WORKROOM
A walk in the woods, a casual college class and
newborns have all diverted HEATHER BAILEY from
what she thought was professional pre-destiny.
International success was the result. By Susan HurleyT
his is how it all began for Heather Bailey. “When
I was eight, my family and I went on a vacation
to the mountains. At some point in the stay,
my father parked near a trailhead and left the vehicle
to investigate whether he wanted to explore this area or
move on. My mother was in the van with us, knitting in
the front seat. My father was gone for what seemed like
forever to me, and I was incredibly bored. I eventually
asked my mom if she would show me how to knit.
Instead, she pulled out a crochet hook and taught me
the basic single crochet stitch. Before my dad was back
to the van, my Barbie had a brand-new skirt.”
Now skip forward in time and you’ll discover that
Heather’s dad’s tardiness in the woods that day ledto her future success with fabric, sewing and
embroidery patterns, artwork, accessories designs,
homewares and stationery, selling worldwide.
Good ’ol dads!
Admittedly, there was some simple sewing in primary
school, which progressed to clothes construction and
then quilting before graduation. But the seeds had been
sown, so to speak, in those long listless minutes in the
car, waiting, waiting, years before.
And it seems that once Heather Bailey gets the bit
between her teeth, she gallops with it. Along the track,
she has also added ceramics, silversmithing, stained
glass, painting and illustration to the list of her creative
credentials. “My favourite hobby is Learning NewWelcome to my
88 Homespun