Vendor Spotlight: Leikey Designs

 I was first introduced to Keiley Stewart's work in May of this year, when Sheridan College had its textile grad show during the James North Art Crawl, and I was able to pop over and check it out. I even wrote about it here. Keiley's work was a total showstopper - giant felted animal heads that you could try on yourself. We were thrilled when we received her application for the show, and instantly fell in love with her penchant for foxes! Consider me super impressed when I checked out her portfolio, fell in love with her whimsical Honey Do hats and saw her long list of talents, from felting and silkscreening to embroidery and cooking pretty good bacon. We're all pretty proud over here to be showcasing new craft talent.

Hollie Pocsai: Tell us about yourself.

Keiley Stewart: My name is Keiley (kee-lee) Many people confuse my name with Kylie, Kelly or Kiwi (yes, like the fruit.) I grew up in Burlington, ON and I just graduated Sheridan College from their wonderful Textile program. In 2009, I began Leikey Designs (lee-kee) where I design and make textile accessories for people to wear and share. My adorable cousin gave the nickname Leikey to me when she was just a 1yr old and is a jumbled-up version on my actual name. Since then, it’s just stuck with me.

H.P.: Where/when did you become acquainted with your craft?

Keiley: I have fond memories as a kid, knitting and sewing along side my Nanna. I was always impressed with the things she could make and also terribly disappointed that I wasn't very coordinated, but I was happy making anything. Going to school for textiles gave me a chance to hone those skills and learn some new ones too.

H.P.: Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

Keiley: A lot of my work incorporates animals and one of my favourites being foxes. It’s sort of an unconscious thing, not something I aim for but I don’t avoid it either. For the most part, I generate inspiration from colours and textures. I’m in a constant search for new ideas through the things I see and touch.

H.P.: What do you love most about your craft?

Keiley: Textiles is crazy versatile. There are so many applications for textiles. You can wear it or hang it and it can be durable or delicate. Also the portability. Although silk-screening isn’t terribly portable, knitting, embroidery even needle felting – you can take it anywhere and pick it up right where you leave off.

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

Keiley: I am a night owl. I like to do most of my planning and set up during the day and then quietly work into the night. For smaller projects I like to work at my desk or in a comfy spot, listening to music or watching a movie. For the most part, I like to be comfortable with alittle bit of white noise in the background so I can gauge how long my work takes or should take me -like a movie egg timer!

H.P.: What are your most favourite materials to work with?

Keiley: One of my favourite materials is wool. Raw or spun, I love it. I enjoy felting a great deal too. It’s also super versatile: sculpted or flat, the applications are unlimited. Another favourite is thread. It is infinitely useful. I’ve recently starting a collection of small crochet and tatted pieces done with just regular thread. I really enjoy the look and delicate nature of crocheted thread.

H.P.: Is there another craftsperson/designer/artist that you admire?

Keiley: Everyone that makes or designs has my respect. It’s cheesy and true. Anyone that has the drive and vision to make something out of nothing amazes me. Suzanne Carlsen is a Textile/Jewelry Artist I admire. Her work is incredibly creative and innovative. Cushioned fabrics with teeny tiny hand embroidery, fitted into intricate hand-cut metalwork. Amazing! Pin Pals is another one of my favourites. I just bought a pair of their heart button earrings from White Elephant. Their paper work and cross-stitching is so lovable and the imagery I could just eat with a spoon!

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: Melanie Cronyn

We are delighted to have the jewelry of Silversmith Melanie Cronyn at our summer fair. Originally from Hamilton, Melanie creates textural and graphic pieces with clean lines, largely inspired by nature. I recently spoke with Melanie to find out a bit more about her and her work.

Jenna Fenwick: Tell us about yourself.

Melanie: My name is Melanie Cronyn and I was raised in Hamilton and also spent some time growing up in the Mount Hope/Glanbrook area. After college I moved all over the province of Ontario following different jobs around. I currently live in Burlington with my husband Grant, 18 month old son Cash, and our dog Marty.

J.F.: Where/when did you become acquainted with your craft?

Melanie: I’ve always been creative and love working with my hands. I first studied Cartography (which is the art of making maps) in college and worked in the field for some time, I can’t really tell you how (without boring you to tears) but I ended up in the Engineering field with no creative outlet. Five or so years ago, I started looking for that creative outlet and discovered an intro to jewellery class at George Brown College and I was hooked. From there I started taking silversmithing classes at The Devil’s Workshop in Toronto.



J.F.: Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

Melanie: I am mainly inspired by nature, many of my pieces are modeled after things I see in the great outdoors such as trees & plant life & the beautiful lakes & waterways of Northern Ontario.

J.F.: Describe your 'perfect atmosphere' for crafting...

Melanie: This is something I daydream about almost daily. Currently my studio is in a teeny tiny corner of our garage which isn’t overly inspiring, so in my daydreams I first picture my little family living in a beautiful old restored home out in the country, with lots of land. I could walk out my back door and across the grass to a little studio surrounded by trees and wildflowers. Inspiration everywhere.


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

Melanie: Currently you can find my work online on Etsy.

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.

Vendor Spotlight: Viola Fibers

I spoke to Emily Folden of Viola Fibers about her beautiful yarns.  She hand-dyes all of her yarn and fiber in very small batches, achieving lovely variety of shades, bursts of hues and speckles and splotches of colour.  We first became acquainted with Viola Fibers fine work when our very own Bees Courtney and Elizabeth discovered her at Knitter's Frolic.

Thea Haines: Where/when did you become acquainted with your craft?

Emily Folden: I became acquainted with my craft while working in a yarn shop. The best part of this job was helping customers select colours for their projects...colour quickly became an obsession!

T.H.:  Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

Emily:  I draw inspiration from dreams, water, gardens, music.

T.H.:  What is your favourite time of day to work?

Emily: My most productive time to work is the morning. I love getting up early and always get lots don't in the bright quiet of the morning...I also love the coffee!

T.H.:  Describe your 'perfect atmosphere' for crafting...

Emily:  My perfect crafting atmosphere is full of light, good music and pretty things...flowers, paint chips, antique tea cups, fabric and of course lots of yarn!

T.H.:  Tell us about your process.

Emily:  My creative process is rather wild. Creating new colours is the most fun job. I begin. With a dye stock and slowly add bits and bobs of colour until I like what I have in the pot, the more muddy and complicated the better! I love when colours surprise me - even the ones I've dyed a million times before!

Thank you Lion Brand Yarn!

Over the past month, the Beehive and many of our friends and family have been working away on our Knit Night on the Brain installation for Super Crawl. In case you've forgotten, the piece will be a replica of the façade of a bar in Hamilton called The Brain, home to Knit Night, and it will be suspended over the front of the building. We will be recreating the brick work and structural elements of the building while also adding a few touches of our own.



When we came up with the idea for this project, we contacted Lion Brand Yarn to see if they would be interested in donating yarn for the project. Many of us use Lion Brand for our own personal projects all the time. Especially being fans of the Vanna's Choice line.

Founded in 1878, Lion Brand is America's oldest manufacturer of craft yarn. We approached them for help because we knew of their commitment to the knitting and crocheting community and to outreach and charitable works. First we measured the outside of The Brain, then Courtney came up with a pattern, and from that we calculated how many square feet of yarn we would need to cover everything that we wanted to with the installation. We then went through their catalogue in both their Wool-Ease Thick & Quick and Vanna's Choice lines, and picked colours that matched the existing brick and mortar of the building. It was easy to do so with such a beautiful and diverse selection of shades.

We drafted up a proposal, sent it to Lion Brand and crossed our fingers that they would be as enthusiastic about our project as we were. And they were! Five boxes full of their gorgeous yarn were promptly sent to White Elephant where we all squealed and jumped for joy upon arrival.







All of us have been taking our knitting wherever we go. Beehive meetings, the cottage, coffee shops, picnics. There's nowhere we won't knit. And look! A boy knitting! A relatively rare sight.



Even Hollie's cat Tanooki has been trying to help, in his own way...

Once all 69 scarves are complete, we will be assembling them all together to resemble brickwork. We also have to knit the actual sign that hangs on the front of The Brain, which is the silhouette of a human head with the brain exposed. There's a contest among some of the Bees of who will finish the most, with Courtney and Anna currently in the lead, with 9 and 8 scarves completed respectively. We've got lots of helping hands pitching in, from mothers to grandmothers to co-workers to complete strangers who want to contribute. It's amazing to see the knitting community of Hamilton come together for a project like this.

Once disassembled, all the scarves will be cleaned and then donated to Mission Services on James Street North. Art with a purpose! It's so satisfying to know that the scarves that we are working on will be used by someone really in need of them. There's still time for you to pitch in too. You can download the PDF of the pattern on the sidebar to your right, and can pick up some yarn from us every Wednesday night at Knit Night at The Brain,  at 199 James Street North.

We can't thank Lion Brand enough for their generosity. Without them, this installation would not be possible. They are a really amazing company dedicated to progressive thinking within the textile community. We love you Lion Brand.

Vendor Spotlight: Katie Muth

I spoke to Katie Muth about her beautiful hand printed graphic lino-cuts prints and cards. Katie is an independent artist, illustrator, and printmaker based in Toronto, Canada. She designs and prints in her home-based workshop. The lino-cut images depict things from her life that she cherishes most. Her intent is to make beautiful creations that share this joy. You can see more of Katie's beautiful work on her website.

Thea Haines: Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

Katie: Things in my life that I enjoy and value. I think I'm a designer at heart, so I really enjoy solving a creative problem. I like to do collections that follow a calendar year because I thrive on the framework of finding the best representation of what's good about each month.

T.H.: What do you love most about your craft?

Katie: A lot! I love the clean, binary nature of the lines in lino-cut (there is no grey - it's either printed or not printed), and the way the hand is slowed by the process of carving, making the images strong and deliberate. It's also a bit of a magic trick! You have to carve everything in reverse, so you don't know exactly what it's going to look like until the first time that you roll ink on, burnish the paper onto the lino-block, and reveal! It's pretty exciting. And finally, the BEST thing about my craft is that while it's a big investment of time and work to carve the block, you can continue making prints from it for years (unlike a painting that you have to say goodbye to when you sell.)

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

Katie: I recently moved to a place with a lovely deck overlooking my vegetable garden. I used to have to heat the linoleum in the microwave to make it easier to carve, but now when I work out on my deck, the sun warms it to the perfect temperature!



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

Katie: The internet is a wonderful thing. When I first started my card business, I would get a few orders in one day (from California for example) and it would be because someone blogged about my work. Mixed Media on James St. in Hamilton has been a great supporter of mine, and they carry a wide selection of my cards. I really love doing arts and craft shows though, because nothing compares to seeing all of the original prints displayed together, and the lovely tactile quality of ink on paper that can only be appreciated first-hand.