3 Quick Questions: 3 Sheets

Paper brooches

I love popping over to 3 Sheets to see what's been happening in Kylie's experimental playground. Her knack for combining texture, technique and shape is enough to make any textile and fabric design loving girl swoon. There aren't many people with the creative mind power to pull off brooches inspired by geometric abstraction so successfully. With a new shop, a keen eye and future plans for more designs Kylie is definitely one to watch.

What inspired you to start creating?

I couldn’t tell you what inspired me exactly as it’s something I’ve always done. I did my first oil painting at the age of 6 and my mother still has it... I look at it now and can’t believe I actually did it. I have so many art prizes from childhood – painting was a major part of my life until the end of high school. I still have the same sewing box I had as a child – I used to make all the clothes for my Barbie and other dolls. I even have pots I made and screen printing from childhood... So, where did it all come from? I have no idea! My mother tells me I just did it on my own and that it was always just who I was :) I like that – it helps me have more confidence in myself and what I’m making.

Sonia 2 - inspired by Sonia Delaunay

I remember going through a stage of making patchwork quilt covers for friends for their 21st birthdays... Hand-sewing them completely! I just knew what I wanted to do and if I didn’t have the skills I’d make it up as I went along. I remember deciding in Year 12 that I wasn’t good enough to be an artist and dropping everything, embarking on an academic quest to find my niche...which I never seemed to find, although I had lots of fun along the way ;)

3D felt brooch

So, study and work and travel and marriage came along and all of this went undergound. I worked in art galleries in Brisbane and in London and became more the appreciator rather than the creator. And then... Children happened! It was this sudden loss of identity that made me turn back to creating my own pieces. I needed something that had an end product, so I taught myself how to use a sewing machine. From there, all the other skills and hobbies from the past have kind of crept back into my world to the point where I find myself now... In a chaotic little room overflowing with bits and pieces and on a dining table sewing desk with a million different projects on the go! :)

Flower brooch

If you could spend more time on one thing what would it be?

Sewing. I love it so much. I love fabric and get so much out of creating clothing. The amazing textures and the way it falls inspires me so much. I don’t use patterns as I seem to have some kind of (undiagnosed!) dyslexia when it comes to following instructions ;) I just cut and do whatever the fabric seems to want me to do with it. I’ve become very distracted by my brooches lately. There are many things I love about making them – in a way they are mini-creations and the scope for incorporating different materials is something I find so fascinating. So, I still love making them but I’d really like to get back to making one-off creations with fabric. This also includes doing more screen printing of my own fabric designs.

Screen print ideas

What's next for you creatively?

I’m not really one for structure and planning - I kind of let things evolve ;) I’m really loving doing collages at the moment and I’d like to get back to doing more sewing and dressmaking. I want to develop my brooches and do more screen printing of fabric... There are so many things I want to do, I feel like I’m always racing against time :) I’m sorry if this all sounds so pompous... My biggest problem has actually always been self-confidence, believe it or not! It’s only since starting up my blog that I’ve begun feeling more confident in what I create. I really love the craft blogging community. I’m always so inspired by the things everyone is creating and feel that I’ve really found that place where I can make things and interact with people about it. This has given me the confidence to actually set up a shop on a new site called Zibbet ( http://www.zibbet.com/3Sheets). I’m saving up for a dressmaker’s dummy :)

Embroidered brooches

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