About

Hi there makers and welcome to Material Difference. I’m Juanita, the solo owner of this little Aussie biz, based in Melbourne.

Fabrics and sewing are my passion. I have been sewing since
the age of 10, thanks to many creative and talented women in my life and a very
patient Mum who somehow found the tolerance to teach me to sew. Back then the
only options were Big 4 patterns, a few large chain fabric stores, and a whole lot of trial and error.

I spent my childhood years experimenting with sewing and making
my own clothes, soft toys and anything I could dream up. As an adult,
motherhood took over and I mostly only had the time for repairs and last-minute
Book Week or Halloween costumes. As my four children grew, I finally had time
to invest more time in my love of sewing and started teaching small groups of
children. That passion even made its way into my day job as a teacher, where I
taught sewing in Design and Technologies - let’s just say, teaching 25
ten-year-olds to sew all at once was a wild ride!

It was in 2019 that my daughter’s friend asked if I could
make her some scrubs as she had recently graduated as a nurse. I loved the idea
of fun and colourful scrubs, and soon after I discovered the joy of Material
Difference fabrics – not only were they vibrant and unique, but the quality was
simply outstanding. I slowly grew my little Etsy shop and my customers knew they could wash those scrubs over and over again, and the quality would never fade.

When the chance to purchase Material Difference
unexpectedly came up in 2024, I took the leap and bought it. Since then I have learnt so much about small business, the challenges of managing a website and the
highs and lows of ecommerce in an economically challenging era.

Now it’s a curated space for makers who love bold, beautiful, high-quality
fabric. I am privileged to work with amazing artists and am all about building a supportive, creative sewing community. It’s a fun, chaotic little corner of the web and I am thrilled to have you here.

Enjoy browsing our selection of beautiful fabrics and enjoy those magical,
sewing moments!

Happy sewing, Juanita xx