About Us
The Tipsy Badger (which is also the name of our narrowboat) comprises of Corinne and Fosta. Corinne is all about the sewing, and Fosta is all about the artwork!
We are both Vegan, and care deeply about the welfare of animals and the planet, which is reflected in our work.
We have lived on our solar powered boat since 2014 and love being out in nature.
Our little rescue dog 'Sparrow' (best god damn dog in the world) lives on the boat with us, and oversees our work.
Hi I'm Corinne!
I'm a sewist, eco warrior, and a massive animal lover. I began learning to sew about 10 years ago, when I noticed the amount of clothes being thrown away, and wondered if I could do something to breathe new life into them.
As a person with a limb difference (I'm missing my left hand and forearm) I got a few surprised looks on my first day at sewing class, but the lovely bunch of people there soon realised that I wasn't going to let a little thing like a missing hand stop me from sewing!! I got pretty good, and the badger satchel was born!!
I am troubled by the issues facing the planet and I am always thinking about how to make changes to tread more lightly. I do have to buy some of the materials in new, but I have researched extensively and everything I now buy is either second hand, recycled, or natural fibres. An example of this is the polyester thread I buy which is made using discarded plastic bottles!
Approximately 95% of the materials I use are pre-loved.
Having been a vegetarian for many years, in 2015 I started attending vegan fairs with some friends where I learned a lot about the dairy and egg industry. I was shocked and saddened by what was happening to these poor creatures and I decided to try to go vegan for 30 days. At the time I was unsure how I could live and stay healthy by just eating plants, but not only did I live, I thrived! I never went back to eating/using animal products and I am a much happier person knowing I am doing my best to minimise the harm to other creatures.
Hi I'm Fosta, I'm an artist and musician.
Since rescuing my first dog Kaya when I was a kid, I've always cared for animals. I spent much of my younger years trying to be vegetarian, because I knew it was the right thing, but struggling with it because of meat eating being the socially accepted thing to do, and the limited choice of options.
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In 2013 I stopped eating meat for good, and a few years later (about a year after Corinne) I had my own realisation that the dairy chocolate I was still eating was causing as much harm as the burgers I used to eat. So I stopped! I thought as a lifetime mars bar muncher it would be impossible, but it turns out it's not that hard to change what you eat, when you fully understand the impact of your eating choices.
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I soon learned that there were animal products in so many things! So I went on a journey to find all of the art materials that are suitable for vegans, and that is what I use to create these portraits.
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Living a free life on a narrowboat is what makes me happy. There isn't much that can beat sitting on the bank on a sunny day, playing my guitar and creating artwork. Cruising the British canals I get to see lots of wonderous wildlife which truly inspires me to capture it in my art.
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