Larissa was ever so kind as to let me interview her! Read on to learn about Larissa’s winning entry, and make sure to check out her blog post (featured in one of the questions) to see her tutorial!!

An Interview with Larissa, Winner of the Handmade Artists’ Forum’s Shirt Revamping Contest

First of all, congrats! You did it!! How does it feel to be a winner?

Thanks, it really feels great!  I had so much fun on this project, and so of course I really worked hard on it.  I was really proud of the outcome, too, considering I hadn’t sewn anything more involved than stray buttons in at least 11 years.

Real quick-like, tell us about yourself:

I’m 40, married, live with my husband and our dog, 3 cats, and multitude of fish.  ”By day,” I’m a lawyer, on weekends I’m a face painter, and in all our spare time, my husband and I run Reef Botanicals, a handmade natural soap business.

So what was your inspiration? Why did you decide to create a puppet?

I just immediately thought of using a shirt as a fabric source rather than clothing, so then I tried to think what I’d want to make with that amount of fabric.  Many years ago, before I got caught up in responsibility and paying bills, I used to make lots of neat things.  I think the “puppet” idea kind of popped to the forefront of my mind, though, because I watch my 8-month-old nephew nearly once a week, and had intended to make some sock puppets to play with him and never actually got around to it.  My nephew, by the way, now owns the puppet and LOVES it.

Had you come up with any other ideas for an entry before you decided on a puppet?

No, I’m pretty decisive.  Once I got that idea, I was immediately excited about it.  It was all I could do not to tell everyone what I was planning, so Eric (that’s the husband) got to hear it all.  Endlessly.  At least he was impressed with the final product!

Did you use a pattern, or did you completely dream up the design?

No, just drew it out myself, eyeballing the whole thing.  I did initially draw it with the arms raised, but realized, as I was pinning the fabric to start sewing (I sewed the body before cutting), that it’d look funky if the arms were weighted and hung down all wrong.  I did find a video on how to do the mouthboard online, because that’s the one thing that I couldn’t figure out without seeing it done.  But I did everything by eye, even his t-shirt.  The “09″ comes from my nephew’s birth year.

I heard your puppet now has a name….

Yup, Nathaniel, after Hawthorne.  My sister suggested it.  My nephew’s two favorite stuffed animals are named after authors, so it seemed fitting that this guy should be also, since my nephew seems to love him so much.

So just whose t-shirts did you confiscate?

I was bad… I bought the green one at Michael’s [Arts and Crafts Store] and the blue one from a craft shop that was closing.  A lot of the puppet was “upcycle” or “destash,” though.  The denim was from an old pair of my jeans that was headed for the garbage.  And the hair was made from yarn I had left over many years ago from latch hook rug kits.  The stuffing was left over from my attempt to fix a lawn chair cushion that a squirrel gutted for his nest.  And the foam sheets I’ve had for a long time; I’ve used some of it for face painting signs over the past 7 or 8 years.

Are you planning on making any more puppets, or upcycling any more shirts?

Ooooooh, yes!  My sister is now demanding a girl puppet to keep Nathaniel company, and my husband was actually so sorry to see Nathaniel go that he wants me to make another for our house!  Plus, this contest actually inspired me to go get two sewing books, one on recycling t-shirts and the other on making stuffed animals, AND it inspired me to ask for a sewing machine for my birthday, which my sister and brother-in-law bought for me.  This time I’ll do it right; I’ve gathered a bunch of my old clothes–skirts, shirts, sweaters, jeans–as well as some of my mom’s, and I’ll be using all of that as my fabric.  I’ve got a lot of good stuff to work with that way: linen, corduroy, denim, and who knows what else.  I’ve started looking at everything in the context of something else. I think Eric has started hiding his clothes lest I confiscate it for toys.

Do you have any advice for anyone, whether it be upcycling, puppet-making, or sewing advice?

Hm… mostly to have fun with it! Also, be careful about doing things when you’re too tired to focus.  And don’t rush; I was so hot to get the blue t-shirt done that I accidentally sewed the first sleeve wrong-side-out, then had to tear it back out and do it again.  As for recycling, take a look around.  I’d never done anything like this, so my first instinct was to go out and buy new shirts, which was silly.  Now that I’m looking around with new eyes, I see a ton of available “fabric” right here in my house.  If anyone’s interested in how to make the puppet, I actually blogged the whole process at http://reefbotanicals.blogspot.com/2010/08/and-now-for-something-completely.html.  It’d be really fun if other people tried it, changed it up, and commented to the blog post with links back to their creations too!

And finally, if you could enter any kind of crazy, challenging contest, what kind would YOU pick?

Oooooooooh, putting me on the spot!  Let’s see… Maybe making something out of components you wouldn’t normally use?  Like a vase out of something that’s not glass, china, or clay.  Or like those Project Runway challenges where they make the contestants make dresses out of leaves and flowers or junk from the recycling center.

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Reef Botanical’s shop: http://handmadeartistsshop.com/Larissa.html

Reef Botinical’s blog: http://www.reefbotanicals.blogspot.com/

On top of being a really cool business name, EyeCandyChainmaille’s driving force is actually named Candy!  She has been painstakingly creating amazing work since 2009 and is fast becoming a chainmaille artist to take notice of.

I am such a chainmaille junkie; but there is nothing better than finding a maille artist that really adds style to her work!  Using basic weaves, EyeCandyChainmaille has turned the ordinary into stunning!

Not only does Candy make stunning wearable art with metal, she has an eye for adding gems and pearls in such a way that adds drama and class to already amazing pieces.

On top of being an amazing designer, she has created a wonderful tutorial for her own version of the Byzantine Cross.  Seems like a cool way to learn a new talent and end up with wearable art in the end.

Ready to see more for yourself?  Check out EyeCandyChainmaille on the HandmadeArtistsShop for yourself and prepare to be struck by how beautiful chainmaille can be.

I just love the detail on this ring, truly amazing

Unique “Tree of Life” fingerring in sterling silver. The weight is 9.8 gr. silver. The stock size is Euro 59 or American 8.5

Classic double wasp pendant with large hand polished chysocolla from Peru. The Inca?s placed a very high spiritual value on this stone. Legend has it that this beautiful stone is condusive for creativity, female energy, communication and helps relieves ulcers and arthritis. Chrysocolla is associated with tranquility and peace, intuition, patience, and unconditional love. It is thought to offer gentle and soothing qualities.

These are just a couple of his lovely creations there are many more available here Eric Geist on the HAFshop!

The challenge our artists faced was to take a pre-made shirt of some kind and turn it into something else. They could add any materials they wanted but part of the shirt had to present in the final design.

The winning member will receive two weeks of free advertising on the Handmade Artists’ Forum, HAF Blog, Chainmaille By MBOI, and Makin’ The Best Of it as well as $25.00 cold hard cash to do with whatever they want!

There is also a prize for voting and leaving a comment! At the end of the contest we will choose one person at random who votes and will give them $25.00 to spend on any item they want on The Handmade Artists’ Shop!

So take your time and pick your favorite, you can vote only once per IP address, and don’t forget to leave a comment to be automatically entered to win $25.00 to spend at the HAFshop!

Ecclectic LadyLand

annmadestuff

Reef Botanicals

Calcedonia Design

Deb Thuman

Greenwycke

Crafted Roots

The voting will end 8/26/2010 at midnight, so get your votes in and don’t forget to comment and be automatically entered to win $25.00 to spend at the Handmade Artists’ Shop

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

There are full time artists in the world…and then there are the rest of us!  Desirable Intentions is one such multi-tasker.  She and her husband actually lay floors as their “day job,” but her real passion lies in jewelry.

She experimented with many things; cake decorating, refinishing furniture, cross stitch; before stumbling upon the joy of creating beautiful pieces of wearable art.

Ready to see more?  Check out DesirableIntentions on the HandmadeArtistsShop and prepare to be amazed.

A few months ago I started my Etsy shop StringsnTings, with absolutely no idea what I was doing- all I knew was that I had some unique hemp jewelry and artistic ability that I wanted to share with the world!  After reading everything I could possibly find about how to make my shop successful and beautiful, I gained a little more confidence.  With my newfound knowledge and creative juices exploding out of my ears, I decided to add a new line of jewelry to my shop- Painted Canvas Earrings and Bracelets.

This is precisely when things started to turn around for me!  I was finally able to find the tiny niche of handcrafting that has not been done, or at least has not been exploited to an overwhelming popularity.  Unable to find painted canvas jewelry that resembled my style on Etsy, I began painting with a feverish passion.  It felt so good to be back in my element again with messy hands, my face freckled with flecks of paint, and my brain decorated with a myriad of color combinations.

Inspired by individuality and aesthetics, I have been working diligently to create the ideal painted canvas earrings; splashed with bold and shiny color, lightweight yet sturdy and beautiful on both sides!  I have also started a sequence of canvas bangles and wrist cuffs, which are my personal favorites!

Though it has been very difficult to promote a line of jewelry that no one has ever seen done before, I have been able to push myself to new boundaries with the support of my best friends, family and the ceaselessly helpful and informative handcrafting community. I cannot thank everyone enough!

As for my creations and myself, you can find my shop on Etsy.  You can also follow my updates on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter!

Thank you all so much!

Peace

~Nia Rae

Elle’s Beads was never intended to be a business venture.  I started beading and making jewelry as an outlet for dealing with some of the depression and anxiety I was going through after starting my first “real” job in a new city after college. After a few months of encouragement from family and friends, I decided to open shop on Etsy and I’ve been selling my work ever since.

The designs I make are almost always one of a kind and reflect my personality and eclectic sense of style.  I have a line of LGBT pride jewelry as well as dozens of other funky, colorful pieces.  This year I’ve added lines of metal bookmarks and beaded cell phone charms, perfect even for those who don’t wear much jewelry.  I also make fabric accessories, including brooches, pins, and barrettes.

Environmental responsibility is a big issue for me and so a lot of my work reflects that.  I only use scrap fabrics for my accessories and often incorporate broken vintage jewelry, vintage buttons, and other second-hand embellishments into my work.  I make beaded and resin magnets and often use recycled bottle caps or even creative items like old keys and eyeglass lenses in my creations.  

You can find Elle’s Beads (and me!) all over the web.  I have shops on Handmade Artists Forum, Etsy, Zibbet and my own website.  I have an active Blogger blog, Tumblr blog, YouTube channel, Twitter, and Facebook page.  I’d love it if you stopped by and dropped me a line.  One of the best parts of starting this business is the wonderful friendships I’ve made with other artisans and lovers of handmade!

Until next time,

Elle