About us

About Us

Welcome to Hutton Homewares & Toys!

My name is Tansy Hutton, and I am the sole creator behind Hutton Homewares & Toys, Based in Southland, NZ, I take pride in handcrafting every product with passion and care. From aprons to wheat bags each item reflects my enthusiasm for high quality and creativity.

My Story

I was born and raised in Dunedin, NZ where my Mum and Gran instilled a love of sewing and craft from a young age. When I finished high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I loved sewing, animals, and science. A very smart woman (my Mum) told me to just do something I enjoy, and figure it out as I go. So, I started a science degree at Otago University… turns out the lectures were only fun if I took hand sewing with me. I took a leap of faith and applied for Otago Polytechnic School of Design, and got in! The, degree years were hard, but by the end of it I had learned so much, and fallen in love with the creative process. I even got chosen to showcase my graduate collection at Dunedin’s iD fashion week which was such an amazing experience. Upon graduation I worked in a bridal shop as a bridal seamstress, this was fun, but not where I wanted to spend my life.

Then my husband walked into my life and it was an easy decision to move to Southland to be with him and give farm life a go. Well, I fell in love with not only my husband, but Southland, and farm life! The last wedding dress I’ll ever make was my own back in 2017. That was the same year I started what was then known as ‘Hutton Homewares’. I made wheat bags, and only wheat bags.

As the years have gone on, I gradually expanded my range to where it is today – and its still growing. In 2021 I made nearly 3000 face masks, this pushed me to take my business to the next level, as well as showing me just how much I could achieve.

I gave birth to my sons in 2019 and 2021, and they drove me to begin working on my children’s range. Being able to see what they could use and enjoy was a big inspiration for me, and Freddie wanting to be a dinosaur for day cares book dress up day is the reason we have the truly awesome dinosaur tails today.

Today, our family of four lives and runs a beef farm in Southland. We have 3 dogs, 1 pet cow, 1 donkey, 3 goats, and small flocks of chickens, ducks, and geese. I am in heaven!

I am lucky enough to be able to be a stay-at-home mum, which means I can grow and expand my business, in amongst farm work, pet care, and of course most importantly (to me) being a Mum.

What Sets Us Apart

At Hutton Homewares & Toys, it is important to me that product we make are well made, this means we use quality, hard wearing fabrics.

I use heavy weight cottons where I can which means that wheat bags, draft stops and door stops will stand up to the rigors of daily use.

I use double layering for our aprons to both give a finish that looks crisp, as well as reinforcing any joins or pocket attachment – especially important with kid’s aprons.

I also choose to use local suppliers for our wheat, which means it goes from farm to wheat bag in a nice short supply chain. Sometime we are even able to source it from our direct neighbor – how awesome is that?

My Mission

My mission is to create beautiful, functional items that spark joy and bring a sense of personality to your home. I want to ignite children’s imagination with my dress up tails, crowns and wands, and give them a sense of importance with my personalised bunting and birthday crowns.

Get in Touch

I value every customer and am always here to help. Feel free to reach out to me at tansy@huttonhomewares.com, or message me on Instagram @huttonhomewaresandtoys with any questions or special requests. Thank you for supporting my passion and for choosing Hutton Homewares & Toys!

Warm Regards,

Tansy Hutton