Pieces That Remain

Abbey is a watercolour artist, a mum of four boys, and the maker of heirloom felt name banners with whole stories tucked into the details.

An ordinary morning in her home looks something like a circus. Coffee in hand, several things happening at once, noise, small monster trucks across the floor.

In the middle of it all is Duck & Egg: her world of florals, whimsy and gentle storytelling. For years it lived on watercolour paper. Then it began to take a new form.

Through curiosity and a desire to create

Last year Abbey moved into a new home and had a studio of her own for the very first time. Wanting something special to hang in it, she made a felt name banner with the same florals, characters and whimsical details that fill her illustrations.

“What began as a banner for my studio grew into a new direction for my work. There wasn’t one defining moment.”

If it’s creative, it fills my cup

Her family is first and always. Everything else flows from there.

Whether she’s lost amongst embroidery threads or sketching in a notebook, creating is part of her everyday rhythm and the thing that keeps her grounded.

“It’s how I rest, reset and regulate when life feels overwhelming.”

The daily rituals are simple: a good black coffee, a sketchbook nearby, time outdoors amongst the big trees and birdlife. “Nature has a way of slowing me down.”

For a while, creating felt heavy

Late last year Abbey sought professional critique on her watercolours, hoping to grow. Instead she was deeply discouraged by words that felt aimed at her art and at the very things that make it hers. For a while she couldn’t sit down to paint without hearing them.

So she picked up a needle and thread

The felt banners gave her a new way to express everything she’d always loved, and with it came joy. “The kind of joy that gives you butterflies in your stomach and makes you eager to return to your work the next day.”

The very things she’d been told were old-fashioned became the things she leans into most.

Her advice to anyone just beginning

You are needed. Find joy in what you make. When things feel hard, create something just for yourself, because you love it.

Your creativity, your style and the way you see the world are needed. Nobody else can create what your hands and your mind can.

Made to remain

“In a world where so much is temporary, I love the idea of creating pieces that remain.”