Interview with Karen from ecogeneration

Shop name: ecogeneration

Shop address: http://ecogeneration.etsy.com

Other sites: http://ecogeneration.blogspot.com
I’m also on facebook and twitter.

What draws you to using trashion materials?
Being eco-friendly and trying to reduce waste and reuse materials I already have are part of my motto – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. I think we have way too much resource that we don’t use. I think it’s our responsibility to use them up before buying new.



What trashion materials do you use?
Leftover yarn from when I was learning to knit and crochet 30 years ago. I stopped when I had kids and then, I picked it up again recently. So I have a stash of yarn that I didn’t throw out. I also have fabric remnants collected after making curtains, cushions, pillow covers, and album covers. I recently learned how to felt wool. I had a small, outdated ski sweater that I felted and I love the result. I made so many items from just one little wool sweater.



Do you remember the first thing you made using the trashion concept?
Kitchen scrubbies with acrylic yarn. They are so much better than the commercial ones I used to buy. They last longer and clean better. Albeit, they are made with acrylic but I had so many skeins leftover from when I was learning and I couldn’t throw them away. So I used it to make scrubbies. Initially, I gave them to friends and family and they suggested that I sell them. That’s how I started on Etsy.



What are your current projects and what is on the horizon?
My head is always working on concepts and designs. That’s my problem; I love to make so many different things. I don’t know how to consolidate my shop into one. I love to sew, crochet, knit, paint, you name it, I love to make anything. So these days, I’m preoccupied with streamlining my ideas. I feel like I have ADD sometimes but my current project is to find just a few to work on. It’s the hardest part about being a crafter/artist…focusing.




Anything else you'd like to add?
I love Etsy. That sounds like a cliché but really, it’s true. I sometimes just scroll and see what others are making, buying, selling, and doing on Etsy. I can spend hours on the site. It’s terrible for my time management but I can really digress on Etsy for hours. And I have to really control myself from buying everything I see. There are so many talented artists on Etsy. I’ve noticed the number of eco-friendly artists who reuse and upcycle materials has been increasing. I think that’s awesome. And I feel so lucky to be part of a such talented community.