Annette Mackie

My background is in illustration, leaving my homeland of Cornwall at the age of 20 to study first a BA and then an MA in the subject. Following university I worked in the design industry for many years, but after having my two children I took the plunge and started Annette Mackie Handmade in 2012. Never being much of a stitcher before I was lent a sewing machine and, what can I say, I was hooked from the get go. It all suddenly made sense and I began to combine my illustration background with fabric, 'drawing' with the sewing machine. This quickly evolved into three dimensions and with a lifelong love of birds it was always going to be these that I would endeavour to create.

I now make decorative bird art sculptures from fabric, lace and wire mounted on either vintage cotton reels, wooden branch blocks or Cornish driftwood. I have also recently started making fabric bird artworks as well. I am passionate about being sustainable so I now try to only use/buy unwanted or waste fabric and clothing. I keep literally all my scraps and offcuts and use these to create the bird art pictures. I am also hoping to make my own frames for these using recycled/unwanted wood in the near future.