Vendor Spotlight: Katie Walker

Next up in our Vendor Spotlight series is textile designer Katie Walker. Using gorgeous silk and cotton, Katie hand dyes and screen prints her own designs to create the most wonderful scarves, perfect for this late summer weather. Read on to learn a little bit more about Katie and her work.

Elizabeth Simpson: Tell us about yourself

Katie Walker: I am a twenty-something textile designer and lover of all things crafty! I just finished school at Sheridan, and have moved back home and started my own tiny studio in my basement. I love dyeing and silk screen printing, but also have a new found love for hand embroidery.

E.S.: Where/when did you become acquainted with your craft?

Katie: I grew up with an artistic family, and a mother who embroidered my whole life. After finishing grade 12 I moved to an arts high school, where I got to take art classes all day long for 2 years. That's when I fell in love with textiles and surface design. I had always liked fabric, but didn't really know all there was to it. At that school I got to weave, sew and print, and then decided it was what I wanted to keep doing. Then I went to Sheridan, where I fell in love with screen printing, and created my line of dyed and printed textile accessories.

E.S.: Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

Katie: I get inspiration from everywhere: magazines, the internet, daily life. My collection of prints right now was all inspired by urban and industrial patterns and textures. I draw and paint a lot, and also get a lot of my inspiration from photography.

E.S.: Do you have a favourite place/spot/time of day/etc. to work?

Katie: I am defiantly a night owl. I am way more productive from 8 pm to midnight than I am all day. And at the moment I have a new studio space to work in. My boyfriend and I just revamped a room in our basement into a nice little studio space for me with a print table and a sewing area.

E.S.: How do you get your work out in the world? Where else can one find it?

Katie: I just finished school and have just started up my little business, so I'm in the process of getting my work out. I have an Etsy shop online, and some of my work can be found in Bayfield at the Artsee Cafe, as well as in London at Curiosities Gift shop starting in September. And I'm hoping to do more shows like this one in the GTA, as well as London area.

Vendor Spotlight: Petra Cuschieri

I first became acquainted with Petra Cuschieri's work during the Beehive jurying process, and I can't express how greatly I am glad for it. Her beautiful pouches, each made with reclaimed or deadstock materials, were love at first sight. They are just perfect for keeping your most precious coloured pencils and pens safe, or if you're like me, your hooks and needles. Petra also prints her adorable patterns and illustrations onto greeting cards, and you can expect to find these at this weekends craft fair as well. Keep up with Petra's creative doings and everyday life here.




Elizabeth Simpson: Tell us about yourself.

Petra Cuschieri: I'm a Toronto-based graphic designer. I work part-time doing design work for a local record label. I also work part-time at a paper store, and I do freelance design work as well. I love music, cooking & baking, bicycles, furry friends...



E.S: Where/when did you become acquainted with your craft?

Petra: My dad is a tailor and he taught me to sew, so I've been sewing for most of my life. I started making bags when I was in high school, under the name Petrified Baggage. I ran that business for a few years, but it was hard to keep up in college. My mother is very talented artistically, and my grandmother was a knitting/quilting/needlework master, so I've kind of always been surrounded by people who make things. Just recently I learned how to operate a Gocco, so I've been printing my little patterns and illustrations onto greeting cards! I can't wait to start real-deal screenprinting.

E.S: Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

Petra: A variety of places, but I think I am most inspired when learning about creative people's process and how ideas are formed. Collaborating and feeding off of others' creative energy is always good! Debbie Millman's podcast Design Matters is one of my favourites, she asks amazing questions and really knows how to get into her interviewee's head. Also, traditional craft practises often inspire my graphic design work.

E.S: What do you love most about your craft?

Petra: I love textiles, so I love the initial stages of planning and pairing patterns and colours when designing a bag. I want to eventually design my own fabrics because I love designing patterns as well.



E.S: Do you have a favourite place/spot/time of day/etc. to work?

Petra: I usually end up doing my best work late at night. (Or i'm left with no choice, because i procrastinate!) I was the one in college who had no problem pulling all-nighters.

E.S: What are your most favourite materials to work with?

Petra: I've been using mostly reclaimed and dead-stock fabrics lately and I love the feeling of giving them another life. I like mixing heavy tweeds and denims with faded old floral prints. Also now it feels more like a treat to buy a beautiful piece of new fabric.

E.S: Is there another craftsperson/designer/artist that you admire?

Petra: There are quite a few... I love Karen Barbé's needlework. I love Luci Everett, she is a graphic designer who infuses handmade elements and collage into all of her work. Maira Kalman is another big favourite, I love her illustrations and paintings and narrative style. I also love reading about the women of the Bauhaus such as Gunta Stolz and Anni Albers... the work that they produced is amazing and so inspiring.

Vendor Spotlight: Oak Savanna

Today's post features the always lovely Melissa -- the amazing knitting talent and designer behind Oak Savanna. Melissa uses superfine merino wool and/or silk to create beautifully delicate, one-of-a-kind scarves, shawls and kerchiefs; all of which are crafted from her own patterns, and knit with her own two hands.


Elizabeth Simpson: Tell us about yourself.

Melissa: My name is Melissa. I have a day job as an environmental engineer and run Oak Savanna during my free time. Knitting is one of my favourite activities, along with hiking, playing board games and drinking craft beer. Also, I have a very large cat named Artemis.

E.S.: Where/when did you become acquainted with your craft?

Melissa: My mom taught me many forms of crafting in my childhood and knitting was one of them. I learned to knit for the first time when I was 10 years old, to help occupy my time at my grandparents' house during a teachers strike. I made a very chubby bookmark, too chubby for any book, and promptly lost interest in the craft. I retaught myself to knit when I was 18 and haven't stopped knitting since.

E.S.: What do you love most about your craft?

Melissa: What I love most about knitting is the flexibility you have when making something. There are so many different types of yarns and techniques available to a knitter, so it's possible to create anything you can think of (nearly). Also, if you make a mistake, you can easily undo the project, fix the mistake and continue on without any trace of the mistake in the finished product.

E.S.: What are your most favourite materials to work with?

Melissa: It's hard to pick a favourite, but yarn that is a hand-dyed merino wool or a hand dyed blend of merino wool and silk. Yarns made from natural fibres in general are a joy to work with.

E.S.: How do you get your work out in the world? Where else can one find it?

Melissa: Since my business is fairly new, my work is only available online at my Etsy shop and of course, it will be available at the Summer Craft Fair.

Introductions

Dearest readers,

Today's post comes to you via both Elizabeth and Kate of The Beehive. The two of us are so very excited to share some plans that we've had in the works since the Beehive first formed back in January. Introducing our new and upcoming venture: Needlework!

Our concept for Needlework is to provide Hamilton and its crafty, DIY community with its first ever sewing lounge; a sew by the hour, creative workspace. We envision Needlework as a space where you'll be inspired to learn new skills, finish old projects, and make something new; all while being surrounded by a thoughtfully curated selection of fabric, fibre and notions.

We are still very much in the beginning stages of this venture, and thus we would like to ask for your help. We would love to get a sense what you want and need in a fabric/yarn/notions store/workspace, so we have created a survey to gather some of that information. If you could take the time to fill it out, and pass it on to friends and family living in the Hamilton area and beyond, we would be ever so grateful. By participating in our survey, you also have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to either White Elephant, or Mixed Media. Fun!

A big thank you to our friends and family, and of course The Beehive, for being so supportive, helpful, and encouraging in our endeavours thus far. We love you all, and couldn't be making this big step in our lives without you! Thank you!

Much love,

Elizabeth and Kate

p.s. If you would like to get in touch with us, or be added to our mailing list for future Needlework updates, please feel free to email us at needleworkhamilton@gmail.com.