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Insights from Amy
Where did you learn to sew?
My mother had a fabulous sewing room in the house where I grew up, and I can remember being fascinated by the rows of coloured threads on pegs, the little Lucite drawers she kept her notions in, and, of course, all the buttons and levers on her magical sewing machine. When I was old enough to be trusted with a needle and thread she taught me the basics, and my first projects were clothes for my dolls and little stuffed animals (usually out of felt, of course). But it wasn’t until I was 12 or so and she sent me to sewing classes at our local Singer store that I really learned how to read a pattern and sew clothes. Unfortunately, my first project was a floor length dress with lots of ruffles, made from a bubble gum pink Liberty print. It was very 1970’s “Little House on the Prairie”, to say the least.
What kind of craft do you love most to produce?
I have had three main creative outlets as an adult--writing, metalsmithing, and sewing--and I use all three of them as a means to tell a story. So if I’m sewing it’s almost always a creature, small or sometimes not-so-small, that has a personality and a story behind it. I love it when they talk to me!
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be either an artist or a writer. However, as I did well in school, especially in math and science, my parents had different ideas and sent me off to college to study pre-med. As you might imagine I was very unhappy on that path and ended up getting a degree in literature and writing, and won a grant from my university for a novel I wrote while I was there.
After graduating I quickly learned the realities of trying to earn a living writing fiction, and ended up working in bookstores to pay the bills. It wasn’t until I met my husband-to-be that I was able to go back to school, this time to study metalsmithing. I worked as a part-time metalsmith and mom for about 10 years, until we moved and I lost my studio space. By the time I discovered Etsy 8 years later I was pretty desperate for a creative outlet!
Where did the idea for Squirrel Momma come from?
The first time I saw Etsy it was like being struck by a lightening bolt. I had no idea about the existence of the online craft community, craft blogs, or that it was possible to sell your artwork on the internet. Browsing through Etsy I immediately fell in love with the whole Japanese craft style and ordered a amigurumi pattern from an Etsy seller. Within six weeks I had taught myself to crochet, designed my own amigurumi pieces and opened an Etsy shop.
Almost immediately after that I saw some Japanese fabric printed with tiny hedgehogs, and created my first “Hedgie” pincushion. He sold within a few days, and more critters quickly followed.
Tell us a bit about your pincushions and your business.
To create the pincushions I work almost solely with 100% wool felt because its durability and resistance to tearing means that I can sew on a smaller scale without pieces coming apart.
I have a whole neighbourhood of little “friends” that I make, including Hedgie the Hedgehog, Fibonacci the Snail and MacSpigott the Gnome. They live on brightly coloured pincushion bases, covered with flowers and leaves, and most of the pincushions are one of a kind, although there are a few that I have made more than once. Unfortunately for me, the uniqueness of each piece, combined with my (probably unhealthy) obsession with detail, means that my production is very low.
What has been the best thing about having an online store? Is it difficult working from home?
The absolute best thing about having an online store is that I have been able to meet people from all over the world who are interested in the same things I am! I can’t tell you how tickled I am that Hedgie and his friends have travelled to places I’ve never seen (but hopefully someday will). And with a family, it’s also nice to have a job you can put on hold because someone is home sick from school, or needs help with homework.
The other side of the coin is that it can be difficult working from home, because drawing boundaries and creating time for the business is quite often a challenge. But my daughter will not always be 14, and want me to come watch her run a race, or look at the new outfit she’s put together, and my son will not always be 10, and want to show me the robots and aliens he’s drawn, or the trick he’s perfected with his lacrosse stick. So I’ve made the decision to try to work my Squirrel Momma schedule around my kids, and not the other way around.
Who is your favourite pincushion animal ever?
Sorry, I can’t play favourites. It would be like saying you love one of your kids more than the other--think of the hurt feelings! But some of them have ended up with personalities that make their stories (in their shop listings) more fun to write--something about MacSpigott’s grumpy little bearded face always makes me smile.
I’m a Princess Pashmina fan myself!
What fabrics/ designers/ authors/ blogs influence or inspire you? Why?
I have an embarrassing number of blogs “favorited” on my computer. Truly embarrassing. I am drawn to blogs with humour, colour, food and kids, not necessarily in that order. I will admit that Hillary Lang’s “Wee Wonderfuls” is one of the many I check out daily, for all of the above reasons, plus the fact that I really admire the direction in which she has taken her business.
I also spend a lot of time looking at Etsy, Flickr, and Google Images. Whenever I get a new idea, I have to double check that it’s something unique, otherwise I’ll let it drop, or alter it.
This is Sarah’s very own, personal Princess Pashmina who lives in her sewing machine with many other stuffies!
What are you working on next?
I got burnt out on sewing pincushions a little while ago, and took a break to create some new things. Now I am making pincushions again, but I’ve realised that I’m happiest rotating between pincushions, plush toys, and soft sculpture pieces. With all of those I’m currently playing around with both needle felting and appliquéing cotton fabric onto sewn felt structures--who knows where that will take me!
Thanks Amy!! It was great getting to know you and your felty friends. You can see more of Amy’s wonderful creations at her blog, www.squirrelmomma.typepad.com which links to her Flickr profile and her Etsy Shop.
Amy has been kind enough to give us a free pincushion pattern so we can all try creating our very own Squirrel Momma character! Click here to download the pattern.
 
AND you can even WIN your very own Mr Nutters!! Click below to see how!
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