“I loved making her and spent hours perfecting her face and little dress. Looking at her evokes a quiet sadness.”
Tell us a bit about Willowynn? I design and make little animals and dolls from scraps, remnants or vintage fabric which I sell online via www. willowynn.com. I prefer to use fabric that’s old or discarded as I like that there is a bit of history and romance in that. My creatures and dolls are inspired by old folk tales, children’s stories and of course, the natural world. Tell us about yourself and your background? My professional background is in environmental education, working as a ranger with the Parks and Wildlife Service - talking, writing and thinking about the natural world. I live and work in a 100-year-old house in the beautiful Byron Bay hinterland in Australia with my young family, surrounded by macadamia farms and cow paddocks. What sparked you to create Willowynn? I took leave from my job to be at home with my young children and decided that was the perfect time to start a creative business! I’ve always loved making things and secretly dreamed of earning a living doing that so one day I decided to just do it. What processes are involved in creating your pieces? When I have an idea for something to make, I spend time looking at photos and illustrations in books and do lots of drawings. Then I design a sewing pattern for the piece on scraps of paper. After that it’s just a matter of making lots of (usually disastrous) prototypes until I have something I’m happy with. Then I’ll spend hours perfecting - adding stitches here, needle sculpting there. Each piece evolves even after I’m initially happy with it. continued on next page >