May Interview: Heidi from Quo Vadis Yarns

Quo Vadis

Ok so I'm not a vegan, but I'm a vegetarian and I don't wear leather so I do definitely know the rare feeling you get when you go into a store or a restaurant where everything you see is buyable for you. When you don't have to check a single label for content but just shop away. And that is exactly what Heidi from Quo Vadis offers to knitters. Not only for vegans and wool-allergic people but also for those who love yummy organic handspun and handdyed yarn. Which should be everyone basically.

Naturally, I wanted to know more about her and her shop! 

 Please tell us a bit about Quo Vadis and yourself!
 
I’m Heidi, and I’m the person behind Quo Vadis Yarns. Quo Vadis is a completely vegan yarn shop focusing on sustainable and cruelty-free fibres, and low to no-impact dyes. I also hand spin yarn from time to time with organic cotton, linen, bamboo, soy, ingeo (corn) and other plant-based fibres. I use plant dyes for my organic cotton line of yarns, which is really fun, since I get to ‘brew’ up all kinds of colours straight from the plants themselves. It’s amazing how many vibrant colours you can get from flower petals, nutshells and wood chips. 

What inspires you?

My customers inspire me a ton! Its one thing to be at home with grand ideas of changing the impact of the textile industry on the environment, being a compassionate knitter, and choosing to use dyes that won’t contaminate the water and soil and so on. But when I see that there are so many other people that feel the same way? Wow! To have the customers that I do, is to have support and encouragement that makes what I’m doing meaningful, and beneficial to others, and therefore, truly worth the effort. I’m honoured to have a creative outlet that others can enjoy and appreciate.

Can you outline your creative process?
Dyeing is something I do when I need action. At the end of the day when I’ve finished dyeing a few batches of yarn, I feel like I’ve really accomplished something.  Discovering new colourways is always a different experience. Sometimes I know exactly what I want, and I know which colours I’ll use and how I’ll do it. Other times, it’s a complete experiment and it feels like I’m playing with the colours, like finger painting or doodling. Sometimes I’ll simply mix, and pour the dye over the yarn in even sections. Other times, I’ll make stripes, dots, or blend it evenly so I get a smoothly transitioning gradation of colours. I’ve also been known do dip it, or spray it with a dye-dipped toothbrush. The whole time I’m adding colour, I try to keep in mind what the finished product will be like, and how it will knit up. I like to make colourways that are beautiful both on the skein, and as a knitted object. When I started out I didn’t keep this in mind, and ended up with really interesting colours, but they looked horrible once they were knitted. Needless to say, I’ve learned a lot since I started.

How did you come up with your business? Was it a sudden idea that struck you or did it evolve over time?
Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to work for myself doing something creative. At first I thought it was in fashion, and that carried me into the world of sewing, and later costuming. I’ve knitted since I was a kid, but didn’t get serious about it until after my son was born, when I finally learned how to read a pattern, and committed to vegan fibres. It was a bit of a slow process, with a few bursts along the way. I knew I wanted to do something creative, and once I found etsy I started to see new possibilities. I have a friend who is also a dyer on etsy, and very successful. I was really inspired by her freedom to set her own hours, and how much she loved her work. I asked her opinion about having a vegan yarn shop, and she gave me the thumbs up! It’s definitely a niche, and there are lots of vegan and wool-free knitters out there.

What is the best and worst about running your own business in this industry?
I’ll start with the worst. The worst thing is that every so often I’ll come across someone who simply doesn’t appreciate what I do. For me that means that die hard wool knitters can sometimes be harsh and judgmental of my (vegan) fibre choices. Though mentioning that I offer an alternative for people who are vegan or allergic to wool often softens their views. After all, most people nowadays have a family member or friend who is allergic to wool or hair fibre. The best part I think is when I’m at a fibre show and someone who’s allergic to wool or vegan comes to my booth and says “So, everything here is wool free/vegan?” and when I answer the affirmative, they purposefully and with much delight, touch, handle and feel everything excitedly! I occasionally get emails from people who just want to tell me how happy they are that they’ve found my shop and they love my yarn. Wow! I love getting emails like that. It gives me a good reason to keep going when sales are slow or if I’m not feeling very productive.  

How do you balance your life between business and creating?
I’m not a natural business sort of person. I like to ‘make things’ with my hands. Many technical aspects I find I have had to put some serious effort into learning, like accounting, shipping, and advertising effectively. To handle the steep learning curves I have encountered along the way (at the moment I’m learning how to use my new Canon Rebel DSLR camera) I’ve made sure to be patient and do a little bit at a time, and not get so immersed that it takes up all my time and stresses me out. Currently it’s a constant flow between looking after my son and organizing his complicated autism therapy schedule, working outside the home as a set decoration seamstress (for film and television), cycling and running, practicing violin and ukulele with my fiancé, who also happens to be my bandmate, and operating this yarn business. Often I’ll be printing out cue cards for my son’s therapy sessions, making dinner, and preparing an order to be shipped all at the same time! Sometimes when I bike to work, I’ll bring packages with me, and drop them off at a mailbox somewhere in between on the 25km ride. I have found that the flexibility of this work has been amazing. It has allowed me the opportunity to create independently, and even make a humble income while doing many other things at the same time. I’m so glad to be able to have that, because if I had work hours set in stone for this shop, I don’t think I would be able to do it.
 
Do you have any advice for people who want to pursue a career in crafts?
Be patient. Make what makes you happy. Don’t accept boredom, or dissatisfaction. Its your job, you are your boss, so don’t get the impression that you have to do anything you don’t want to do. If you need help, ask. Many people are surprisingly helpful and supportive of independent artists.

I also asked Heidi to show us her workplace. I'm sort of obsessed with seeing the space where magic happens.

 

  The den is where I do most of my work. From the bottom left is my spinning wheel, electric skein winder, behind the orange curtain is my vintage singer industrial sewing machine. The boxes on the left are my knitting machine (still figuring it out), and on the shelf I’ve got all my yarn and fibre. I like to have a few things about me that make me smile while I work, so I have my Sock Summit 2011 vendor badge hanging from the rack on the left, and my Vancouver Half-Marathon medal. In the foreground is my yarn drying rack that used to be a upright loom. Very handy and pretty too!

 Thank you a thousand times, Heidi, for taking your time for this interview! I wish you all the best with your beautiful yarn!

February interview: Sharon of Thoughtful Rose Supply

I'm very excited to present to you a person that caught my attention many months ago. I don't remember if it was her Etsy shop (one of her THREE Etsy shops) with recycled yarn that impressed me first or if it was a picture of her colourful yarn wall that I saw on Ravelry. Anyhow, I really liked the thought of a crafter that only uses recycled material, something that I would like to do myself but I don't have enough will power to stop spending on my LYS. But Sharon not only crafts with recycled materials, she also sells some of the luxurios yarn that she salvages.

- Please tell us a bit about Thoughtful Rose Supply and yourself!

Hi!  My name is Sharon.  I'm a single, stay-at-home, homeschooling

mom, and a fiber artist and Etsy seller on the side.  Yes, I stay

busy!

Back in January of 2008 I resolved to work exclusively with recycled

materials for one year.  I found such an abundance of beautiful

recycled materials to work with, that I have extended that resolution

indefinitely!  I work mostly with recycled yarn, but also use recycled

fabrics and plastic bags.

Thoughtful Rose Supply is where I sell luxury yarns reclaimed from

discarded sweaters.  I scour local thrift stores for gently used

sweaters made from quality yarns, unravel them, skein the yarn, wash

the skeins, measure and tag them, photograph them, and list them in my

Etsy shop.  It's a lot of work, but it feels good to be salvaging

these beautiful fibers that might otherwise end up in landfills, or be

sent to the local textile recycling plant to be turned into rags!

-  What inspires you?

Three things inspire and motivate me to recycle yarn.  First is my

faith.  I believe that the earth belongs to God and that it is my

responsibility to be a good steward of the resources He has given me.

Second is my children.  I want my children to grow up with abundance,

not hampered by restricted or polluted resources as a result of my

generation's excesses.  The third inspiration is the yarn itself.  I

love natural fibers and enjoy rescuing them to use in my own projects,

or to sell to other knitters/crocheters who appreciate them as I do!

- Can you outline your creative process?

I'm a multi-tasker!  I like to be working on at least a half-a-dozen

projects at once.  As new ideas pop into my head, I jot them down in

my notebook, and return to them later.  But it can take as long as a

couple of years for an idea to come to fruition.  Too many ideas, too

little time!

- How did you come up with your business? Was it a sudden idea that

struck you or did it evolve over time?

I started out unraveling sweaters for personal use.  It didn't take me

long to realize that there was a market for recycled yarn!  I already

had a successful Etsy shop selling vintage postcards and books, so I

knew that Etsy would be a great place to sell my yarn.

- What is the best and worst about running your own business in this industry?

The best part by far is the freedom!  I am free to work when and how I

please, and free to schedule my work around my other priorities (i.e.

my children).  The worst part is the unpredictable income.  However,

thanks to the support of my wonderful family, the fluctuations in

income are not as much of a challenge as they will be as I become more

financially independent over the next few years, all being well.

 - How do you balance your life between business and creating?

As a busy mom, I have to do a lot of multitasking!  I find that it

helps a lot to have a schedule, and to stick to it.  I've scheduled an

hour in the morning before the kids wake to edit photos and list

items, segments of time here and there to crochet as I oversee my

son's lessons, an hour unraveling sweaters during the boys' afternoon

rest time, etc.

- Do you have any advice for people who want to pursue a career in crafts?

I might be stating the obvious here, but it's not enough to be good at

your craft; you also need to develop and maintain a few other skills,

such as photography, communication, record-keeping, and so on.  Also,

it's important to be flexible, and patient.  Success doesn't usually

come overnight!

Sharon, thank you so much for participating, you are truly an inspiration!  I wish you and Thoughtful Rose Supply a fabulous year!

January Interview: Lily Beltek of Hearty Gift

You remember when I told you about my plans to interview interesting crafters and other fiber-addicted people in 2012? Well, here is my first! I chose Lily Beltek, the owner of Hearty Gift on Etsy, firstly because she makes fabulous knitted bags. Secondly, you can see in her shop that she makes little things with love and care and last but not least, she's has a room in her heart for needle felting like myself.

- Please tell us a bit about Heartygift and yourself!

Hello everyone! My name is Lily and I run HeartyGift shop on Etsy. I live in Moldova, a country which is not widely represented on Etsy – just a few crafters - though we have a deeply rooted national tradition of handmade crafting, especially  in sewing and knitting. My shop ehh…it totally reflects me – it’s not concentrated on one kind of craft. I started it with the felted miniature toys, felted wool jewelry and embroidered wall hangings. But to stop at one thing was not enough for me and I have recently launched a new line of knitted bags that soon became popular. Knitted bags is a common project of my mom and me.
 In my ordinary life I’m a stay at home mom of a lovely boy, missing a little the time when I worked as a travel manager and wore heels and skirt everyday!

- What inspires you?

 
Music and my family. I adore listening to some chill-out music or some classic rock while creating. My two great loves – my husband and 3-year-old son support me in my crafting, and bring me new visions of some items. They are such wonderful company with a lot of ideas and fun. And you know, since I fell in love with Etsy I got lots of inspiration watching the unique and beautiful creations of etsians. Surely human imagination have no limits! To create something beautiful is much more easier when you have the beauty around you.

- Can you outline your creative process?

 
I have no plans when creating. It’s like an insight. The idea comes to my head and I try to think it out more detailed. Sometimes it happens that the bag is knitted and I just feel that it needs something else to look more balanced, fashion and actual. The finishing sometimes takes  weeks. 

- How did you come up with your business? Was it a sudden idea that struck you or did it evolve over time?

I’ve loved handmade from the early childhood when I hand-sewed Barbie dresses and soft toys.  I got to know about Etsy from my Canadian friend a year ago. ”That’s what I need!”, I thought, since sitting with a baby at home for some years I would surely suffer from the lack of communication. Moreover the spirit of anthropology (it’s my specialty) was awaken. Firstly I take this handmade market as an opportunity to communicate with interesting people, to know about cultural traditions and to get some compliments about my crafts. The more I’m here the more I learn about running the business. 

- What is the best and worst about running your own business in this industry?

I get so many positive emotions while creating my bags, miniature toys or felting the jewelry! The best thing is the self-realization. It’s true happiness when you do what you love and it’s precious for someone else. What can be negative? I don’t know. If there is any I try to see it as experience and seek to learn something from the situation. 

 - Do you have any advice for people who wants to pursue a career in crafts?

To tell you the truth I was simply struck by all the extraordinary things that people sell. Be sure that even the most weird fantasies of yours can be precious and demanded for by someone else. Put extra effort in showing your crafts and their beauty. I would buy every item I sell and think that’s also why my customers purchase them. Create, improve, advertise - I think these three points definitely lead to success! Good luck!

Lily, thank you so much for participating. I wish you and Hearty Gift a successful year! 

Plans

Whenever I come across a person who creates beautiful things, be it paintings, garments, jewelry or home decor, I always feel that I have a thousand questions that I'd like to ask them. I have always been interested in the process of creation, what inspires people and how do they plan their work? What obstacles do they encounter and how do they deal with them? And if they have their own business I'm even more curious since I used to be a gallery owner and miss the whole entrepeneurship lifestyle.

So I've decided to add a new feature to this blog. I'm going to interview people that I'm curious about and admire and post everything here so that we all can share the magic!

If you have somebody in mind that you think that I should interview, I'd love to hear about it. I hope to start these posts pretty soon so stay tuned...