Featured Designer - Natalie Lymer January 01 2017 1 Comment

A customer actually brought my attention to this month's Featured Designer, and I am so glad that she did!  Please welcome Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches from Australia.  Natalie is not only a textile and fabric designer but also an illustrator.  Fortunately for us, she has translated some of these adorable drawings into embroidery designs.

Now let's get to know Natalie!

Jen:  Where were you born and raised?

Natalie: I was born and live in a town called Geelong, located in Victoria, Australia.  We now raise our children just down the road from where I grew up as a child.

Jen:  Tell us about your stitching journey.  How did you learn to sew/quilt/embroider?

Natalie:  My Nan, Ella was a beautiful dress maker, although she never got the chance to see me designing and sewing, I often watched her sew.  I often wonder what creations she would have made with my fabrics and still remember tip toeing my way through her sewing room dodging stray pins in the carpet.  I learnt sewing basics, both machine and hand stitching at school, but most I of what I have learnt today has been self-taught.

Jen:  So, how did Cinderberry Stitches come to be?

Natalie:  I have always loved drawing even well before I picked up the needle and thread.  I think once I found the art of stitchery and embroidery, I loved that I could combine the two together and so the first Cinderberry designs were born.

Jen:  Tell us about the process for designing your patterns and embroideries.  What are your inspirations?

Natalie:  The process for designing begins with a theme or story line.  I sketch as many things as I can telling the story through pictures. Once I am happy with the design work I ink the images and begin tracing to fabric to start the embroidery process.

For me inspiration is everywhere, but here is a little look inside my mind when thinking of new designs to sketch.  Watch the kids playing.  Listen to words, write them down.  Be a part of nature, look closely at plants, leaves, seeds, draw them.  What makes you smile? Use your imagination, believe anything is possible and look around. Think of something from your childhood. Sit in a café and watch the people go by, smell the air.  Look up, look down.  Read children’s picture books and imagine illustrating them. Inspiration is everywhere when you stop and look. 

Jen:  Complete this sentence. When I am not sewing, I am...

Natalie:  When I am not sewing I am either reading or having fun with our children.

Jen: What sewing machine do you use?

Natalie:  I love using my Bernina Aurora 440 but my favorite type of sewing is off the machine and hand stitching instead.

Jen: What is your worst sewing habit?

Natalie:  Running out of bobbin thread, always!

Jen:  What is one sewing notion that you can’t live without?

Natalie:  I can't live with out a good pair of embroidery scissors, my favorite needle and a good cup of black tea.

I love Natalie's approach to inspiration and how that has translated to her creations.  I don't know about you, but her drawings and designs certainly bring a sense of innocence and the sweetness of a young child.

Be sure to check out the Cinderberry Stitches website to see more of Natalie's work and download her lovely free pattern Butterfly Twist.  

We are also about to launch the Mermaiden Tales Block of the Month.  Click HERE to register while supplies last!  In the meantime, you can shop our Cinderberry Stitches collection at Red Thread Studio.