Old World Shoppe

Today I would like to introduce you to Edie of http://ediecastle.etsy.com Edie is a memeber of the OWS group who craft using traditiional methods, skills and materials. If you like what you see in Edie's shop you can enter ows into the search engine at http://etsy.com and you will be led to the other members of the group.

1. How are your creations inspired?

I get my inspiration from all around me. I am very visual. I can see anything and just about make something like it. I don't need a pattern. I make up my own. I love to look at catalogs and dream about how I can make something I have seen. Of course the things I make, bags, pillowcases, jewelry totes, etc. all have a basic shape that is not difficult to duplicate. I am afraid I am not very original. I do wish I could come up with something that no one has ever thought about, but I believe that place has already been taken. There is really nothing new on earth.

2. Which product are you proudest of and why?
I believe I am proudest of my handbags and shoulder bags. I have always had a love for bags. Even as a child, at the middle of the last century, I would take a cereal box and make a purse to play with. Even before "making your own bag" became popular, I made a bag occasionally just for fun. Now I have perfected the construction of my bags in such a way that they will last a long time. I use plenty of fleece, interfacing, and other means of construction to make a quality bag that anyone can be proud of. I believe in having all the seams matching, fabric cut in the right direction, seams finished with a serger where necessary, and many pressings throughout construction. I go that extra mile to make something that will bring complements to you when you carry it or use it.

3. What kind of work area do you create your pieces in?
My work area consists of a small room that is totally devoted to sewing. I tell everyone it is "insulated" with material! There are very few bolts of fabric that I can resist! I have so much material, thread, trim, and construction materials, until there is hardly room to work. I have a "brand new" Janome Memory Craft 6600 that I love to sew on. I also have a Singer 5 thread serger that I have had for sometime. My house and sewing room is smoke free and pet free so people who are sensitive to these two things, can feel free to buy from me.

4. What are your favourite colours?
My favorite colors are fall colors. I am just drawn to oranges, browns, dark yellows, and dark greens. I have to make myself buy other colors because I am reminded that everyone does not care for the colors I do.

Le Bar du Vent

Time to introduce you to another Dawanda seller, this time from France. Agathe creates wonderfully inspiring pieces of jewelry.

1. How and when did you discover your creative talents?
I am not sure about "talents" actually. The urge to make things has always been there - I mean, when I was 6 or 7, I remember that I had come up with a mixed media drawing method (doesn't that sound grand!) : I would "draw" flowers using colour pencil peelings and leads, that I would glue onto paper to turn them into the corollas and stems of my flowers. The result was limited in terms of variations and aesthetics, but I was exhilarated that I had thought it up myself.
And so on and so forth : I love exploring new materials and techniques.Yet I have had only very basic artistic schooling. Some times I get an image in my mind of something I would like to make, and because I couldn't draw to save my life, I have to think it up with my hands. Now, that can be very messy...
Because I am addicted to clothes (as opposed to fashion) I first dabbled with fabrics - I have made evening dresses for myself (and dolls, earlier on), dresses for my nieces (my beloved guinea pigs), I have knitted pullovers, always trying to make exactly what I wanted and could not find to buy. About five years ago, I discovered crosstitching and began accumulating supplies and projects. I loved using the embroidery patterns to modify or create clothes, cushions etc. My own very humble version of French couture...
I came to jewellery through crosstitching (strange, I know, but some patterns include beads and that is how I discovered a brave new world...) fairly recently, finding that many of the techniques I had dabbled in came in handy, and that the results of my daring experiments tended to be less messy in this creative field.
It suits me that it is such a versatile activity, and I love nothing more than making a piece with someone in mind. Every single piece I have made is more than material to me, it makes sense in a way, because of texture, tradition, colour, memories, references... I love that. I call it thinking with my fingers and find it very soothing, probably because it allows the whole of me to come together.

2. You say that one of your inspirations is sea life. How are you inspired?
That too goes back to my childhood. I first grew up by the sea, and I only come into my own when I am by the sea. I can only be truly happy barefoot on a sand beach and I just have to live with that - and with the fact that, right now, I cannot be barefoot on the sand very much. So I make up for it, trying to build myself a future when I will be able to.
Because the sea is the seat of life, in general and not just to me, it's an incredibly rich source of inspiration, in termes of shapes, colours, textures...

3. Your main selling place is Dawanda, why?, what do you like about it?
Well, the first thing I like about it is that it exists! I am immensely grateful that Claudia and Michael came up with this idea and have tackled the work!
I discovered Dawanda, surfing on the net, looking for community sites that I could fit in with my very virtual shop, just as I was bracing myself to put together my own site (as opposed to paying someone to do it for me) and I couldn't believe my luck! So that, of course, I still haven't come round to giving reality to my site (it's all there in my head - the ideas, I mean - the I.T. is not...).
On Dawanda, it is incredibly easy to list items in a way that is really suitable to such items as ours. Obviously, the fact that listing is free (so far) is a huge incentive to try and list very different items, including inexpensive ones. I had tried my hand at selling on e-bay and other non-specific sites, but Dawanda was really conceived for those precious little jobs of ours and I find it rather more congenial than Etsy.
It also suits me so well that it is multilingual that I couldn't believe my luck there again... and like the various ways to communicate on the platform and the sense of community it makes for.

4. Where would you like to see your talents take you?
Well, guess what! On the seaside!
Right now, I have a "proper" job that is important and interesting to me, but I cannot see myself doing it for 25 to 30 years more. Not full time anyway. Whereas I cannot see myself NOT making stuff, or living away from the ocean forever. So I am working on turning Le Bar du Vent into a proper venture, hoping it can take me to the ocean where I would like to live and work. Eventually.

Interview with a Dawanda Artist

I have decided that I would like to introduce you to artists and sellers that I have come across who I admire and think deserve a little promotion. I have to say this may be a long list, but I have chosen to start with Sara Millis who has been a driving force among the UK sellers on Dawanda and a godsend to some of us less technologically aware with some of the site aspects.


1. Tell me a bit about your background and how long you have been an artist/crafter.

I am a Fashion and Textile Designer/Crafter working and living in London with my long-term partner, Darrin. I graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2000 and started full-time work in the fashion industry designing and developing womenswear ranges for luxury, high street and boutique designers and brands – not all at the same time, but over a six year period! Although I enjoyed my work immensely, I often felt I was missing the opportunity to work on my own creative projects. So I decided to become freelance in June 2006, offering my services to a number of clients at any one time. This gave me the time (through creative scheduling!) and space to channel my creativity into my own work and so in January 2007 Sara’s Texture Crafts was born.

2. Where do you find your inspiration?

I take my inspiration from life around me, whether it is from my peers, film, music, art or nature. My biggest inspiration though is texture – anything with a textural surface or detail catches my eye and often inspires me to create.

3. Do you sell your work?

I have a website at http://www.sarastexturecrafts.fusiveweb.co.uk/ through which you can find links to each of my shops, a bit about my products, my gallery, events diary and a link to my blog – Crafts of Texture. Here are the links:

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Saras-Texture-Crafts – eBay shop selling high street and handmade craft kits, equipment and handmade greeting cards
http://www.sarastexturecrafts.etsy.com– Etsy shop selling handmade jewellery, accessories, textile art and kits
http://en.dawanda.com/shop/sarastexturecrafts – DaWanda shop selling handmade jewellery, accessories, textile art and greeting cards.

4. You mentioned that you sell on DaWanda. How did you find out about the site and how long have you been selling there?

I found DaWanda through my MySpace page. DaWanda approached me to tell me of their new site and promotional opening offer. I get many emails like this through various forums and sites that I advertise on and always try to explore each site before I dismiss an idea. After entering the site and having a good look around I saw potential for my own products, so joined up and have been an active member since late May 2007.

5. Tell me a bit about your current DaWanda collection.

My current collection on DaWanda is my first and I felt it was important to base it on my love of texture. In terms of theme, well I have slowly been developing that and I would say it is based around my passion for vintage.

I have glass and felt jewellery, fabric brooches and 3-d greeting cards in store right now, but plan to expand my range from mid-September.

Style lab is where sellers will list their products that they are willing to make to your choice. There will be two categories. One will be where the item will remain at a set price and only certain things will be changeable, for example this bear will be the same size and shape but you can choose the tartan, the paw colours and the eyes. The second category is where you will see a product, say a quilt, that the seller has done but you would like a different colour scheme, size and pattern. You can contact the seller with your wish list and they will discuss if this is possible and tell you a price. If you are both agreeable a contract will be entered into where you agree to pay for the item that they have agreed to make especially for you.
I think it will be exciting. You can get customised items or specially made designer items amd be that bit different from the Jones's.

Tailor made at Dawanda

Dawanda are soon to be launching a new feature called Style Lab. While we await to see exactly how this works they tell us that members will be invited to offer their customers special tailor made products. We are intrigued.

If this has also caught your imagination visit Dawanda by clicking on the button to the right of this page. They tell us it is starting in the coming days.

If you are interested in starting a shop with Dawanda they have a special offer on at the moment for new members, take a look at their blog.

The Harry Potter craze

Well, I was browsing around in facebook this morning and having a look at some of the groups related to knitting. In one of the groups I came across this blog http://knit-harry-potter.blogspot.com and was blown away at the content. There are links to free patterns that people have posted for you to to knit anything from a bookmark to full sweaters. Some of the patterns are well worth a look. I highly recommend spending time at this blog and it's links for all Potter fans.

The balaclava and hooded gloves pictured here are not, however linked to the above mentioned blog. This was a custom knit I did for a fan of both Harry Potter and friends and of balaclavas. I think I shall keep this one to myself for now.

Autumn?

Well, already thoughts are turning towards Autumn. After the summer we have had I actually find that quite comforting. I love the colours of Autumn, all those reds, brown, golds. It makes travelling in the highlands here much more interesting. There is something very inspiring about these colours especially mixed with the purples and greens on the heather moorlands.
We will be travelling to Argyl either through Speyside or down the Great Glen next month and I will spend a good part of the journey watching the countryside for signs of the changes in colour that hail the start of Autumn. The beauty of being a non-driver.
The inspiration so far has resulted in a sweater with squirrels on it. The front has a very busy squirrel working on a nut and the back has two sqirrels either chatering or confronting each other, depending on how you want your story to go.