Friday, March 18, 2011

FEATURED ARTIST

We have a fiber artist to feature. Come and meet -




Here is our interview with the artist, Joyce -

Briefly describe what you make?

I am a crocheter. I make crochet items for babies, kids, teens, men, women, whomever! :) Right at the moment, my shop is filled with mainly baby and toddler hats, but I'm hoping to expand quite a bit on that and also offer patterns in the near future.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

Yarn! LOL. Lately my favorite has been cottons, probably just because it's been VERY warm here in New England this summer and anything heavier seems too much at the moment. I cannot wait for fall though, and add some of the warm, fuzzy, cuddly yarns to my creations!

How long have you been creating craft?

I have actually been crocheting off and on for almost 20 years!

How did you get started?

My grandmother taught me when I was younger, and I would obsessively crochet for a few months and then put it down again. This went on for a few years until I recently made a baby sweater and hat set as a baby shower gift. My two aunts own a craft store, and begged me to make more to sell at their store. So that went great, and I'm trying to keep up with keeping THAT store stocked. Then I posted a few photos on my facebook page and a bunch of people wanted to order some! That's when I decided to open my Etsy shop. It just kind of has taken off from there and I HATE to have a day go by without my hook and yarn in my hands.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

Well, the property we live at has a barn and I wanted to somehow work that into the name. My first choice was The Yarn Barn, but it appeared to be already taken. My next choice was The New England Hooker, but my husband was not crazy about that one! So "The Crochet Barn" was born.


What would you most want people to know about your work?

I guess I would want people to know how much time and effort I truly put into each creation. I have a MILLION ideas for new items swimming around in my head, and hoping to find the time to make them a reality once my little one starts school in the fall. I would want customers to realize that they are getting a true quality item that will last YEARS and probably receive quite a few compliments!

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

I think the best advice I ever got was to go with what you truly love and enjoy. In other words, don't just try to follow the "trends" of what seems to be popular and selling the best, because you will quickly get burned out. Do what you LOVE and it will show in your work.

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This is a nice shop. Come and take a look at Joyce's work and then come back here to leave a comment for her!

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