Interview with Mirella - Mireloom store

On a gorgeous day like today, a Happy Friday for many of us, I would like to take you on a tour to Turin (Torino), Italy. Here we’re going to have a delightful time with our weaver Mirella from Mireloom store.

Mirella’s story is full of magic, artistry and inspiration.

About a month ago Mirella was featured on Etsy Blog called “Open Studio Tour”

Random Facts about You?   

I live with my husband in a little town near Torino, in North Italy. My grownup daughter lives in downtown Torino by herself. Our house is situated along the river Po, near a wonderful park where I often take walks and pick plants for my hand dyeing. I always wanted to live in the woods, but my husband is a city person, so this is a good compromise for both of us!

We are passionate travellers and our best travel experience was in South East Asia. There I got to know a few prominent weavers who were also very nice people. That trip made me fall in love with Thai weaving. I was inspired by those textiles where weavers play, in such a creative way, with their ancient geometric symbols! In my artistic textiles I get play with some of those symbols like hooks, spirals and so on.

From my childhood I was an art lover because of my parents who were always about finding beauty in everything. So I grew up thinking to become an artist or find some creative work in my life. But I never could distinguish between an artist, a designer or a hand-crafter. So the final decision of “who to become” was never made. It's so difficult for me to separate those three things... I'm - all of it together! Luckily I was supported by my family members, still helping me to grow my work, even though they do different work from mine (she is a translator and he is a geologist)

How long ago have you started weaving?   

Almost thirty years ago, after getting my anthropology degree, I went to a weaving school....my parents weren't so happy about that! ;-)

What got you started weaving? 

When I was a teenager I went in Stockholm where I visited the crafts museum, and there I had a sudden inspiration! There I saw the fiber-art that captured my imagination! But the most important thing was ….. Love! I fell in love with a Dutch boy when I was nineteen.  He educated me about an ancient weaver and her big loom, as big as a room... The image of that loom and beautiful work on it is still vivid in my mind...

Any particular technique(s) that you enjoy the most?   

Even though on Etsy I list my simplest work, I very much love intricate techniques, double weaving, warp and weft substitution, often combined. Even more I love tapestries.

What part the process makes you the most passionate?

Hmm... If I make a tapestry I like every phase of the work, (the warping - not so much ;-)))) from the idea to the result. But making scarves or a shawl - after the first 3^rd one I'm already thinking – what’s next!

What is your source of inspiration?   

Many! Colours of nature, art, some accidental ideas from films, magazines and (why not!?!?!?) sometimes after looking at the work of another fiber artist I jump with a new idea of my own!

Where do you sell? 

Hand craft markets for shawls, bags, and scarves; at an art gallery, and naturally on Etsy.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?   

As I told before I'm a passionate traveller, even around my own house, where I always discover a new hidden corner!.. I also love drawing and looking for wild herbs for eating or dyeing….I know so many of them! Even more I love to read, to take walks, to meet with my friends and have entertaining dinners with them!!

What first made you want to become an artist?   

Perhaps the art books that I had seen in my parent’s house from when I was a child, and also the fact that we have so many artists in our family!

Please describe your creative process: how, when, materials, etc.  

Materials are a big source of inspiration! Sometimes I think for a long time with a ball of yarn in my hand, trying to create some work specifically out of this yarn!

Sometimes it’s a sudden idea, just when I am about to fall asleep, or during the night, when I can’t sleep...

Which of your creative knowledge do you cherish the most? 

Definitely the tapestry technique

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

Don't get discouraged, but don't become slaves to Etsy!!!

What do you like about Etsy?   

I like it for many reasons! It is beautiful aesthetically, and most importantly it gives me the chance to get  in touch with many people who love craft and weaving, and more because it is like a game where you can win sometimes and have some success!

How do you promote your work?   

I have a gallery that promotes my fiber art works. I also go to art and craft markets. I do more on Etsy, for example by creating a treasury…hoping for the FP!

What weaving activities or guilds to you participate in? 

I’m a member of Coordinamento Tessitori http://www.coordinamentotessitori.it/  - the Weavers Association that gathers weavers from all Italy. Every year it organizes a very beautiful meeting in Torino. I’m also a part of a fiber art group that helps me to participate in many art shows.

Do you have a website, blog, Facebook page, or other online endeavours?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mireloom/;

 http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/1716163

http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/open-studio-tour-mireloom-7427/

http://www.mirtextiles.blogspot.com/

Interview with Greg Newham

Hello Team,

today I wanted to present an interview with someone who has been weaving professionally for ... over 40 years... What you're about to read and see is guaranteed to blow your mind...
Additionally Greg has been a great supporter of Etsy Weavers team from the day one. He has offered great advices and serious critique (I do appreciate both!) out of passionate effort to make Etsy experience a worthy one for all of us.

Greg is located in Kinston, New York ( Hudson Valley region )

Please visit his Etsy store:  fitchstudioweavers

I proudly present to you Greg Newham and his story.

Random facts about you: 

I live and work in the Hudson Valley of New York State with my partner of twenty-seven years, Jay Halpern and our newest charge, a five month old, five pound Yorkie named Percy. I am the fourth generation of weavers from my father’s side – my grandfather and his father were lace weavers from Nottingham England. My current studio is a historic brick church dating from 1884 – stained glass windows and all.

How / when did you begin weaving?

It was quite accidental - I was working on a Masters in Music, studying clarinet. A friend wanted to change careers and was interested in pursuing a craft – weaving was mentioned. Since I was unfamiliar with “weaving”, I went to the library and borrowed several books for my friend, but I ended up reading them. In trying to encourage my friend, I ended up becoming consumed by the discipline. Soon we were purchasing a loom in NYC – in 1973. The saleswoman asked what we would do with it and I said, “Start a business weaving rugs”.  She asked if we knew how to weave…?.... No….well she taught weaving….and so it began. My partner’s brother was a noted interior designer in NYC. I spent a whole summer in an apartment in NY teaching myself to weave, and taking lessons from Johanna Laurie who had studied in France and Scandinavia. That fall we presented the “new samples” to his brother and he referred us to another designer who made a call which put us in the offices of one of the most prestigious interior design firms in NY. The first rugs I wove on commission were for the weekend home of Carter Brown, at that time the director of the National Gallery. With these orders in hand we relocated to Woodstock, NY where I studied with Iona Plath - a noted weaver and author. Time flew by; now it is nearly forty years later – and I still create custom textiles to order for the interior design trade. I like to say in that time I have woven “to the Moon and back, at least several times.”

Any particular techniques you enjoy the most?

Since most of my technique is “self-learned” from many years of hands-on work, I will say it is difficult to choose any one aspect. I hand dye yarns, creating space dyed coloring since nearly the beginning. I weave very large “constructed” area rugs – i.e. woven in panels and hand seamed so patterns match meticulously over 25-30 feet in length; I also weave throws and upholstery fabric….and I like to create scarves too! In truth, I enjoy the range of processes necessary to produce the finished textiles, whatever it may be.

What part of the process makes you the most passionate?

Again, this is really hard to differentiate for me, because the whole process is a continuum – meaning you begin with the concept be it the design and/or coloring, continuing on to choosing and preparing the necessary materials. Once they are secured it is on to the physical steps of warping and setting-up the loom and then the weaving. (I find warping the loom very satisfying ….and the actual weaving has been my life’s work. Assembling and finishing these large textiles gives the sense of completion. )

(area rug hand-woven by Greg)

What is your source of inspiration?

This is another question I cannot pinpoint a succinct answer.  Ideas come to me at any time, many I do not act on for years. I am a very visual and tactile person and there is inspiration even in mundane daily tasks. Finally, my clients over the years have provided a stimulus that is unfathomable. I have worked for many of the most noted American interior designers and architects. These extremely talented people are constantly providing their input.  I many times feel that I am most creative at “solving a problem” given very specific limitations – that is fulfilling the desires of a design professional so that my textile is compatible with the whole concept of the room.  These are generally very high-end projects.

Where do I sell? 

I think the above answer explains where the bulk of my work goes – into residential interior projects. I have sold my hand woven scarves in boutique stores and a few craft shows. An assistant suggested, and actually set up my Etsy shop – Fitch Studio Weavers just over a year ago. It is now the only venue for the sale of my scarves. 

When my assistant moved back to his home state, I had to take over managing the shop. I have to say that at this late stage in my career, I have to acquire a lot of new “techniques” regarding marketing on the web….and I am still learning. But in this process I have met other weavers across the world through the Etsy Weavers Team and had some very nice interactions with purchasers on Etsy. We are all still evolving – both the shop owners of Etsy and the site itself. I find it challenging, but also kind of fun.

Inteview by Alvant,

Captain of Etsy Weavers team

Meet our Team - Interview with Leslie

Doing interviews with my members brings me so much joy... I always get such a thrill when see it finished. Every single member of our team is so unique and amazing...

Please meet Leslie Maltby Burdzy, located in South Windsor, Connecticut.

Leslie represents the store called “Coffee Break Designs”

Random Facts about You?

I have a BA in English, and MS in Education but I’ve only ever tutored. I was a nanny at one time. And a trade show coordinator (not at the same time). I am fascinated with the past, in that I would like to travel back in time. I have been teaching myself to play guitar for the last year and I love to write songs and sing. The jury is still out on that, though. I’ve done one open mic back in February and plan to do more!

How long ago have you started weaving?

I’ve been weaving since 2006.

What got you started weaving?

This is a long story but it has a point (and an ending). I’ve wanted to weave for a long time. I learned to knit from my grandmother and aunt when I was very young, did that for a while but dropped it until maybe 10 years ago. By then there were so many luscious and interesting yarns that I really became addicted to yarn. I still wanted to learn to weave but the whole loom, weaving thing seemed so big and complicated (where do I get a loom, they seem expensive, where do I put it, how do I do it, what if I don’t like it?). So, I decided to try spinning (seems like such an obvious alternative, right???). I purchased a drop spindle and fiber kit.

Tried it. Dropped the spindle. Tried it. Dropped the spindle. Tried it. Dropped the spindle. Repeat. You get the picture. So I put it on the shelf for a couple of months.

Then I looked at it and thought, “That stupid thing is not going to get the best of me. How can I NOT not learn that?” So I spent a weekend and learned. A few months later I bought a wheel.

In the meantime, my passion for fiber grew. The differences among fibers, plant, animal, man-made, among breeds of animals, fascinated me.

It was then that I decided that I could learn to weave if I took some classes to demystify the process. So I did and here I am.

Any particular technique(s) that you enjoy the most?

There are many I have not tried or have only tried a couple of times. I’d have to say that I am in love with the undulating twills. They seem to move, especially when using complementary colors.

What part the process makes you the most passionate? The part(s) I love best in the weaving process are setting out possible yarn color combinations and textures and looking at them to see what they might yield. And taking the end product off the loom. Sometimes the results are better that I see during the work-in-progress.

What is your source of inspiration?

Mostly my inspiration comes from possible color combinations. However, one very early morning I was watching something on CPTV about some artists in Central America and a civil war, I think. The show was in Spanish so I didn’t understand it. There was one picture, though, of the side of a barn or some wooden building. It painted red long ago, but weathered to gray and shadows of black. It mesmerized me and I wanted to recreate that in a scarf. I made two or three that came out wonderful.

Where do you sell?

Apart from my Etsy store, I have a few things on Artfire. I sell in some boutiques in Connecticut. I also attend the Coventry Farmers’ Market several times during the summer and fall. And last year I joined a small, local women’s artisans group and we put on an art show each June (this will be our second year).

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

That’s basically what I do now.

What first made you want to become an artist?

I think I always have been an artist, ever since I can remember, although not in a “That’s my job” sort of way. My belief is that everyone is creative. My husband’s education is in chemical engineering and while it is common to differentiate creative types (traditional artists like painters, musicians, etc.) from scientists, I have witnessed the development of an idea/solution from the most basic creative question, “What if . . . ?” To me, it is like breathing. I think if you took away all my yarn, paper, pencils, my camera, I would try to make something out of paper clips and sticks, no matter how weird it looked.

Please describe your creative process: how, when, materials, etc.

Sometimes it feels like my creative process is constant –When I’m driving; when I’m out shopping with my husband and he is looking at some plumbing supplies and I am bored and wondering what I could make with all those fittings; in the middle of the night – you get the idea.

Sometimes I sketch out ideas and color combinations with colored pencils, but only if it’s something I’ve never tried and even then it often changes in the middle of the project.

I always feel very uneasy when I’ve completed a collection and I have to start a new project (or set of projects). I don’t know what I want or should do next because it’s always more than one thing.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

My grandmother seemed to be the most prolific knitter/tatter/crocheter but that could have been because that’s just the way it was back then. I never owned a store-bought sweater until I was in my teens. I’d have to say that anything I still have of hers is most cherished. I have a couple of tatted tablecloths I use at the holidays. I also have an afghan and a sweater she made for me when I was about 11.

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

Be patient. You may or may not make your first sale in the first two weeks or even the first two months but don’t give up.

Take GREAT photographs! Partner with someone who is a good photographer or learn as much as you can. (I’m still learning loads!) Emulate the photography that you love – what makes you want to look at the item for sale?

Variety. By that I mean, put new things in your shop as often as you can.

What do you like about Etsy?

I love the uncluttered look. It feels very pleasant to me, like a brick and mortar store I like to visit. Also, the sense of community.

How do you promote your work?

That’s always a challenge, in that I could, literally, spend an entire day on the internet trying to do that. This is an area where I am still learning. Right now I use Twitter, my own Facebook page, my Coffee Break Designs Facebook page, Ravelry a little bit. I blog. I have a link to my Etsy shop on the bottom of my emails, a link on my YouTube page (which has nothing to do with weaving), on my MySpace page, which I haven’t gone to in months. I think that’s it. Sometimes it becomes a jumbled mess in my head.

What weaving activities or guilds to you participate in?

None now. People always ask. Maybe I should.

Do you have a website, blog, Facebook page, or other online endeavors?

Yes!

http://coffeebreakdesigns-lamb.blogspot.com/

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/coffeebreakdesign

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coffee-Break-Designs/104877405218

http://www.facebook.com/gardensgallerygifts

Linked In

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You see what I mean?! Great talents! I wanted to wish Leslie lots of success with everything what her hand, mind and heart touches.

Alvant
Captain of Etsy Weavers team

Weekly Treasury winners!

Dear all,

it has been a while since we posted treasuries created by our team members.

Here are the two that certainly won our hearts:

1) "Spring colors from weavers workshops!" treasury created by Mireloom, featuring many members of our team!!!!

2) Beautiful "Serenity" treasury created by TheHermitsLoom, featuring our team member Amy aclhandweaver

We encourage you to check them out, click on your favorite items and make new friends by creating new "Favorites"

Great job, guys!

Alvant
Captain of Etsy Weavers team

Meet our Team - Interview with Pamela

“I cherish my “handmade” life”

Today we feature our interview with Pamela, representing the “inkleing” store

   I live and work in the wilds of New Mexico the “Land of Enchantment”

The name of your store

        The name of my store is “inkleing” spelled with a small “i”. It’s a play on a type of loom I sometimes use, little ideas and the writing group “The Inklings” that had Tolkien, Lewis and other writers from the 1930's and 40’s as members. I am an avid reader!

URL location on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/inkleing

Random Facts about You?

       I grow most of my own food, keep chickens (for eggs not eating) and I’m a beekeeper… how’s that for random.  I spin and make my own natural plant dyes.  I’m also a wicked woodworker and build my own looms and weaving frames. 

How long ago have you started weaving?

         It’s been several years I don’t remember exactly. In recent years it’s been mostly Tablet Weaving.

What got you started weaving?

        Ha ha… I started weaving when I realized that I have no talent for knitting… none what so ever. Can a person have two left hands? LOL

Any particular technique(s) that you enjoy the most?

         Absolutely, Tablet Weaving is my favorite. I love the fact that it requires very little in the way of equipment a few cards with holes and a frame, that’s it! I made my own frame from a picture of one found on the Oseberg Viking Burial ship.

What part the process makes you the most passionate?

        For me it’s not about the sale or the end result. The process and the experience of doing something that’s been done the same way for more than a thousand years it what does it for me. You just can’t beat Iron Age technology!

What is your source of inspiration?

         Wow that’s a tough question. I draw from so many things for inspiration. Sometimes a trip to a Museum to look at ancient textiles, I can stand and stare at a fragment of cloth or trim for hours. I also keep a pad of quad paper and a jar of colored pencils out at all times. You never know when inspiration will strike. We have the most amazing Sunrises here all I really have to do is step outside and there it is painted in the sky.

Where do you sell?

        Most of my business is word of mouth and referral I do a tremendous amount of custom work. Occasionally at the Renn Faire and SCA events and until very recently on Ebay I just closed my shop of 10 years in October and of course Etsy!

 Apart from creating things, what do you do?

         I hike in the spring and summer with my Border Collie Grace, my best friend and constant companion. A favorite past time is “Shed Hunting” hunting for the antlers that deer and elk drop in the early spring every year.  Really that is more of a work related thing since I use those for Runes and jewelry.  In the winter I study early Medieval Migration Period history, art and textiles, take classes or whatever else strikes my fancy. It's pretty cold here in the winter we sit at just below 6000' so it does freeze and snow. It's not what people think of when they think New Mexico.

What first made you want to become an artist?

         I’m pretty sure that happened in kindergarten when we did our little handprints in clay!  When I worked at a “real” job I was a make-up artist for Estee Lauder for 12 years. I guess it is always there front and center or just off in the periphery.

Please describe your creative process

         That would depend on the purpose of the piece.  If it’s a piece of period trim I ask lots of questions. What fabric it will be paired with, is there a persona, character, role or part you are playing?  If it’s a Tarot or Rune bag I need to know the deck being used or divination tool that the bag will hold. I prefer to use natural fabrics and fibers. Then again sometimes I just have a pattern or color combination stuck in my mind that has to come out to make room for other things.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

        It would be impossible to pick just one thing.  I guess I would have to say I cherish my “handmade” life.  I try to make or buy handmade whenever possible. I have many thing in my home created by friends and I cherish each and every one of those things.

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

         Keep it fun and do what you love.  My target audience is fairly limited but it is those people and that lifestyle that I am most passionate about, so for me high sales and big numbers is not the point of my Etsy shop, I just love it that my stuff is out there. I think the most important thing is to examine what it is you want from the experience.

What do you like about Etsy?

         I love that is basically a handmade world (with a side trip to the vintage store..always welcome) it can be hard at times to stand out but there seems to be a niche for everyone.

How do you promote your work?

          I’m pretty much a referral business.  I do like the new "Circles" feature Esty has it really helps to promote your own things and the items and shops that you have marked as a favorite. I do have a personal Facebook page but no blog no website no twitter....yet.  Mostly because I have so many other activities I just can’t fit those things in.  Plus I need 8 hours of sleep. (Remember I love Iron Age technology) LOL

What weaving activities or guilds to you participate in?

             I’m a member of Las Aranas Spinners and Weavers Guild here in New Mexico and I take a few classes every year at the best shop in the state “Village Wools"

Interview with Lynn

Hello all,

the best way to end the week is to meet another great member of our team - Lynn.

She is a bit discrete, but that doesn't diminish her fascinating personality!

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Your name, your location, the name of your store, URL location on Etsy

My name is Lynn.  I live by a lake in upstate New York near the Vermont border, in the United States.   My loom is on the enclosed porch right next to the lake, so I have a wonderful view while I am weaving.  I design and weave one-of-a-kind scarves.  My shop is called LoomOnTheLake and it’s at http://www.etsy.com/shop/loomonthelake 

Random Facts about You?

I play the recorder (soprano, alto, tenor, bass, and great bass) with an ensemble of talented musicians, both amateur and professional.   In our concerts, we have performed music ranging from some written in medieval times through baroque and classical music to contemporary music composed the year we played it. 

My education is highly technical.  My scientific career has involved much original and creative thinking, some of which has used a lot of mathematics and has been of a very abstract nature.  Outside of my career, I’ve done design work in areas such as architecture and civil engineering.  So I’ve thought creatively both in abstract and in concrete ways.

What got you started weaving?

I wanted to put something over my recorders to protect them from the sunlight.  I bought a used floor loom and taught myself how to weave.  This is true!

What part of the process makes you the most passionate? (Choosing the right materials, the actual process, the end result, the sale, etc.)

I like both designing and weaving.  In a sense, they represent the abstract and the concrete parts of a process, respectively.  I’m not interested in weaving the same thing over and over again.  Once I’ve woven a scarf and my curiosity is satisfied, I’m ready to design a different one.  Whenever I finish a scarf, I analyze which elements are pleasing and which are not.  Then on to the next!  

Making a sale is of secondary importance to me.  But it is very satisfying to have customers who appreciate what I have woven.

What is your source of inspiration?

Nature and music. 

I am fortunate to live in an extraordinarily beautiful location.  Things are always changing and they are always beautiful: the jaggedness of pine branches, snow on the frozen lake, a spectacular sunset, autumn colors in the mountains, whitecaps on the lake before a storm, moss and pinecones on a rock.  My creativity comes at the time I see something.   Since weaving is a slow process, I finish an autumn scarf as winter approaches or one about snow and ice as people are thinking about spring.  But I’m going to create what I want to, rather than what “the market” wants me to do at a certain time.

Music plays a large part in my weaving, too.   The sheer act of treadling and throwing a shuttle is easy for me because of my musical training.  Playing music and weaving reinforce each other in unexpected ways.  Sometimes, when practicing a technical musical passage, it helps to play the notes backwards.  That’s sort of like reading a draft from right to left instead of left to right (or vice versa).  When I play music, I am aware of patterns and wonder how I can incorporate them in my weaving.  I’ve done this in many different ways.  Sometimes I’ve mentioned this in the description of a scarf and other times it’s my secret.

One of my favorites is “Winter: Icy Wind” (now sold).  It came from nature (a winter sunrise), nature again (the colors of ice), and music depicting nature (a fragment from Vivaldi’s “Winter.”)  It was Vivaldi who figured out how to make music imitate nature (the icy wind).  I tried a whole series of fragments from his phrasing to find one which would look good visually.  Then lots and lots of analysis to see why I liked the result so well, so that I could take the concepts and apply them to something else.  That scarf took months to design. 

 What first made you want to become an artist?

The world is calling me an artist, so I am playing along with it and calling myself one.  Personally, I don’t see any difference between being highly creative in a scientific world and being creative in an artistic one.  I don’t understand why people build a wall between art and science.  To me, there is no boundary, and there is beauty in both.

Please describe your creative process: how, when, materials, etc.

I am driven by curiosity and, above all, by the need for intellectual stimulation.  Some designs take me months to create, especially when I am figuring out to use music in them.

I’m playing some Bach now.  His music has a lot of structure to it and sounds wonderful.   Taking elements from the music and weaving a scarf as beautiful as the music sounds is an interesting challenge to me.

Once I have an idea, the selection of colors usually comes easily.  So much comes from nature, and I only have to look around me and then choose the colors.

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

I have only been selling on Etsy since last September, so I need advice myself!  What I can say for sure is that good photography is very important.   I figure that I only have about five seconds in which to make a sale.  That’s how long a potential customer is likely to look at a photo of one of my scarves before moving on to some other photo.  So if I haven’t attracted the customer’s attention by then, I’ve lost the sale.

Instead of giving advice, let me frame this as a question, because I think it’s relevant for many of us weavers in one way or another.  My scarves tend to be very intricate, with complex designs and subtle changes of color.  How do you present that, give a feeling for how a scarf drapes, and also convey a sense of high quality to a customer in five seconds?  You may choose different characteristics to define your weaving, but you still have to present them to the customer very quickly.

What weaving activities or guilds to you participate in?

I am a member of a very active weaving Guild.  We learn from each other, inspire and challenge each other, and admire each others’ talents and weaving ability.

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Thank you, Lynn, for this interview!
I can certainly hear the music and see so much more in those scarfs after getting to know you!

Alvant
Captain of Etsy Weavers team.

Meet our Team - Interview with Jeanette Newton

Good Friday everyone! This week we have another weaver from Canada. We are proud to introduce to you Jeanette Newton, from Vancouver, BC.

Please check out her Etsy store: Raincoast Handwovens

Random Facts about You?

I am married with 2 children (adults actually), ages 25 & 27.  After my son and daughter moved out I decided to take over their bedrooms for myself. One room is my weaving studio and the other is my sewing room.  I spend most of my spare time in these two rooms lost in the creative process.  I never thought being an empty nester could be this fun! 

What got you started weaving?

About 2 years ago I started developing arthritis in my hands and was having a hard time knitting (my favorite pass-time at that point in my life).  I knew I would be lost without some sort of creative hobby but wasn't sure what it could be.  That autumn my husband and I were at a local arts event called the Eastside Culture Crawl.  There I came across a woman selling her woven blankets and scarves.  She had her loom set up with many beautiful yarns scattered about the room.  I was instantly intrigued and decided that perhaps this could be something for me.  I wasted no time in finding someone to take lessons from and by January I had bought my own loom and was completely hooked.  Since that time I have continued to learn on my own, teaching myself different techniques from the many books that I have purchased. 

Any particular technique(s) that you enjoy the most?

I don't really have one favorite technique.  I love experimenting with colour, often with disastrous results, but the more I weave the more successes I have.   I find it fascinating the way different colours interact with each other, often with very surprising results.  I am quite passionate about being as kind to this earth as possible and try to incorporate that into my weaving.    I realize I have a way to go yet with this but I nearly always use some eco-friendly fibers in my weaving, such as Bamboo and Tencel.  I also love unusual fibers and am always on the lookout for something different.  I recently found some Possum yarn!  My goal is to start dying my own yarns soon with natural dyes only.  

What part the process makes you the most passionate?

I sometimes feel like the planning process is in some way the best part.  As I am weaving a project on my loom I often find myself daydreaming about the next project and what yarns and colours I will use.  I very often lay awake at night thinking of patterns and colours instead of falling asleep.  It is impossible for me to walk past a yarn store and not pop in for a quick look, just in case I find something wonderful that I just have to have.  It’s pretty rare for me to walk out empty handed!  Having said all that, just the process of handling the yarn, or weaving those first couple of inches and seeing the whole thing come to life is also wonderful. 

What is your source of inspiration?

I find living on the west coast so inspiring.  I have lived here all my life and am still in awe at the beauty of my surroundings - the ocean, the gulf islands, the mountains, and the forests.  I am also very humbled and at the same time inspired every time I go to one of the many arts events here, or visit the many artisans living on the gulf islands.  There are so many talented people out there and they are a real source of motivation.

Where do you sell?

I have sold some of my scarves at a local Christmas craft fair and recently have set up a shop on Etsy. 

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I work part-time at our family business.  My husband is a Tool & Die Maker/Machinist and has had his own business for 25 years.  About 5 years ago I decided to make a change and join him.  I do the bookkeeping.  Aside from that, I love gardening and have starting growing my own vegetables, which has been very rewarding.  Since our children now have lives of their own, my husband and I have also started to do some travelling.  We love cycling and have taken our bikes on three trips now to England, France and Scotland.  It is a real adventure and such a fantastic way to travel.

What first made you want to become an artist?

Although, until recently, I have never thought of myself as an artist, I think I have always been one.  There has never been a time in my life when I haven't been creating something.  I have tried just about everything now - soap-making, candle-making, knitting, cross-stitch, needlepoint, sewing, watercolour painting, mosaics, pottery, basket weaving, card making, dried and fresh flower arranging, etc........

Please describe your creative process

Colour is usually the first thought I have.  As I mentioned earlier, I usually begin the planning process long before I have finished my current creation.  Once I get an idea in my head I can't stop thinking about it.  It almost becomes an obsession until I can actually begin creating it.  I love looking through all my yarns (I have quite a collection now) and placing different ones together to see what might work.  The actual pattern is very often the last thing I decide upon, although I also love the idea of creating works that are more textural than colorful.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

I have a beautiful crocheted tablecloth that my Grandmother made.  I remember her making it when I was a little girl and how much she loved the pattern.  It is a round tablecloth with daffodils all around the edge.  I think I probably get my creative side from her.

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

As I am pretty new to Etsy myself it is hard to give advice.  I have noticed that renewing items on a regular basis is very helpful as it means that your item will show up in the first few pages of a search giving you more exposure.  Good photos are also extremely important and of course excellent customer service goes without saying.  I always wrap my scarves nicely and include a hand written note.

What do you like about Etsy? 

I love the connection it gives me with other like-minded people.  I think it is such an amazing opportunity to sell handmade items that at one time would have been impossible.  Through Etsy you can sell your handmade creations worldwide and without the huge commissions that shop-owners charge.  I used to sell my mosaics through a shop and they took 40%!!  I also love looking at all the beautiful things that other people are making.

How do you promote your work?

I haven't really done much to promote my work I'm afraid.  I'll have to work on that. I spend very little time on the computer.  As it is, there never seems to be enough time in the day to do all that I would like to.  I don't tweet or blog and, to be honest, have no idea how to.

(on a bicycle trip in UK)