Featured Handmade Artisan Interview...Plumed

Featured Artisan: Christine of Plumed...

How did you get into design?

I think my love of craft started in my teen years, I was a little bit of a "hippie" then and I was really influenced by the handmade goods people sold, which before the big craft movement were pretty much only found at local markets and in the parking lots of Grateful Dead shows. So, I started out making hemp bracelets, which led to more intricate jewelry designs and beading. I have always continued to craft here and there, especially around the holidays and, as a consumer, my love of handmade items never wavered. Over the last 15 years I have been happily watching the handmade market grow and grow.

What got me to where I am right now is after having my twin boys in 2008 and leaving my career behind to be home with them, I wanted all the cute boutique clothes but found I just couldn't afford them. My twins were also pretty petite, so many of the clothes that the big box stores offered just didn't fit them. So, with that, I brought out my old metal singer sewing machine and started sewing them up cute little pants and found that I wanted to keep doing this, maybe, even, for a living! 

Eventually I found making clothes really didn't resonate with me on the level that I wanted it to. Eventually I happened to make a couple pillows for myself and I found that I really loved that! I was able to marry my love of sewing and crafting, as well as home design. While I love fashion, I found home design is really a deeper part of who I am and does resonate with me. Growing up my grandparents had a huge old house built at the turn of the 20th century. As a child I spent a lot of time picking out wallpaper, tearing down walls, setting tiles and being thoroughly enthralled with homes and design. So when I started making pillows all my little loves seem to unite and I felt like, "ah ha, this is perfect for me, this is exactly what I want to be doing." Additionally, loving home design but being unable to tear down walls or afford glass tiles, I might add, I also just love the fact that pillows can be such an affordable way to breathe a little life into your house.

What motivated you to start your own handmade business?

As, I mentioned, I started making clothing and tried my hand at having a children's clothing shop on Etsy, but found I just wasn't motivated by it. When I started making pillows the designs seemed to come to me, the work felt organic and natural, it didn't feel forced or overwhelming at all. I loved pairing prints and textures, as well as, doing embroidery, which I have always loved doing. So I started building an inventory of pillows to open a new shop. Then, truth be told, I became a single mother to my three boys in the middle of working towards this venture. From there I decided I had a few choices, I could sulk and panic, go out and try to find a job in a horrible job market for a social worker, or I could really try to make this a business. I went ahead opened my shop sooner than I had planned to and handed it over to the universe hoping for a sign as to whether or not this was the right path. Two days after my shop was opened I was contacted  by a designer on HGTV that wanted to use one of my pillows on her design show! This quickly turned the tables for me and I went from thinking, "maybe I can do this," into "ok, how am I going to do this?" and finally "I am doing this!" I started really looking at this as my career choice and a business. And while I was absolutely overjoyed by the attention from a TV personality and designer, I realized the real gift in this was the confidence it gave me and the frame of mind that if I am going to do this as a business, I need to treat it as one. I am still new to all this, but it has really been a blessing to me; I have gained confidence and the ability to be home with my kids.

What is your favorite item you are currently selling?

My favorite item right now is my "home is where the heart is" pillow. I am a bit of a home body and my heart is firmly rooted here in, Portland. I think we all have such a connection to our homes, whether that be our birthplace or a place where we found that feeling of home. I just think it is something everyone can relate to. And while I make these pillows for others whose hearts go all over the map, I often think about this concept which is really meditative and makes the work a true labor of love. They are also my most popular item and I have found that in making these pillows for others, I really enjoy making pieces that are sentimental and personal for my customers. It certainly feels like I am a part of something much bigger than just selling a product and I love that! It also gives me a connection to my customers, which coming from social services, means a lot to me.

Do you have a favorite design, website, or other handmade seller you get inspiration from?

I couldn't possibly pick just one. I think the handmade community in and of itself is what I am most inspired by. I feel absolutely blessed that we are in this day and age where consumerism has kind of taken over, but there are millions of us that are taking back the act of craft and community; and that there are market places, blogs, and websites that allow us that venue and areas of support.

Thank you Christine!  We love your work!

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