Mumma Got Skills: How young mums are tapping into creativity with babies

Arts teacher Carlie Daly has come up with a crafty idea to give new mothers time out with others by tapping their creative side.

As she sat breastfeeding baby Ziggy, Carlie Daly started imagining.

She imagined what it would be like to get a group of mothers together who didn’t spend their time comparing each other’s babies.

She imagined women making educational toys and teething aids for their little ones in a soothing environment.

She imagined being able to help mums who were in need of extra support in the months after giving birth.

And so Mumma Got Skills was born. The big-hearted business, which launched in June 2018, runs craft workshops for mums and bubs across Brisbane where women can engage in simple tasks that take their mind off what’s going on with their baby.

Carly Daley started Mumma Got Skills, a craft group for new mothers that encourages them to bring their babies along. Photo: Russell Shakespeare

“I had always felt my creative side provided relief from overthinking things. It was through doing crafty projects that I realised my mind became quiet and this helped me get through difficult times.”

In creating her workshops, the qualified art teacher strives to “get away from traditional mothers’ groups” and teach mums new skills.

“I love running craft workshops and connecting with women during the post-natal period and helping them reconnect with who they are as individuals,” she says.

“I find a lot of the time women with high-powered careers can be quite thrown by having a baby, but by making something, the focus is not on the baby and how everything is going. The post-natal support comes through in a very organic way.”

A Mumma Got Skills crafting group in Brisbane.

Carlie, 33, who also teaches part-time at Ashgrove’s St Finbarr’s Primary School, lives in Annerley but runs the workshops from her parents’ house at Kelvin Grove.

Women sign up for a six-week course with their bubs and can choose to make everything from toys and earrings to Christmas baubles.

“In the hectic nature of being a mum, the craft is something you can achieve in a short amount of time and it brings an immense amount of satisfaction.

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“Your house might be a mess but you can come to the workshops, zone out and feel proud.”

Keen to give back to the community, Carlie makes sure a portion of each workshop’s proceeds funds a workshop spot for new mums who need a bit of help to get involved, and from November she is also taking workshops into the Mater Mothers’ Hospital to help expectant mums on bed rest.

Mumma Got Skills crafting group.

She has received help in building her business through the Elevate + Social Enterprise Accelerator Program, supported by Brisbane City Council.

The council has committed $200,000 over four years to support the development of new and emerging social enterprises like Mumma Got Skills, and Carlie has already started making plans to expand her operation next year.

“I’m looking at how I can get out to remote communities to offer services to new mums who may not have access to the same support as city mums,” she says.

“Skills workshops are a time where you can refocus attention and simply breathe. I want everyone to be able to feel the benefit.”