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7/16/2007

Trashion team spotlight - Interview : Fairy Tale Fibers

Shop name: Fairy Tale Fibers
Shop address: http://www.fairytalefibers.etsy.com/
In a nutshell: Furry Eco-Friendly head wear for playful, yet practical folk.


Tell us a bit about yourself :
My name is Drew. I live in the puddle-tastic town of Portland OR. in the USA. I am a maker. It’s not just the product, or even what I do. It’s who I am. I create and recreate. If something stays in my hands too long it may find it has become something new. I am a mother. So in between Knits and Knots and splashes of paint I make noodles and cut the stems off berries and blow bubbles. All the while singing songs about colors and folklore and what the day has in store for us. It is quite the blessing that crafting hoods has allowed me to stay home full time (even if I do work half the time).

I love coffee with a passion. A friend just gave me a shirt that says “Will Crochet for Cofee”, that fits me to a T. My favorite special treat is to have my husband read to me (after our toddler in tucked in bed) while I crochet. We are currently half way through Stephen Kings Dark Tower Series.

Trashion materials:

I upcycle wool that would have been discarded as a "waste" byproduct of a textile factory. I make hats or hoods from selvage. In a woven fabric, the selvage (or selvedge) is the uncut edge of the fabric which is on the right- and left-hand edges as it comes out of the loom. Very often fabric near the selvage is not usable as it may have a different weave pattern, or may lack pile or prints that are present on the rest of the fabric requiring that the selvage fabric be cut off.

I transform them into:
Furry Fairy and Elf hoods that act as both Hat and Scarf!
If you get too warm, they flip down like a Hood.
You can even tie the tails to make a Satchel.
An added bonus is that you won’t get saturated no matter how torrential the downpour!


How do you do it?

I separate the selvage it to useable strips and roll it into balls. Then I use a large (q) crochet hook to knot it into shape.

What inspired you to do this and why are you involved in trashion?
My daughter inspired me to find a profession that could be done from home. Making hats is a way to make staying home financially feasible. Fairies, Elves, and Stories of old insired the pattern.

Trashion is an on going life ethic. I inherited my craftiness and my upcycling nature from my great grandmother who believed in repurposing any and everything. My great grandmother made doll furniture from coke-a-cola cans and her best paintings were done on cereal boxes. Every scrap was used to make something beautiful and uniquely useful in her household. I do my best to carry on that life ethic.

I joined the Etsy Trashion Street Team to help spread the word about upcycling. I want to support other artisans who embody a similar awareness of the worlds condition yet a love of beauty. I think Trashion is the perfect meld of conscientious purchasing and style and Fashion. Just because it’s remade (reused or recycled) does not mean it has to be bland or displeasing to the eye!


Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept?
What was it?

Nope.
All my childhood art was done on or with “trash”. My doll clothes were made from scraps of old fabric other families might have thrown away. We made our board games out of cereal boxes, and mancala out of egg cartons with buttons for pieces.

What are your current projects and what is on the horizon?
I am always making hoods.
I am making some Coffee Sweaters for the Swag bags that will be given away at the Trashion Trunk Show at Etsy Labs on July 27th.
I’m also working on a design for Monster Style Mary Janes made from the selvage I use for the hoods. I hope to have these available for the holiday season.

Why should people buy handmade, and buy from trashion?
Buying handmade and ecologically conscious is the only logical choice in today’s world. It’s up to us as individuals to support sustainability. It’s up to us as business people to encourage and embody ecologically sound practices.

Too many mass produced items are made to be disposed of. We as a culture cannot afford to ignore our environment. Buying handmade insures a relationship with the crafter or artisian. We can chose to buy from people who have a similar ethic, and we can support individuals and small companies who are bettering the world. Buying Trashion, things made from used items, just makes sense. We are keeping the items out of landfills. We are finding simple everyday solutions to the worlds largest issues.
So you ask why buy Trashion?
Trashion is being stylish, while saving the world. A better question would be why purchase disposable mass produced items?

More you'd like to share:
My counterpart, Holly, is a fabulous force at the market place. You can see our hats up close and personal at Pike Place Market. Holly also comes back to Portland Saturday Market the 1st weekend of the month.
Our hoods will be at the Etsy Trashion Trunk Show on July 27th from 6-8 at Etsy Labs.

1 comment:

cjbc said...

Great interview! I enjoyed reading it.