Australian Homespun - February 2016_

ou, Natalie Bird, of The

eeds no introduction

will already be familiar

up-there-with-the-best

n – well deserved after

stitching career out of

eativity and sheer hard

lie is a go-to designer for

ng inspiration. Her work

eas and technique with

ness’ that others can’t

are delighted that she

rd for this year’s special

Month – and we think

qually thrilled when

on this adventure in

. But fi rst, let’s get to
a little better ...

ISTORY OF

AFTING

By Natalie Bird

| I was blessed with a very creative

and infi nitely patient mother, who

encouraged me to try all sorts of arts

and crafts. I think we must have dabbled

in just about everything, from macramé,

Hobbytex, copper relief art, batik and

tie dye in the ’70s and ’80s, through

to stamping, quilling, embroidery

and patchwork in later years.

| Like many of us from the 1970s

era, when Barbie ruled the toy world,

I regularly whipped up some utterly^

desirable attire, which she always^

obligingly wore.

| At school, my favourite subject was

art. I loved doodling and sketching and

always had an art pad on the go, and

when I fi nished school, I worked as^

a graphic designer for about 10 years.

| I enjoyed doing stitchery and fabric

doll making as a hobby when my

daughters (I have three gorgeous girls)^

were little, as time allowed.^

| I always used to fi ddle with patterns

and change things here and there,

and eventually I started doing my own.^

| I approached my local craft store, and

to my astonishment, they were happy

to put my designs in their store. For the^

fi rst couple of years, I mostly designed^

stitcheries and cloth dolls. My mum had

been into patchwork and quilting for

a while and was always encouraging

me to try it. I think it must have been

in the late ’90s when I made my fi rst

quilt ... and I found my bliss!

| I especially loved that I could combine

hand stitcheryand appliqué into a quilt,

and this

u

ion

a

ss cr

rk. ta

hose se

marrieside

a‘sea ess

match.Wea

came on

oc t

uwillbee

uembark

iltmakin

ow atali

of you

e, ne

uw

u

For most

Birdhouse

at all. You

with her u

reputatio

buildin

flaw

wor

th

m

32 Homespun

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