The story of my life so far (at lightning speed)
- 1968: born as Désirée Rosemarijn Bijwaard in the beautiful city of Utrecht (now Dées Deelstra).
- I grew up surrounded by the looms and threads; cottons and silks of my particularly creative mother.
- After senior school, my year at art school in Amersfoort didn’t turn out quite as I’d hoped.... so off I went to study Dutch language and literature at the University of Utrecht. By 1997 I was a proud Master of Arts.
- I taught Dutch to international students at the University of Leuven and at the BABEL Language Institute. I lived and worked on a bio-dynamic farm where I learned how to milk cows and goats; learned the art of anthroposophic herbal remedies; spinning, painting, ceramics, playing the recorder, singing and dancing the tango: in other words, all sorts. But I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.
- Whilst roaming around the country, I found myself in Zutphen. I fell in love straight away; with the town, and my true love, Auke Deelstra.
- I worked for a few years with Auke as a text writer and editor in our copywriting & design studio, DeDoc studio.
- Over the years I have followed numerous textile and art courses and had private lessons. One such course was Marien Metz’s weaving and weaving techniques course, followed by quilting at the open university and I even learnt how to make bobbin lace. Later, I met Lydi Ubbels, tapestry artist, who taught me the true art and true craftsmanship of tapestry making. Right then, I knew!
- Since the year 2000, nothing will come between me and my weaving. Every day you’ll find me up in my workshop in our attic. I call it my ‘Wonderwerkplaats’ - my workshop of wonders, where I weave and embroider tapestries; embroider and design quilts and applied fabrics. A lot of my work is commissioned in the form of ceremonial vestments and other liturgical fabrics. I also design fabrics and tapestries on request and work on my own creations in between. I really couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do than make art out of textiles and fabrics. This is my passion; something I intend to do for the rest of my life.
