Things,” she says by way of explanation
for the extraordinary number of strings
she has to her bow. “As such, I have
picked up a lots of skills over the years.”
Happenstance kicked in again
when Heather was at college, studying
medicine, but deciding to take a side
course in the History of Costume and
Pattern Design “for fun”. Medicine’s days
were numbered, she realised, thanks to
her supplementary study. So she made
the switch to Clothing and Textiles. Then,
the arrival of Heather’s fi rst child shortly
after graduating from college heralded
her fi rst tentative steps into making a
home-based business of her professional
craft training – starting a children’s hat
company, called Noggins, which gave her
a creative and professional outlet while
allowing her to stay at home. Trash Ties
hair accessories followed and was an
instant success.
“Within a few months of offering them
to boutiques around Hollywood, they
were in the hands of celebrities, making
appearances on TV shows and in movies
and being touted by top magazines,
such as InStyle, Glamour, Mademoiselle,
Seventeen and more. It was the easiest
transition ever.”
Then, one night, when refl ecting
on her love of sewing and design, it
occurred to Heather that most of her
contemporaries just didn’t ‘get it’ and
that there was a gaping hole in the
market – there simply weren’t products
out there geared to style-savvy young
women with modern taste.“I knew in an instant that I would
design products for my peers. The
industry, at the time, was hurting and
lost, not sure how to expand into a young
generation. When I hit the scene with my
fi rst collection, Freshcut, the stars aligned.
Sewing and creativity has now hit this
generation hard, as evident throughout
the internet, on blogs, on Pinterest,
on Etsy and more.”
And that success, in a nutshell, is why
we are showing you not one but two
workspaces for Heather Bailey. Her
business demands joint working locations- one offi ce from home and the offi cial
online store offi ce.
The unifying factor in the dual
workspaces is the sense of Heather’s
glorious sense of colour and very
personal style.
“In the studio areas of my home and
offi ce, I defi nitely wanted colour,” she
says, “but nothing so strong as to
infl uence my artwork when I’m in design
mode. For my home studio, the walls
are a soft pink. At my offi ce, they are
a light celery green.
“I feel blessed to have a business that
allows me to work from home as well as
away from home as needed. I can custom-
tailor each day, shuffl ing work and family
life together to the best of my ability.”
You can visit Heather and her
business, Heather Bailey, LLC
at http://www.HeatherBailey.com,
http://www.HELLOmynameisHeather.com
or http://www.HeatherBaileyStore.com.A FEW OF MY
FAVOURITE
THINGS
ART SUPPLIES – I love to have art
supplies on hand and visible. Nothing spurs
me to create more than having paints and
threads out, calling my name. I particularly
love to work at my drafting table, facing
out into the light.
MULTI-DRAWER CABINETS – Some
supplies are best tucked away in drawers.
Perhaps they are not as lovely or colourful
to look at, such as pliers, interfacing and
glue. I collect small cabinets of drawers
for organising such items.
GUMBALL MACHINE – At work, we keep
a gumball machine full of chocolate candies.
Of course, it makes a clickity-clackity noise
whenever you use it, so everyone knows
who has a sweet tooth that day. That keeps
us all in check – somewhat, sometimes.
I’m definitely the most chocolate-motivated
person on the team.
PRETTY FABRICS – I love having stacks
of pretty fabrics all around me.
SKETCHBOOKS – And my tip-top favourite
thing is my sketchbook. Or, I should say,
sketchbooks, plural. I take a sketchbook
with me everywhere I go: to church, to the
movies, to the lake, on vacation ... I’m always
prepared to capture a new idea and make
a quick note. This habit has helped me in
countless ways throughout my career. If
I’m ever struggling for an idea, I can thumb
through my library of sketchbooks and get
those creative juices flowing again.90 Homespun