeling on the dining table, always surrounded by yarn, and accompanied by an excellent soundtrack or documentary. Or, let's be honest, Gilmore Girls. 

I'm a mum to two brilliant boys: a full-time carer to the youngest who was born in 2019 with an incredibly rare genetic condition. Crocheting is my outlet to a world where I am more than just a mum, a community where I get to use my own name and answer to my own achievements, experimenting and exploring an historic craft in a modern era with its vintage aesthetic. Where every hour of our family life is dominated by medical needs, crochet keeps me connected.

Making for others brings me incredible joy, and I feel very privileged to have handmade pieces which have travelled throughout the UK, as well as to Germany, Gibraltar, Canada, the USA, and Australia. 

I believe in the power of handmade, the lasting beauty of a piece which has the capacity to come out year on year, bringing delight, love, and happiness to its owner again and again. I hope to make for you one day too!