Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Emily Dyer

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I love her beautiful stitched and stamped pieces.

Emily Dyer bio: I am a ceramic artist in Minneapolis, MN. My forms are wheelthrown or hand-built from slabs of a creamy white stoneware clay. Pieces are individually decorated by hand using tools to impress “stitching” and other textured patterns. Pots are accented with underglazes, slips and stains. Decorative patterns are my own creations, inspired by antique and folk art quilt patterns, historic and contemporary textiles and nature. My work is fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln. Pottery is food safe, microwave and dishwasher friendly (although hand-washing is always safer).

Interview with Jessica of Grace Inspired

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What is your craft / art / creative endeavor?

I started out creating my own line of felt designs. But as I became more and more concerned about the chemicals in every skin product we use, I’ve also begun my own line of all natural skincare products. So now I do both!

1

How did you get started? Have you worked in other creative areas before the kind of work you’re doing now?

When I became pregnant with our first daughter, my husband and I became more and more aware of the chemicals and drugs we were inundating ourselves with. It became a big concern. So I started to look for alternatives and began making our own skincare products.

2

Do you work alone? With a team? Do you engage your family or friends in the work? What is your process? How do you ensure you get your work done yet still have a life?

I work alone. It’s pretty much my escape. I’m a stay at home mom and wouldn’t trade being home with my daughter for anything. So when she’s asleep or playing, I’ll pull out the sewing machine or mix up a batch of moisturizer or shampoo.

3

Where do you sell your work? Which venues are your favorites? Do you prefer selling online or in person? Do you attend shows or fairs? Is your work in a gallery or brick-and-mortar store?

I sell both product lines at my etsy store and also am part of an artist co-op in downtown Sanford (north of Orlando, FL) called Fawn. I’ve done a few shows, but haven’t sought them out as they’re so much more work for me and with a family it’s hard to put that much time commitment yet.

4

What do you wish I had asked you?

“Where do you hope this takes you?”

I really have a heart to help women in need. I would love for my sales to reach a point where I need to expand. When that happens, I want to seek out at-risk women looking to make a change in their life but don’t know where to turn. I’d love to be able to provide jobs for them, a hope and a future.

That’s a beautiful goal, Jessica. I hope you can make that happen! And if *you* would like to be interviewed on Try Handmade, just fill out this form :)

Let's Get Some Shoes

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Reality? Ummmm No, Runway, and is it for a hoof or a foot? Hmmmm.

Handmade Nirvana.  The Holy Grail of Handmade. Shoes. Well the ones above are most certainly handmade but not the kind you would want to wear. I went in search of practical and stylish handmade shoes. It really is an art to make shoes, you can’t just sit down and teach yourself in an afternoon to make them like you can knitting or crocheting. There are so many considerations, style, durability, and then the tools you would need to make them. It’s a little mind boggling. Although hard to find there are handmade shoes out there, and some are not as expensive as you might think. 

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Taylor's Eclectic

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Taylor’s Eclectic: Entirely hand sculpted of paper and wire, this extremely intricate abstract vase truly is the queen of the ocean. The second installment in my ‘Under the Sea’ series, this vase is translucent on a sunny table and equally beautiful on a cloudy day.

A highly tactile piece, the Jewel of the Ocean has individually pieced ‘bubbles’ that rise and fall across it, creating various dips and rises to run your fingers across. These dips and rises are inspired by the constant ebb and flow of the ocean and its’ abstract texturing and shapes.

The rich plum base color has been painstakingly pieced around each and every ‘bubble’ to allow for optimum translucence so that the colors and textures in this vase may be fully realized.

13threads

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13threads: Although born and raised in Scotland, I have also been incredibly lucky to have lived, worked and studied in Los Angeles, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco and Zurich. Now back living in Edinburgh I have the opportunity to focus my passion for sewing and design into a full-time job. (Ok I need to revise this bit. As a mother of two, my ‘passion for design and sewing’ are moments grabbed between the school run, their social life and my need to have the occasional morning coffee with friends).

Lots of things inspire me but I am especially interested in the history and design of fashion, traditional costumes and textiles. I like to mix the old with the new to create something a little bit different and special. Many of my pieces are one-of-a-kind or limited editions and are all designed, cut and stitched by me in my room with a beautiful view of the castle.