Farming to fabric & the lifestyle in-between

Not another country lifestyle blog?! Yes, I'm afraid so.... but hopefully with a twist.

To begin with, its probably best to set the scene and let you know a little bit about me, The Cosy Barn as a concept, and what you can expect from this blog ...

I'm Hannah, a mid-twenty something living and working on the family dairy farm, a part time job with an agricultural co-operative, and a passion for textiles and interior design.

I have two main passions - farming and interior design. Now I understand they aren't an obvious combination. This was first pointed out to me at the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) Public Speaking competition finals in 2011. I was representing Pembrokeshire YFC in the Junior team as a speaker, being chaired by a member of Gloucestershire YFC. As she introduced me with facts I had happily provided her with, she reeled off to the audience with pleasure that my interests included helping out on the farm, and textiles and sewing. To this she remarked "a pretty odd combination if you ask me!". I remember my eyes shooting across to my parents sat in the audience, thinking, how dare she, that's just who I am! And so, subconsciously in a way, I set out to prove her wrong.

It was a toss up between agriculture and textiles when it came to further education. I even did a taster weekend in Harper Adams. Though I finally settled on a degree at Somerset College of Art studying interior textile design, spending 3 brilliant years in Taunton. I came full circle, when in my final year my work took on an agricultural theme, and I became increasingly reminiscent of life on the farm whilst I was 200 miles away. Coming up with the basic idea for The Cosy Barn, country life on textiles for the home, I started to work on the business once I had settled back at home in Pembrokeshire. From our dining room I started my small business as a designer maker of kitchen textiles, selling via craft fairs and local agricultural shows and social media.

My final collection at college, 'Practical textiles reflecting and brightening rural living in the home'. The Little Grey Fergie tractor is a key theme for The Cosy Barn and one that I will explore further very soon.

My aim is to design and produce quality kitchen and home textiles for modern country homes, with designs drawn by hand and digitally printed onto fabric before being made up into products. I want to combine my passion for textiles and interiors with my love for the family dairy farm and living in the countryside.

The Cosy Barn stand at a local agricultural show - I loved styling my stand with fresh flowers, wooden crates and baskets, plus wood effect lino to 'lift' everything off the usually damp grass in the craft marquees!

Over the last four years or so, my role and enthusiasm for working on the farm has increased and so did the need for a part time job to support myself. The Cosy Barn however got put to one side as my ideas were changing on where I wanted to take the business and what I want it to achieve. Not down and out, just re-grouping ready for the next big step. When that will be is whenever I feel ready enough.

I'm always looking for a creative project, from sewing and crafting, to DIY and decorating the house and even a spot of gardening. Getting hands-on with the farm though, I without a doubt, love.

Growing up on the family dairy farm, helping out and getting stuck in was something I never thought about, just did it! I always loved days on the farm following Dad around, especially in the summer time with the buzz of tractors in the fields and all the cattle and cows out grazing. Mum and Dad never pushed me towards farming, but I've found my way back after collage, and so pleased that I did. The fresh air, exercise (full on work out some days - save a fortune on gym membership!) and the overall sense of real importance in producing food, in our case milk and beef. Farming is tough, no doubt about it. To coin the phrase, if it were easy everyone would do it! But at the same time it is so rewarding and can be so fun.

Kipper is my right-hand-man when feeding calves, but likes to drink far too much calf milk in the process! I see to the calves nearly everyday, morning and night, so very rarely does a day go by where I don't don the wellies!

Despite it being considered modern and almost trendy 'working from home' , farmers of course always have. The work/life balance has always been their battle, and the lines between the two very blurred. The farmhouse, often the hub of the farm, has to work very hard at being a place of business, mixed with personal family time and down time. And here lies my link with farming and interior design.

I truly believe that interior design and things you live amongst can have such a positive impact on how you feel and live - and of course equally have such a negative affect if it isn’t quite right for you. I am no expect. I just simply like to explore and absorb myself in the wonderful world of interior design, collecting ideas, theories and knowledge, which I'd love to try out and share with others.

Live for the days of bright blue sky against the lush green grass. There are times when you have to stand back a minute to take in the scenery, I could never get tired of it, its constantly changing.

So with all the above taken into account, expect this blog to answer questions like ....

What is my role on my family farm?

How have we styled our farmhouse?

Why do I love interior design so much?

Why tractors inspire my design work?

Why I believe homemaking is good for health and happiness.

What are we getting up to on the farm?

How is 'The Cosy Barn' progressing?

What quick fixes can bring your home to life?

So here goes... The Cosy Barn Blog, sharing my two passions in life, bringing them together, and hoping to inspire others in some way as well!