Annette Mackie Handmade

Annette Mackie Handmade 

Annette Mackie was born and bred in Cornwall but moved away from the county to attend university, graduating with a first class honours degree in illustration and then going on to achieve a masters degree in communication design. After working in London within the design industry for over six years she escaped the capital moving with her husband to a picturesque village just outside Stamford, Lincolnshire where she now has her studio.

With a love of nature, and particularly inspired by birds, Annette took a departure from illustration and swapped her paintbrushes for a sewing machine. She started making her fabric bird sculptures in 2012 using Harris Tweeds, linen fabrics, wire and lace. Each bird is then numbered with a unique leg ring and perched on top of a vintage cotton reel making them truly individual.

Annette has given us some more detail on how these are made: “I think you can tell by looking that the bird is made up of lots of individually cut out and stitched bits of fabric (particularly under the wing for example) but perhaps less obvious are the wire legs which I bend to shape and then wrap several times in cotton. I also hand make the beaks using fabric and cotton. No two birds are ever exactly the same as I don’t follow any set pattern underneath the wings preferring to free flow with what I think suits best."

Without a doubt these are the most charming of ornaments, and their personalities will bring a smile into each new home!