Australian_Homespun_2016_07_

T

HE FANTASY

TALE OF FOXLEY

VILLAGE – PART 6

By Zachary Twigg (aka Zach Sparrow)

Did you ever see the movie Pollyanna?

Well, our Foxley Village sheep did (by

peeping over the fence at the local drive-in

years ago – cheaper that way, if a tad

illegal!). Being at a very impressionable

age, she was carried away by the film –

and in more ways than one, as it turns out!

For the whole duration of the show, there

was the soft, distant sound of sheepish

‘oohs and bahs’ emanating from the

paddock adjoining the drive-in. Our fluff y

four-legger was besotted, mostly with the

star, Hayley Mills; the very next day, she

changed her name by deed poll from

Charlene Bailey to Hayley Bale-y and

has never allowed references to her

old name since. One scene in particular

resonated with her, as she leant on the

post-and-rail fence, cloven hooves

supporting her little woolly chin, and that

was the town’s festival at the climax of

the film. Pollyanna and her friends caught

a hay-wagon ride to and from the fair

• and everything was alive with colour,
  excitement and anticipation. That’s how
  Hayley B. (nee Charlene) wanted to live –
  not corralled in a compound dreaming of
  greener pastures, bored to distraction and
  grazing on grass rather than watermelon
  and giant cake wedges. But while her
  aspirations were wild (and woolly!),
  paddock fences cramped her sense of
  adventure until one day she spotted an
  old dray going to waste at the bottom

of the field. She promptly staked her claim,

and that’s where she now spends the bulk

of her day, lounging around high above the

other sheep, overseeing the farm activities

and pretending her best mate, Pollyanna,

is on the same dray ride. Never been

happier – or heavier. Lack of exercise

means she keeps stacking on the weight

until she now fills the entire wagon (even

running to slight ‘muff in tops’ of blubber

spilling over the wagon edges). But HB

doesn’t mind – she feels like a star, albeit

one transported to shearing sheds, rather

than local carnivals.

w

MY I S RATION

& NFL ENCES

By tal d

 W en fi

doing patchwork and

(^) ting
fabrics from designers
such as Debbie
Mumm,
Bareroots
and Buggy
Barn Quilts.
I defi nitely
had quite
a ‘country’
leaning,
early on.
 Other
designers
who I love
are: Tilda,
Blackbird
Designs, Yoko Saito, Maggie Bonanomi, Anni
Downs, Karen Styles and Kathy Doughty.
 Today, my style is less country, a bit more
modern, but still with the same quirky
spin. My designs seem to follow that thread, , naive
of heartfelt images and messages about family
and friends, lots of cute critters and homely
sentiments. I want to design things that evoke
a warm or happy emotion, with maybe a giggle
here and there, too.
 My designs are sometimes inspired by a
gorgeous piece of fabric or something that may
be happening in my life at the time. Or just
from a day of doodling and a wandering mind.
My best ‘thinking’ is done in the shower. Not
great when Brisbane is in drought – it means
less creative-thinking time!
 (^) We have some beautiful bayside spots right
nearby, where I love to grab a coffee and sit
looking out at the pelicans and moored boats
bobbing in the water, letting my mind wander
and sketching some designs.
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