When did you first start sewing and what was your first project?
I started sewing when I was around 6 years old. I used to make doll clothes for my Barbies and baby dolls with my very own little girl’s sewing machine. It wasn’t too long before I “graduated” to my mother’s Kenmore sewing machine. She did a lot of sewing so I was around it all the time. By the time I got into high school I was sewing all my clothes for school.
Do you knit, crochet, spin, weave, dye yarn?
All of the above at one time or another. Presently, since my business is weaving, I do more of it than anything. I generally knit in the evenings for relaxation. I learned how to knit and crochet when I was a kid but haven’t crocheted anything for a long time, although I am thinking about doing a scrappy crocheted afghan with my scraps and minis. I dabbled with spinning when my mother was doing a lot of it but never really did it enough to get good at it like she was. Presently, I dye yarn and have some for sale in my shop, although it hasn’t been the main focus lately.
What style of project bags do you offer and do you have other products as well?
I make handwoven drawstring and zippered project and accessory bags. I enjoy weaving the fabric for them and playing around with the warps to change the look of the hand dyed yarns I use. Something woven on a black warp looks completely different from that same yarn woven on a white warp. In addition to the bags, I offer handwoven, padded camera and guitar straps, scarves and hand dyed yarn. I’m hoping to introduce my new tote soon.
What kind of material do you use?
I have a vast array of different yarns I use to create my products. Cotton, silks, mohair, wool, superwash, loops, brushed, seed, rayons, tinsel, and alpaca yarns from tonals to variegated, add different textures to the piece I’m creating. I like to mix it up in my straps and scarves. My bags are warped with a more durable yarn and woven with the superwash, so they can hold up to the rigors of everyday use.
What is your favorite style of bag that you personally use?
I like zippered bags for a number of reasons, but mostly because I’m klutzy sometimes and when it flips out of my hands, upside down, everything stays in the bag!
What fiber projects are you working on this moment?
I seem to usually have bag fabric warped up on my loom since they’ve become so popular. In addition to the bag fabric, I’m in the process of finalizing my pattern and fabrics for my new tote which will hopefully be out soon. I have “A Girl’s Best Friend” shawl by Isabell Kraemer on my needles right now and am on the last section of it. I just finished a test knit for a new pattern/yarn, plus I have cast on “Edie” top by Isabell Kraemer.
Do you have any special events going on in the upcoming months?
My mother and I did a number of shows throughout the 25+ years that we were in business together. A few years after she passed away, I gathered all of our weaving up out of all of the shops it was in and in June 2016 opened an Etsy shop. At this time, it’s is the only place where you’ll find my handwoven items.
Where can people find out all about your handwoven items?
nanettewakestudio.com
(AND Nanette has so generously offered a 10% discount code for anything in her shop through May 2018!! Just use ANNTUDOR10 at checkout!)
Bonus Question! Do you pick the pattern or the yarn first?
Generally speaking, when I find a pattern I want to knit, I go to my stash for the yarn. I have a large inventory of yarn!