Sew Eco is an inspiring craft book by Ruth Singer. Its an excellent resource to have as it devotes a lot of space to providing information on just how you can make ethical and environmental choices about textiles. The book covers all kinds of aspects such as chemical treatments and dyes on fabrics, polluting manufacturing processes, where and how fibers are made or grown etc and breaks the information down into easy to digest tables, as well as detailed explanations. Are these factors something you are aware of when you craft and sew? if they’re not, you may find this an eye opening read.

As well as recycling and reusing fabric and trims being a smart choice, it also provides more of a creative challenge to your projects. Isn’t it satisfying giving something a new life as a practical piece you’ve made your self? Sew Eco will inform AND inspire you with its colorful layouts

Divided into home projects and fashion projects, the tutorials in this book will give you a starting point for making greener choices in your crafting, providing you with instructions for chair seat covers, laptop cases, curtains, lampshades, tea cozies, skirts, hats and lots more.

Even around our store you can see some thrifty creations made lovingly from reclaimed fabrics. A tablecloth turns into a tote, a ripped tea towel is rebirthed into a pot holder, old ties make a ruffled brooch and more!

train block puzzle

EverEarth toys are 100% eco friendly, from the materials they use, manufacturing processes, packaging and printing! They have over 45 years experience in the design and production of wooden toys, and ensure that their toys deliver fantastic play value as well as stimulate the child’s natural development. All the products are put through the most stringent internal testing, as well as through third party industry approved testing labs andmeeting the required international standards as a minimum. We are proud to have these fantastic toys in stock at Little Sparrow!

Balance Bike

Take a look at the bamboo Balance Bike – bamboo is one of the world’s best sustainable resources! Did you know it can produce 35% more oxygen and absorb 5x more green house gas than trees? These bikes are sturdy and are great for developing essential motor skills like balance and coordination that kids miss out on with tricycles and bikes with training wheels.

pull along block wagon

push-along activity centre

While you will appreciate EverEarth’s use of safe, clean water based paint (it saves 72,000 kgs of thinner and 20 tons of CO2 emissions a year!) your child will love the bright, rich colors, and the durable structure.

pull along duck and egg wagon

 pull along dog and bone wagon

doll house
The final box that EverEarth ticks is affordability – top quality toys that are kind to the earth and your wallet!

Felt Dahlia Brooch/Clip Workshop

Saturday June 9th, 12 – 4pm

$65 including materials & afternoon tea

Join Pilgrim for a relaxed afternoon working pure wool felt into a striking lapel brooch or hair accessory. These beautiful dahlias are deceptively easy and always draw compliments. Brighten up your winter wardrobe with a creation you’ve made just for you in a color of your choice. No sewing experience necessary!

Pilgrim has been bitten by the stitching bug and there’s been a tiny people population boom here at Little Sparrow! Meet some of the new folk you could adopt…

Right now these three are looking after some felt farm animals, but you could take them on any adventure you like!

There is even a sorcerer (and some hopeful apprentices!) If you’d like to weave your own magic and create some bendy little people we stock the raw materials for you to choose from: pure wool felt, wool fibre, and bendable wooden doll forms.

These people are all unique and won’t stay around long – we hope to see you soon!

Chances are, if you’ve been in to visit us at Little Sparrow you’ve admired the beautiful wooden rainbow puzzles we stock, like the one pictured at the top of the page. These are the work of SAMS handcrafts, a Melbourne husband and wife team producing colorful, high quality wooden toys. SAMS strive to use mostly recycled/reclaimed materials and breath new life into them with bright non-toxic coatings with a super smooth satin finish!

What began as a hobby for ex-science teacher Mike and book keeper Sue has turned into a full time business, as demand for their excellent products has grown. Aren’t these wooden pull along toys adorable? They simple, solid designs leave plenty to a child’s imagination and they contain no hidden nails or screws.

As well as pull along critters and push alongs like those pictured above we also stock SAMS blocks, trolleys, and all manner of vehicles: cars, trains, helicopters, trucks, airplanes and fire engines!

Phew! We’ve been so busy unpacking all our new goodies we haven’t had time for a blog post in a while. One of the fabulous new ranges we have in the shop is from Haba! 

For over 70 years Haba have been producing high quality toys and games in Bad Rodach, Germany. They use woods from sustainable beech and maple forests and water-based ecological solvent-free lacquers. Haba toys undergo continuous controls and careful inspection and often exceed safety standards! 

Haba offers excellent toys for all ages, so lets start at the beginning! On the left, practical dummy clips put an end to dusty dropped dummies. They clip onto baby’s shirt firmly and loop around the dummy handle. On the right, colorful wooden rattles and clutch toys for ages 6 mths+ offer a colorful distraction for tiny hands.

For the lets-preted toddler crowd we have beautiful wooden fruit and veg sets that come in string bags. Time for some pretend shopping!

Work on their fine motor skills with this clever threading kit: use the wooden “needle” to work the cord through a variety of wooden beads. We have two different sets, so choose your favorite shapes and get busy!

We love this hammer and tack set! How often do children get the chance to use a hammer safely? This set is recommended for 3+ but offers kids the chance to practice some careful hammering as they make a picture on a cork board using the tacks and the wooden shapes provided.

When the cat’s away the mice will dance on the table!  How many lazy mice can the cat catch in his cup? This game is recommended for 4+ and is a quick and entertaining diversion.

Diego Dragon Dart is a fiery game of skill for ages 5 and up! How many other games do you own that involve FIRE balls?

Lots more in store so pop in for a visit and take a closer look.

Hark! I hear trumpets heralding the arrival of some very nice costumes for young knights, lords and ladies! Handmade in Melbourne from reclaimed materials, we offer you a selection of knight’s tabards, hooded capes and a variety of splendid crowns!

Aren’t these capes pretty? Perfect for sleeping 100 years in, stealthing through forests to grandma’s house and so on.

And don’t forget to pick out a crown too!

Our bookshelves are well stocked with fabulous books to keep big and little idle hands busy these holidays. Above are a few ideas for younger crafters. Papercrafts and simple stitching can be a great opportunity for quality constructive time together, and won’t they be proud when they’ve made something “just like in the book!”

For older, sassier crafters (10+), why not start some crochet or more ambitious sewing projects? This is a great opportunity to encourage thriftiness working with reclaimed materials such as old socks, t shirts, spare buttons and so on.

And don’t forget to take some creative time for yourself, we have a great range of knitting, hand and machine sewing, crochet, felting, and philosophy books just ready to help you spend your down time in a productive, conscientious and fulfilling way!
Not confident on working from a book? Don’t forget Term 2 Workshops are starting in just a week! We hope to see you there.

Thursday 9 – 5

Friday closed

Saturday 10 – 5

Sunday closed

Monday closed

Tuesday 9 – 5

Don’t forget our wonderful range of chocolate-free Easter gifts!

Have a safe and wonderful Easter!

Check out these cuties – two custom order dolls headed for a childcare centre in NSW. Don’t forget with we can create any little person you need, just like this Japanese girl and African boy. We can even work from a photo of your little one to create their own unique friend. Give us a call for more information on custom doll orders!