As long as I can remember, people in my life would create incredible things, many of them with cotton. So as I met more cotton farmers, I would link it back to the things people make, clothes I enjoyed, etc. It seems a family affair as my youngest niece picked a few handfuls her first time in a cotton field and immediately thought about what should could make with it! With all of that in mind, I guess it was just a matter of time until a series on cotton creators got started here and I’m kicking it off with my dear friend Natasha Nicholes of Houseful of Nicholes who makes a range of handmade cotton bags including a great denim tote I have!
Learning to Sew
“I was jealous of my husband learning to sew before me,” Natasha says. “As the oldest child, a gauntlet was thrown (he didn’t know it) and I accepted the challenge. Now I sew and he inspects. It’s a marriage made in heaven.”
It’s funny that the competitive spirit is something I so identify with! And I also identify with her passion for cotton fabric. “From backpacks to purses and wallets, I’m using cotton in some form. Thread, fabric, interfacing, it’s all a portion of what makes me successful.” She says she makes “things to carry YOUR things.
Cotton Bags You’ll Crave
Natasha shares some of her creations with friends via Facebook but she also shares them via her blog Houseful of Nicholes and Etsy store Houseful of Stitches. From that she’s had the chance to see “people from all over the world wearing things that I’ve made. It’s really neat to see a creation of yours in a photo across the globe.” Looking at the Houseful’s creations on Pinterest it is easy to see why they go global!
Some of Natasha’s great cotton creations that come to mind include:
- Messenger Bag — There is a great campfire messenger bag she makes with waxy cotton to protect your belongings if you go out in the rain!
- A Super Tote — This tote has some really cool features and like all the bags, details are on point!
- Rucksack — I still remember the first time I saw this rucksack… it grabs your eyes and easily holds all your things.
Cotton As A Standout
As I asked her about what with cotton really stood out for Natasha, I smiled at her answer as it brought really clear images to mind for me.
“To be honest, I’m always drawn back to the cotton campaigns from when I was a kid. Then meeting Janice in the blogging community and realizing there was SO much more to it than I thought,” she says.
Adding, “I took a trip to Malawi a couple of years ago, and the village managed a cotton field together. I was able to see owners of land, raising crop on their own and benefiting from it, and it sealed the cycle. Knowing that once again, a seed produces clothes makes me all the more stoked to be as passionate about this field.”
Find Natasha Online
You can check out more of Natasha’s great work with cotton in the folowing places:
The family started the We Sow We Grow community garden which has a We Sow We Grow Facebook page and the We Sow We Grow Gardening Chat Group which is a great discussion area for people who are planning for their summer garden. For the photo lover, We Sow We Grow is also on Instagram.
She also does some other awesome stuff like sharing her family’s homeschooling, gardening, travel and more on housefulofnicholes.com, Twitter as @NatashaNicholes, Instagram as @NatashaNicholes, and I’m sure she can be found elsewhere too in the future!
[click_to_tweet tweet=”Love these handmade cotton bags that @NatashaNicholes is making. Which one do you want?” quote=”Tell your friends how to find these great bags! “]
Shine a Spotlight on other Creators
This is a new series but I have several other awesome people I plan to draw attention to…. if you know of a creator who uses cotton in their work or designs pieces that highlights the plant, etc, please send a bit of info via the site’s contact form.
