Why I create (I just can’t help it!!)
The creative world I’ve always been drawn to the creative world. Growing up in a home surrounded by imaginative projects, where my sisters and I had a compulsively creative mother and writerly-creative father, I was offered plenty of opportunities to dip my toes into exciting projects. This website and gallery of my works marks a new chapter for me, based on personal life changes (our three children are all in their 20s now), health challenges (I have a connective tissue disorder that leads to exciting and unexpected events), and my love of the natural beauty around me. I design and create embellished felt forms and figures, wonderful watercolour works, DIY kits for felt figures , and DIY knitting instructions for snuggly baby knits and chilly toes. More products will be developed and available over time and I’m super excited to be planning for these already.
A welcome distraction I find enormous enjoyment working with fabrics, felt, threads, yarn, and paper. Creativity is more than an outlet for me, a securely socially-averse introvert; it grounds and calms me along with regular tai chi, family time, and daily doggie walks. Living with those health challenges, I find creating beauty in various forms is a truly wonderful and welcome distraction.
Botanical sketching and watercolour A botanical artist friend (thanks Jennifer!) kindly introduced my daughter and me to botanical sketching and watercolour painting. My daughter was such a natural, but it was something I felt I couldn’t do. However, I persevered, partly because I loved spending time with Jennifer, and came to love the unpredictability of watercolour paint on dry, damp and wet paper. I gradually found my (one of) my own style(s): enhancing watercolour images with fine ink lines for more definition (see Watercolour Works).
Fantastic Felt inspirations Much of my felt designs are inspired by the natural world around me, such as the flowers of the New Zealand Christmas tree (the pohutukawa tree - perfectly red and green), sometimes by other artists, sometimes by images in the public domain that date back a while and that suggest something new to me. I love sketching out new designs, and finding a fruit to make in felt to display it on. While I always try to credit inspiration where I can, each piece is ultimately my own: a personal interpretation, shaped by my hand and my experience.
The colourful thread I’m absolutely going to love sharing my evolving creations with you through my Bespoke Blogposts, plus moments of inspiration and the “colourful thread” that runs through it all. I have an instinctive commitment to beauty, colour and form, and as a child I recall not letting Dad leave the house if his tie didn’t match his shirt, walk shorts and long socks! Mum was so relieved when I took the initiative to tell him!
Would you like to bring a piece of my handmade joy into your life? Visit my Sara Meade Design shop to explore my range of watercolour prints, greeting cards, and felt ornaments. I’m also providing felt ornament DIY kits as fully supplied kits, along with PDF knitting patterns for bouncing babies and cosy toes. Watch out for 2026 calendars coming soon!
Best wishes, Sara
Autumn Vine
The is the first image I sketched with pencil from a real vine from the garden and then filled in with watercolour. I did this whilst chatting with my friend, Jennifer. I then used a mash-up of autumn colours to paint the leaves, and next outlined the shapes using a fine black ink pen (which is a technique I often use now).
If you are interested in purchasing this artwork in A4 or A5, scroll down to add it to your cart.
