IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE that a year ago, Rebekah Sansbury was not aware she was really good at sewing. But the nearly 9000 dedicated Instagram followers and 40 custom orders weekly are proof that her designs and sewing are good enough to share. It wasn’t until her gorgeous little man Marlow was about three months old that the vivacious 26-year-old mum from Dicky Beach decided to give sewing a try with the hope she could create something unique for her son. “I was a new mum and had this amazing little baby that I was so proud of, but I couldn’t find any outfits I loved enough that really showed him off,” she says. A pair of tiny shorts and one month later, her second “baby” Marlow & Mae was born. The little fellow, now one year, was the reason Rebekah “gave Marlow & Mae a go”. She wanted to spend every spare second admiring his tiny fingers and toes, the funny faces he made, and snuggling into his precious little body. So she dedicated her maternity leave to lots of late nights and hard work setting up a home studio, creating a social media presence and designing and creating unique, quality clothing for babies. “To be honest, I don’t even know what I was thinking sometimes,” she says. “He was so young when I decided to launch Marlow & Mae, but what I did know was that I didn’t want to ever go back to full time work and leave him. I have some incredible ladies in my mothers’ group and there are other girls there who have started up businesses with young babies so I had their support. They showed me it was possible and I went with it. “Becoming a mum and starting a business are two huge things and it was never really my plan to juggle them both at the same time.” Rebekah says her days are full to overflowing. Marlow is not a good sleeper and is full of energy. “He’s usually up at 4.30am and goes down for a nap at 9am, then its playtime and we squeeze in a trip to the post office before another nap,” she says. “My husband gets home from work at 3pm, which is great, so I generally head into my studio then or sew when Marlow’s asleep or at night. It’s really busy but I love it. “It’s funny because I always thought being a work-from-home mum would be glamorous. It isn’t!” Rebekah is a natural go-getter and says she felt she has all the ingredients to succeed, including a supportive husband. But she did not expect the snowball to get so big, so fast. “I love that what I create is a little alternative,” she says. “I’ve always enjoyed creating things with my hands and seeing all these tiny outfits makes me so proud. I feel so happy when I pass someone on the street or at the beach and they are wearing one of my creations.” Having lived by the beach on the Sunshine Coast all her life, Rebekah says she takes a lot of inspiration from the simplistic beauty around her. “It’s such an amazing place to bring up a family,” she says. “Marlow has so many little friends so we are always catching up for >
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