When I first saw Karen Meyer’s bags, I had no idea that they were felted wool. The colors are so lush and the soft texture jumps right at you. And her designs are so clever that I want to buy every one of them. I was delighted to find out how she got into her craft.
Cats or dogs?
I’m not really a pet person, I live with 3 boys, that is all I can handle!
Star Wars or Sleepless in Seattle?
Star Wars, but only in 20 minute increments
Fruit or chocolate?
Cadbury Fruit and Nut bar, thus incorporating both.
Favorite color?
Purple of course.
Favorite meal?
Salad with walnuts, dried cranberries, blue cheese and vinaigrette dressing.
City break or weekend in the country?
City break in NYC fabric shopping.
Soaps or documentaries?
Documentaries! Especially radio documentaries such as This American Life, my absolute favorite way to spend an hour.
Bath or shower?
shower
Dress or jeans?
Jeans
Your favorite material?
Can I just slip an “s” at the end of that word and describe my favorite materials? Corduroy, velvet, burlap, denim and felted wool. Anything with lush texture really.
What brought you to Etsy? Tell us about your shop.
I first came to Etsy from a Craftzine link to a crochet pattern for a crawfish. (I wanted to crochet may sister in law a crawfish to wear at her yearly crawfish boil) and I was mesmerized. It took me 6 months to open my own shop, I had to sell enough purses locally to save up to buy a decent camera to photograph my work for online sales.
Do you sell anywhere else?
I sell at local festivals and in a Co-op in Atlanta.
How is your shop eco-friendly?
My shop is eco-friendly in that I use recycled and upcycled materials, but I also try to be mindful of the environment in the production of my merchandise. I wash but don’t dry the sweaters to felt them. (I let them air dry on a clothesline) I also work from home which is a great way to conserve gas and resources.
What’s the favorite item you’ve made so far?
It’s hard to pick, but for some reason I love this small Icelandic knit purse.
What has been the most useful lesson you’ve learned (about Etsy) so far?
To have the best pictures possible and to get involved with the community.
How do you see your store developing?
I would like to offer more variety of purses and I dream about opening a shop of clothing for petites. (I just dreamed this today when I was trying to find some pants to fit and gave up after 20 or so pairs.)
What have you been doing today that I’ve interrupted
A little bit of everything, but I just finished reading “The Jungle Book” to my youngest son at his bedtime.
Visit Karen at Karenmeyers
{ 1 comment }
Another great interview! Love it! Great purses!
Lolo