over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – February is Fiona Lech (dear fii) with her image of her Hexagon pincushion, 2009. Machine sewn & hand finished using new & vintage fabrics & buttons.

Fiona Lech from Dear Fii also has an etsy shop and an online store.. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, 5 children and about 200 pets…
Main craft of choice: Quilting, hand piecing/appliqué, general sewing I can’t choose just one!
Craft hero: Jodie from Ric Rac one of the nicest craziest talented people I know, an awesome crafter.
Fave web site: Again just one? Too hard! Whipup.net of course! + Craftzine + Flickr for all fantastic places for inspiration, networking and lots of crafty eye candy!
Fave crafty materials supplier: Amitie textiles, Felt’o’Rama.com, opshops, vintage markets.

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I started crafting a long time ago while I was still in Primary School. A quilt class at the local community house was my first big project! Having a crafty mum who sewed our clothes and knitted was a great, I still can’t knit though no matter how hard I try!

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit you’re making stride?
Color seams to be my thing and lots off it. Putting together fabrics in a different way, becoming confident in doing that and having people like what I did. What I love to make is always changing I don’t like to do too much of one thing, I get bored easily!

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
Playing with fabric and buttons just makes me happy! Making something for myself, a customer or my family and seeing the reactions is worth the effort! I truly feel that crafting keeps me sane .Being able switch my crazy life off and just talk to the fabric is bliss!

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – Our May feature artist is Amy Bethune.

Amy Bethune from the B-line – Amy also runs an etsy store, she lives in Michigan.
Main craft of choice: jewelry design
Craft hero: Martha Stewart–I know she has an empire of folks that help, but she comes up with some amazing things.
Fave web site: many! but the pioneer woman is an inspiration.
Fave crafty materials supplier: rio grande

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I’ve always loved to make things, but I got more serious about making jewelry about a year and a half ago. I was actually going through a rough time and being creative helped to lift my spirits. I got hooked on beading first, and then started working with polymer clay when I found I had ideas for “beads” that weren’t available.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
I’d say most people are drawn to and recognize my work through my corsage collection, the line that began from my work with polymer clay. It took me just a few months (after opening the b-line on etsy) to make those designs a regular part of my shop.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
I find it therapeutic to create. It calms my mind. And it gives me great joy to know that other people enjoy wearing my designs.

All images courtesy Amy Bethune

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – Our June feature artist is Eva Monleón.

Eva Monleón from Misakomimoko also has an etsy shop where you purchase the cutest things, she lives in Barcelona.
Main craft of choice: Stuffies / handcrafted dolls
Craft hero: Something’s Hiding in Here, Lili Scratchy, Ann Wood, Stephanie Congdon Barnes, Le train Fantôme, Emily Martin…
Fave web site: my fave sites lately are fine little day, mieke willems + Joyville
Fave crafty materials supplier: my local flea market, Els encants vells in Barcelona

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I learned sewing and embroidering at primary school, later I was very influenced by Annette Messager, Tracy Emin, Georgina Starr, Niky de Saint Phalle, Dubuffet (and Art brut)… while studying Fine Arts, so I mostly crafted, made installation and painted/sewn soft sculptures. Then I worked for a long time as a multimedia and graphic designer and after of ten years working with computers I realized that I needed something else. I joined an amigurumi workshop in a lovely gallery shop called Duduà and since then I haven’t stopped making crafts.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
The moment when I finished my first little doll was so exciting… she made me feel very special and I thought that maybe these dolls could make other people feel the same way, so I started doing different little dolls to see what happened.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
It makes me feel really happy, making them it’s a kind of childish freedom and joy. When I imagine how a car doll, or a little dog, a bird, a table or a carrot doll would look like, I have to began to draw and sew it and then finish it to see how it will turn out. I love playing and allowing myself to be swept away by the process of making them just to feel this kind of peace and make people smile.

All images courtesy Eva Monleón

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – Our August feature artist is Maya Donenfeld from Maya*Made.

Maya Donenfeld’s website is maya*made – her etsy online store is found here, and she lives in upstate NY, USA.
Main craft of choice: printing, but sewing is a super close second
Craft hero: Without hesitation, grandfather. When he was younger he had the ability to make anything he found interesting or necessary. Although all of his crafts had a utilitarian bent, all were made with such precision and beauty.
Fave web site (whipup of course but do you have another fave?): There are so many good ones out there. I have favorites for different topics, but if I had just one to choose from it might be Amy Karol’s Angry Chicken. Her blog is filled with all the things I love: sewing, crafting, parenting, and fun little bits of this and that. There are many wonderful blogs that cover these topics, but her dry wit and sense of humor always catch me off guard. I love that.
Fave crafty materials supplier: I find a lot of supplies at thrift stores and antique shops and, of course, Etsy. My favorite place to pick up recycled burlap is at my local coffee roasters.

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
My family is EXTREMELY creative. My mother has always inspired me with her own work and encouraged me with mine. In fact, she made me a carpenter’s workbench from salvaged materials when I was around 5. It was in my bedroom fully stocked with supplies at all times.Talk about setting the stage for exploration. I also remember my very first sewing book… from that era. Oh, I’d love to get my hands on it for my kids!

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
My style has been fairly consistent (with a few deviations) for years. I’m drawn to natural color palettes and always inspired by nature. I didn’t hit my stride, though, until I opened my etsy shop in November 08. Making things on a broader scale has taught me so much.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
It feeds my need to be resourceful in a big way. On a deeper level, I seem to have this insatiable appetite for learning new skills. Problem solving and mastering something new just make me really happy. Creating beauty out of ordinary materials is exhilarating.

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – Our July artist is Laura Amiss with her machine embroidered Little legs.

Laura Amiss: www.lauraamiss.com, lives in The Netherlands, Amsterdam (although she is English).
Main craft of choice: Free hand machine embroidery, using the sewing machine is like drawing for me.
Craft hero: Freddie Robins, amazing knitter and artist based in the UK
Fave web site: I love all the design blogs, I suppose my favorite is Poppytalk
Fave crafty materials supplier: I don’t really use a supplier, I recycle a lot of my kids clothes! Plus I live near an amazing fabric market in Amsterdam.

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?:
I studied Textiles at Goldsmiths in London, but I have always drawn, painted and made my own clothes. Fabric and stitch is now the medium in which I draw and create images. I love the narrative quality of textiles and the contrast between technique and subject.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
I’d say that this develops every time I make something at the moment, it was pretty recent that I got into layering my images and fabric together. But I feel that there is much more to explore within the style I currently use, it’s only going to get better! I often think about ideas much faster than I can make them, especially with two small children aged 3 and 18 months. I’d like to develop different lines of work and contrast the medium of digital art with textiles.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
Sorry to sound corny but I get such a buzz when it all comes together from idea, to drawing to finished piece. I love the physicality of making with my hands and the process of piecing colors and compositions together. Not to mention the joy when other people like what I make!

All images courtesy Laura Amiss – in order they are: 1. My umbrella, 2. She wore a yellow dress, 3. Shoes Shoes Shoes, 4. Lacey legs.

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – April is Shannah Burton (daskaninchen) with her stuffed wool Hare.

Bio:
Shannah Burton (daskaninchen) has an etsy store and flickr site. She lives in Illinois.
Craft of choice: Always sewing and currently felting.
Craft hero: Nicole from www.astulabee.com because she is a hard working mama who creates soft sculpture creatures that are firmly art and craft all in one.

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I’ve always been making/crafting but my push came from my textile studies in school while in the art education program. I fell in love with the materials and have been hooked ever since. There was an amazing mix of talented grad students and a nurturing teacher to help me get started. Often, elementary art teachers stop making art because so much creative energy goes into teaching, and I didn’t want that to be my fate. I set up an etsy shop as part of my independent study to help keep me motivated after I graduated and have enjoyed it ever since.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
I received a warm welcome from the etsy community. Maritza from sotosofties (her mice are on the December calendar page!) was my very first etsy buyer- thank you Maritza! I was overwhelmed by the response I got from my beuys bunnies and fibonacci rabbits- I sold out of everything I had put in my shop by the next day. That was my vote of confidence.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
I create/craft for many reasons; as a compulsion (creating is breathing), so that my kiddos have meaningful and beautiful handmade pieces in their lives, and being part of a crafting community helps me to feel part of something bigger than myself. Thank you whipup and fellow crafters for the daily inspiration!

All images courtesy Shannah Burton.

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – March is Tania Patritti (Ninon) with her adorable fabric The Cherrybomb Family.

Bio:
Tania Patritti – super ninon is from Berlin, Germany and sells her work on etsy.
Main craft of choice: Plush Making, sewing
Craft hero: Astulabee, Donna Wilson, Xin of Doinky Doodles
Fave web site: Hello! It’s Meet Me At Mikes!
Fave crafty materials supplier: Frau Tulpe

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I started sewing in 2001, taught by my mother, who is a very DIY lady… I had many ideas of things to make, and really felt the urge to be able to realize them. I started with sewing some bags and simple clothes, then later on I started sketch little creatures and bring them to life in 3d.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
When I realized that spending more and more time on one single piece gave me more satisfaction than working on the easy ones, and that in this direction my style would evolve in a more effective way; it makes me very happy when people recognize this effort.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
I’ve been trying to live out of what I make for the past 5 years, so basically that’s my daily bread :)
I really want to concentrate on my creative projects as a full time job, and see what happens… I love being my own boss, even if sometimes it’s a bit difficult, for many reasons… but still, I am enjoying every minute of it!

All images courtesy Tania Patritti (Ninon).

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – January is Margaret Oomen (Resurrection fern) with her assemblage Homage to sea sew, a collection of sea stones & wood slices covered with her handmade crocheted lace, with added vintage thimbles, sea glass, feathers, ferns & moss.

Bio:
Margaret Oomen from resurrection fern lives in Canada and sells her work on etsy.
Main craft of choice: no favorite I love knitting, crocheting, embroidery, hand sewing, felting and printing equally.
Craft hero: I have so many but I don’t think I would be answering these questions if it weren’t for the constant inspiration and encouragement I received from Elsita Mora.
Fave web site Besides whip ( of course) I love Elsita’s web site, poppytalk ( for it’s Canadian content) and bookhou home (Aounna is so very talented, kind and the best instructor).
Fave crafty materials supplier: thrift stores are where I purchase most of my materials, etsy and of course my walks in the forest.

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I have been making things as far back as I can remember. As a child I used to make dolls for family members and I embroidered a jean jacket for the lead singer of a local rock band. My father was a great inspiration. He was an electrical engineer and university professor. He instilled in me a love for treasure hunting in both the natural world and second hand stores.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
I don’t think of myself as really having a ’style’. It is more a ‘process’. I spend lots of time exploring my natural environment. It is my major source of inspiration and also where I find most of the little bits and pieces that end up in my organized collections. I use this to inspire my heart, mind and hands to create things whether it be a crochet covered stone, an embroidered portrait or a softie. I think the light-bulb moment might be when i joined flickr and then later started a blog and realized I was a small maker of things in a large wonderful supportive community.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
It keeps me balanced and has allowed me to ‘meet’ so many amazing people. My other motive is to inspire others to get outside, explore the world, fall in love with it, share it with others and vow to preserve it.

the pictures in order of appearance are 1. blue green collection in a hoop, 2. the owl and the pussycat (was made for daughter Rebekah’s birthday), 3. the language of stones ( available as a print in my etsy shop),
4. matryoshka turtle (one of three softies made for plush you 2009 and available for sale at Schmancy, Seattle).

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – starting with Susan Chi (Tada’s Revolution). Susan’s Grand Theft Auto, fun gorgeous characters crocheted with yarn – is our wonderful fun and quirky cover image.

Bio:
Susan Chi from USA / Saint Louis, Missouri – her website is: www.tadasrevolution.com
Main craft of choice: crocheting and sewing stuffed animals (amigurumi and nuigurumi)
Craft hero: Christine of SugarElf
Fave web site (whipup of course but do you have another fave?): Etsy, eBay, Three Potato Four
Fave crafty materials supplier: Kirkwood Knittery and Knitorious in Saint Louis

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I first learned to draw when I was three years old. When I was growing up, I used to spent time around my uncle and cousin who were painting pictures all the time. I started to draw every day, whatever I could find, including my grandpa, and carrots.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
I constantly find inspiration in art and nature, and I think that my style constantly evolves. Often going through phases. If you look closely at a string of my pieces or photo sets, you can usually pick up on my obsessions of the moment.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
Crafting and art has become a central thread of my life, and it is hard for me to picture life without doing arts or crafts of some sort. When I craft, it brings me order, peace, and happiness.

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

No doubt there will be more Halloween crafts in the coming weeks – but things are gearing up so here are some crafty ideas to get you in the spirit.

Halloween paper village by Claudine Hellmuth
bat mobile by the long thread
felt pumpkin pencil topper by roots and wings.
owl cross stitch pattern by cross me not
martha stewart bird mask
sweet paul and his scary family portraits [see pic above]
Halloween candle holder by Cathy Filian
Craftzine kids halloween costume
crafty crafty and the spider twig wreath
mermag and the paper jack-o-lantern [see pic below]
love the felt masks at spool sewing
the storque has a wacky knitting free pattern – knitting a baby frog suit costume