ABOUT ME
Creating Patterns to Inspire You
Hi I’m Claire
My name is Claire Bibby, wife and mother of two, at the ripe old age of 47 I have finally been able to realise my dream of following a creative path to becoming a Surface Pattern designer.
I have been greatly inspired by my parents, my mother who has sewn all her life, encouraged and taught me as a child the beauty of creating your own things using your own ideas, no matter how much mess you make! My father was also a great inspiration he fostered in me a love for travel, adventure and an appreciation of the natural world, especially birds.
I had my own business as a picture framer, made fabric bags and bright animal inspired water bottle covers from up-cycled jumpers, that I sold at fairs. I was always working with other peoples creative accomplishments and wished I could do my own, for example, bags that were made out of fabric I designed.
I need to be constantly creating
My husband being in the military means we move a lot, we found ourselves in East Africa, Kenya, this is where my creative journey was reignited and I had the luxury of time to study. The 7 years spent in Kenya has hugely influenced my work, the places we traveled too, the wildlife, landscapes the beauty and fragility of nature.
I totally fell in love with Surface Pattern Design as a place to recreate things I have seen and experienced. I learnt to take my camera everywhere and taught myself to sketch which helped me to record what I had observed and gave me ideas for patterns I wanted to create. I moved on from the big safari creatures to the smaller ones who are equally as interesting to me. My love of birds defiantly re-emerge they are so colourful, joyful and fascinating to watch.
I love to use bright colours, simple motifs that create atmosphere, movement, a sense of adventure and wonder. I want to create patterns that brighten peoples days and make them smile, maybe even transport them somewhere else. I would like to see them come to life in peoples homes, whether on textiles, wallpaper, home-wears or stationary.
When I’m not creating patterns I like to sit with a cup of tea and make beaded earrings the lovely ladies of the Samburu, Northern Kenya taught me, basically I can’t sit still and need to be constantly creating.