Beth Morelli-Mae: reimagining kids’ fashion with preloved fabrics
In Edinburgh, one new Destasher member is quietly creating something very special.
Toddler mum Beth Morelli-Mae designs and makes beautifully bespoke children’s clothing under the name Sleepy Rabbit.
Beth with her creations at a recent market.
Each piece is thoughtfully sewn using entirely preowned materials, giving forgotten fabrics a new life. Guided by a desire to make clothing that lasts, her designs are adjustable to grow with the child and gender-neutral.
Here is her story, in her own words.
The early spark: growing up with sewing and creativity
My mum was a knitter and a sewist. She made my dresses when I was little, they had beautifully smocked bodices, with gathered skirts and puffy sleeves. I loved looking at them and I remember being amazed that she made them. I thought that was just really, really cool. We used to do lots of crafts together and make clothes for my dolls.
I was about 14 when my mum agreed to take me to the fabric shop. We picked out a pattern together, a little smock dress with gathered sleeves. We then picked out the fabric and all the little bits and bobs, and we spent an afternoon making this dress. Sewing clicked for me, I wanted to do it more.
Then, for Christmas, she bought me a proper grown up sewing machine. And I had that one ever since, until two months ago when it finally gave up the ghost.
Growing up, I spent a long time not really sewing at all. I went down lots of other creative avenues. I got into crochet for a bit, some drawing. But I've just always come back to sewing.
From new motherhood to creative business: the story behind Sleepy Rabbit
In 2022, my husband and I decided we wanted to leave London. We literally got out a map and started brainstorming a few places. We knew we wanted to be by the sea and my husband's mum lives in Edinburgh so we decided: let's move to Edinburgh!
About a month before we moved, I found out I was pregnant. We decided that I’d be a full-time mum for the first three years of the little one’s life.
Matteo was born in 2023. That first year was lovely but hard. Moving into a new place, not having a job, and suddenly being a mum all felt like a lot.
Towards Matteo’s first birthday, I started seeing a doctor and receiving therapy for postnatal OCD. Part of the discussion with my therapist was that I felt like I had lost my identity and needed to reconnect with my creativity. So, I started carving out a little bit of time to just go and be with myself.
I started doing illustrations, which wasn’t really connecting with me. But then I thought I’d get my sewing machine out and make some clothes for Matteo. And I remember one night just saying to my husband: Do you think I could make a little business where I sell kids clothes? And he said: Yeah, you definitely could!
Creating a slow fashion brand using preloved and secondhand fabrics
I decided to call myself Sleepy Rabbit because the first thing I ever made for Matteo was a little crochet bunny rabbit, and I mostly work when he is asleep. When I started, I listed a few things and had some sales from friends and family, which was really nice. Everyone was so supportive.
My original concept was made to order. So, while I was waiting for orders, I had no money to spend on fabrics. But I still wanted to experiment a bit more and play with ideas. So, I started using things I’d find at the charity shop which sparked my creativity even more. I think when you are working just with what’s already there, and digging up second hand things you wouldn’t find anywhere else, it’s really exciting. Sustainability is important to me too, as a mother I feel responsible for the future of the planet.
From then on, I decided to focus on one-off pieces from preloved fabrics. And that’s where Sleepy Rabbit is at the moment. Apart from elastic and thread, every piece of fabric I use is secondhand, whether leftover fabric, old bedding, quilts, garments from the charity shop. As long as it’s been pre-owned by someone else, I will turn it into toddler clothes!
Designing clothes for kids that are inclusive and gender-free
When you go into a kids clothing shop, you look on one side and it's all blue and on the other it’s all pink. Clothes have become so gendered that flowers and cats are for girls and more aggressive animals like lions and dinosaurs are for boys. This just doesn't really make any sense to me. Who decided all this?
I see Matteo developing his own little personality and sense of style, and I don’t want him to feel like he needs to be limited in what kind of things and colours he wears. I think boys look great in pink and girls look great in blue, and gender shouldn’t influence what we wear. So, I decided that Sleepy Rabbit would offer clothes that are not gendered. I don’t have a girls and boys section on my website. Everything is just listed in one place.
I also thought it was important to make clothes that will last, not only using sustainably sourced fabrics, but also reducing how many clothes my son goes through. On all the trousers I make, I add a large fully-enclosed hem. So, they start with turn-ups, and then over the year they can be folded down. They also have a comfortable wide elasticated waistband. It really works, my son has been wearing a pair of trousers for almost a year now.
Sourcing secondhand fabrics: charity shops and hidden gems
Visiting charity shops is definitely a part of daily activities. On a nice day, we’ll often walk down to the beach where there are loads of them. I’ll do a little shopping loop, and then we’ll go down to the beach for a run around.
I also use online platforms quite a bit, but it can be difficult sometimes to get a real sense of the materials. A lot of people on those big second-hand platforms aren’t actually selling second-hand fabrics. So, I have to be careful that I'm not buying something new from a shop.
Sometimes you find some real treasures. It's quite special when I find something that has been sitting in storage for decades. I think the best thing these forgotten textiles can be turned into is toddler clothes. Being a toddler is the most exciting thing. Everything's great, everything's fun. For old fabric to be worn by toddlers feels like it’s being given a burst of new life.
Patchwork, clashing prints and creative fabric mixing
I've always been a big fan of clashing patterns. I’ve sometimes gone out of the house with six different animal prints on me. It’s never too much. I love mixing colour.
I've got so much fabric and bags of scraps in my studio because I don’t throw anything away. I never go into my studio with a plan of what I am going to make. I often sit there and look at my boxes of fabric and get a feeling for what I want to make. Sometimes, there won’t be enough to make a whole pair of trousers, so that’s where the patchwork comes in. I use smaller bits of scraps to make appliqué motifs on items.
I've also made a few pairs of trousers with lots of different pieces of scraps just sewn together randomly. When lots of clashing scraps are put together, it always looks good. It kind of goes beyond matching because everything is different!
Balancing motherhood and sewing: a realistic creative routine
I'm lucky because Matteo still naps. I usually get a couple of hours to work on Sleepy Rabbit during the day. I'll get something going during his nap time. Then, later in the day, my husband does bathtime, bedtime, and tidies away toys from the day. So, as soon as dinner is done, I get sewing.
Then, my husband has a week off every four weeks. During that week, we put aside a few days for some family stuff, and the other days he'll be a full-time dad while I focus on Sleepy Rabbit.
Matteo is starting a playgroup in August, so I’ll have three whole mornings a week to really focus on making, which is very exciting. It feels like the right time for both of us!
What’s next for Sleepy Rabbit
I often get new sewing ideas. A few weeks ago, I made myself a bag which I find is the perfect mum bag. It's over the shoulder, it’s got pockets and compartments to put in snacks, wet wipes, everything you need for a toddler. And when you wear it on the side, it becomes like a handy little seat, taking a bit of the strain off when you’re holding your child. So, I’m thinking of using smaller scraps to start making and selling this mum bag.
Occasionally, I do a drop on my website of upcycled garments. I buy toddler clothing from charity shops and I fix any worn seams, missing buttons or holes. Then, using scrap fabric, I add fun appliqué motifs to them, sometimes covering stains. It’s really fun to do, and they often sell very quickly! A lot of stuff that ends up in charity shops doesn’t sell very well, so I try to pick and fix the items that no one else will buy.
Another thing that’s been going through my mind is how I’d love to teach people to sew. I could run little classes, maybe teach mums how to make, say, trousers for their child. I think there’s a nice connection that comes with making things for someone, especially your little one. So, I’d love to offer classes where I can teach mums to make little items for their kids.
Sewing really helped my mental health postnatal. Maybe it would be useful to other mums. It could be a chance to put some time aside for themselves and have that release into creativity.
Visit Sleepy Rabbit and follow Beth on Instagram.
Know someone working with materials in exciting, sustainable ways and/or making a difference in their community through craft? We’d love to feature their story. Get in touch at hello@destasher.co.uk.
