Nanna's Touch sole trader Sue Murdoch specialises in sensory products and disability support.

She has been an avid sewer for 15 years with her strings attached to a family business.

"My mum had Spillets Sew and Craft for 20 years and then my sister-in-law took over it as Lithgow School Wear and Haberdashery and Lithgow Embroidery," Sue said.

Sue was part of the business and helped out until she had her children and began making items and selling them at markets.

"My friend and I did the markets together and that started because her daughter had just had twin preemie babies so we were making clothes for them and while they were in Nepean hospital a lot of people were asking where the clothes were from," she said.

Sue and her friend then did markets from Leura right through to Richmond under the business name Nanna's Touch.

"We called ourselves Nanna's Touch because we're both Nanna's."

Sue dispersed doing market stalls when she gained custody of her grandson who was diagnosed with autism.

"That put me on the path of learning about sensory products and how they can help.

"It had been awhile since I was making and selling products but I thought I may as well try use the Nanna's Touch name and my friend was okay with that," she said.

For the past eight years Sue has been making sensory items for people living with special needs.

Some of the sensory items she makes include weighted blankets, marble mazes, weighted toys and pocket fidgets.

Sue also does clothing alterations and makes place mats, bags and when Covid-19 hit she started to make masks.

"Most of the time clients come to me and ask me if I can do this and I say look, I'll give it a go," she said.

She said while she had a few items on hand, 90 per cent of the time she was making a product specifically for a person.

"We worked together to actually find out what they like in fabrics and design.

"With weighted products you've got to work with the client to work out what the use is for, what size we need etc."

She said for weighted items she would sew pellets into pockets so they are even.

"You've got to know the use for it [the pellets] if it's only 10 per cent of their body weight they're using it for a blanket but if it's a vest it's only 5 per cent, so you have to work really one on one with each client," she said.

Sue also makes weighted items for school kids including vests and small blankets.

"These can sit across their lap and help settle them down.

"Schools are becoming more aware of these products which is great," she said.

Sue sources her pellets from a company in Tamworth and her fabrics from companies that her parents and sister-in-law used when they were in business.

"While I don't source my materials locally, the proceeds of what I do get goes into helping me pay for resources I need for the support group I run," she said.

"I try and make my products as cheap as possible, I'm not here to make a profit."

When she's not busy making sensory items, Sue runs a 'Community Connections' support group at the Seventh-Day Adventist church hall.

"We do the groups every Thursday and I've expanded it to not be just for people with special needs, but it's for everyone because there's such a diverse group of people that need support," she said.

She said anyone was welcome to come along between 10am and 2pm and it was a gold coin donation to participate.

"The door is open for anyone who wants to have a chat and we're slowly setting up stations of activities so people can break the ice of starting a conversation, you start the conversation with an activity so it's more relaxed and more at ease."

Sue said Covid-19 had caused some disruption to the support group and she planned to organise a re-connection day when restrictions lift some more.

"I can't wait for everything to get back to normal," she said.

Sue said her passion of her work was knowing that she made products to help individuals and she had a passion for all inclusiveness.

"It doesn't matter where you fit in society we can all come together as one and work together to support each other in different ways," she said.

Nanna's Touch can be found on Facebook.

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