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2010 calendar feature artist: Blair Stocker

by kath_red on November 21, 2009

in People

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 – Blair Stocker is featured with her image of her knitting in progress.

Blair Stocker otherwise known as wise craft, lives in Seattle, Washington and her main craft is sewing and quilting.
Craft hero: Denyse Schmidt
Fave web site: Anna Maria Horner’s site is always fun, Design Sponge for home dec ideas, True Up for fabric news.

wisecraft.tomorrowlandtrees

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 crafted a lot as a kid, my grandmother taught me how to knit at the age of 4 (which I never fully appreciated the patience she must have had until I had my own 4 year old). I have gone through fits and spurts of crafting throughout my life since then, but I’d have to say when I had children in 1998, I really got into sewing and making all kinds of things for them. Its all just continued from there and creating is a part of my daily life now.

wisecraft.puppets

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ‘style’ and really hit your making stride?
Writing a blog really showed me what my own style actually is. I never stopped to take photos and talk about what I made before I started blogging, but I can look back through older posts and see there is a common thread that I never saw there before (I honestly never picked up on just how much I like blue and green, for example).

wisecraft.bird

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
Making things is a way to just escape. It usually requires a lot of focus, and at the same time it clears my mind. So much of my day is taken up multi-tasking, but sitting and making something really allows me to focus and relax. I also believe that when we my family uses things that are handmade that we’re less likely to look at that as disposable. It just makes us more thoughtful in that regard, which is good.

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

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2010 whipup calendar: February artist – Fiona Lech

by kath_red on November 8, 2009

in People

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

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!

Fiona Lech

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!

Fiona Lech

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.

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2010 whipup calendar: May artist – Amy Bethune

by kath_red on November 6, 2009

in People

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

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.

Amy Bethune

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.

Amy Bethune

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.

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2010 whipup calendar: June artist – Eva Monleón

by kath_red on November 4, 2009

in People

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

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.

Eva Monleón

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.

doli donkeyears

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.

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2010 whipup calendar: feature artist – august Maya Donenfeld

by kath_red on November 2, 2009

in People

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.

studio

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.

peg bag on the line

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!

linen pillow stamped directly with poppy pods

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.

January 2009 436

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.

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