Let’s welcome “Tractor Girl”

Say hello to Julie from Tractor Girl. I found Julie via twitter and we quickly discovered we live near each other. Is great to have something in common as we often mention things that is happening around our area. She is one clever lady too!

This is what Julie says:

My partner and I live on a farm, with cereal cropping and sheep, near Wagga, NSW. We moved here about 14 years ago, and love it. We have three small children (6, and twins 4). It’s a great adventure for them, they love going and checking the stock and crops with daddy, and it’s nice having so much space for them to run around in.

I studied jewellery and silversmithing at Uni; however, now I have small children around, it’s difficult to do, so now I sew. Because of my Fine Arts background, I have a large aesthetic resource to draw on – for instance, I am using classic motifs from various time frames and cultures for my current designs.
I always try to be gentle on the earth, and use upcycled components somewhere in all my pieces. For me, upcycling refers to fabrics that are remnants from old projects and other sources, and from clothing, homewares and remnants found in op shops. This saves it from going to landfill, and besides, some things are too beautiful to throw out!

I make cushion covers, teacosies and brooches from fabric remnants and other recycled fabric items. I also trained as a jeweller, so you will at times find some precious metal items in my shop.

My aesthetic loves are texture, pattern, and colour, and I think this shows in my work.

I’m a bit of a bower-bird, so anything and everything is a possible source of inspiration. I’m always inspired by the beauty in the everyday, and especially in the forms and the way of nature.

Why tractorgirl? – because I can drive a tractor, of course!