Sarah’s photo
Show Notes
Episode 26 Sarah Stamm from Salisbury and Maude: On Creativity, Courage and Making Things That Matter
From a childhood surrounded by wool and fabric to a celebrated handmade brand in regional Victoria — this is Sarah's story.
Today on Tell Me Over Tea I am sitting down with the lovely Sarah Stamm — the founder and creative director of Salisbury and Maude, a beautiful Australian brand known for its handcrafted artworks, botanical wreaths, quilts, knitting and fine art prints.
I found Sarah the way I find most good things — over on Instagram, where all the lovely creators are. And if you haven’t been over to have a look at her work yet, I want you to go the moment this episode is done, because it really is just so gorgeous.
What drew me to Sarah wasn’t just the beauty of what she makes — though it truly is stunning. It’s the way she makes it. Everything is bespoke. Every piece is released exclusively through Instagram and Facebook. She doesn’t have a website. She doesn’t take custom orders. There’s a quietness and an intention to the way Sarah works that feels very much at home here on Tell Me Over Tea.
Sarah grew up the youngest of four children in Albury, with a mother who could spin, knit, weave and draw — a woman who made something beautiful out of whatever she had, always with joy, never as a chore. That love of making was woven into Sarah early, and it never left her.
After more than 25 years in the world of interiors — from Westfield shop fits to magnificent old farmhouses across regional Victoria and New South Wales — something called Sarah back to making things with her own hands. Back to fabric. Back to craft. Back to the slower, more deliberate work of creating something from nothing.
And Salisbury and Maude was born — right there in the beautiful little town of Beechworth, where it still lives today.
In this episode we go right back to the beginning — to the little girl who painted everything she could get her hands on, to the teacher who let her borrow a Brett Whiteley book from her private library, to the sliding door moment that brought Sarah to Melbourne instead of Perth, and to the day she looked around at a room full of inherited fabric and decided to make her very first quilt.
We also talk about the nine weeks she and her husband spent camping across Europe in 2024 — no plan, 8,000 kilometres, and a boot full of the most beautiful, sourced fabrics. And we talk about what it means to make something by hand and stitch a little of yourself into every single piece.
This is such a warm and wonderful conversation. I think you’re going to love Sarah.
Sarah’s photo
A little something from this episode to take with you...
“I looked at what I had — not what I didn’t have. And what I had was fabric.”
And this, about her quilts:
“When you’re feeling lonely or missing home — just wrap yourself in your quilt, and I’ll be close.”
Sarah’s photo
Where to find Sarah:
Instagram & Facebook: @salisburyandmaude(This is the only place you’ll find her — and it’s well worth the visit)
If you enjoyed this episode, follow Tell Me Over Tea wherever you listen, and if you feel inclined, leave a little review — it helps more story-lovers find their way here:)
Kim x
Where to find me:
✨I write, on Substack, a weekly newsletter, you can subscribe to that here: Betty Mae Wrote newsletter. It’s the space where I share stories (both mine and other people’s) and it’s also a way of keeping up to date with all things Betty Mae Wrote, Little Life Stories, Lovely Letters and the podcast.
✨To find out more about my memory writing program, Little Life Stories you can do that here: Little Life Stories
✨I’ve created a simple and beautiful starting point for your own storytelling: The Five Minute Memory List.It’s a short, exercise (a cuppa’s worth), to help you gather memories and begin. It’s fun and easy peasey and it’s something you can use in your letter writing, journaling and personal life writing. You can grab that by subscribing to my newsletter (you’ll find it in the welcome letter one you’ve signed up): here
✨The Tea + Toast Letter Club! A little moment to pour yourself a cuppa, find a comfy spot, and enjoy a letter (and some other goodies) in the mail every month. You can read more about it here. Oh, and from July on, there will be an extra special little gift waiting for one lucky duck subscriber. A ‘golden ticket’ will be tucked inside one envelope. Who will July’s ticket finder be?
✨If you’d like to get back into the gorgeous slow soothe of letter writing, please know you are always welcome to join: The Lovely Letters Project (it’s free!)
✨Or if you simply need a good old sticky beak around the place, please head on over here to the website:www.bettymaewrote.com
✨Oh and if you’re an Instagram type, be sure to follow me on Instagram: @bettymaewrote
Written and hosted by Kim, founder of Betty Mae Wrote — a slow-living space for letter writing, memory keeping, and everyday storytelling, from a tin cottage on the Far South Coast of NSW.
Music: Kim on the uke;) Rattling teacups – also KimProduction and Editing: Surprise, surprise, guess who? Yep! Kim again!
Art by Lewis Dillon (thanks, Lew!)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bettymaewrote.substack.com
