WHO IS NATALIE SANDIFER?

Crafting is more than a passion; it is in my blood.

My family is made up of generations of craftsmen and women, from my great-grandfather, who was a cobbler, right down to my youngest sibling, who studied carpentry. I even married a craftsman, and we now share our atelier in France. My grandmother taught me to knit at the tender age of 4, so I could join in with the rest of the women in my family who are all fabulous knitters. Since then, I have enjoyed learning many other crafts over the years.
I first learned silk painting and screen printing during my art and textiles courses in secondary school, going on to gain a GCSE in Drawing and Painting before attending the Berkshire College of Art and Design where I undertook a 2 year course in Lithographic printing, this course taught me among other skills, photography and traditional book binding as well as photography and further developed my love of screen printing.

My next foray into crafting led me into candle making, and later, into beading and jewellery making.
I love learning, and in 2013 I learned a new technique of fabric fusion through a crafting group that invites well-known hand makers and craftspeople to teach at the group. This has inspired me to create a whole new range of products.

In 2014, I also embarked on an intensive machine sewing and embroidery course to further my fabric-based skills. I have been able to sew by hand from an early age, and love to cross-stitch and embroider. Now, I have extended my skills further than hand hemming my clothes and sewing on buttons into the realms of quilting and dressmaking.

Fun for me is experimenting with my basic sewing machine to create designs that rival those of more technically advanced machines.

​I started selling my products to the public in England in 2010 at craft fairs, markets, and via the internet, as a part-time venture in addition to my day job. Now, I am fulfilling my dream of being a work-from-home Mum, creating from my atelier in France.

I can’t wait to teach my children some of the techniques I have already learned and will learn in the future. I hope they have inherited their parents’ passion for making and creating.