Friday, February 24, 2012

Friday Feature- Joan + Andy from TheFlyingNeedles.Etsy.Com

Hello…
Two knitting cousins, Joan + Andy, who started an Etsy shop together. Our shop is called The Flying Needles, because that’s the only name we could come up with that encompasses everything we do.

Our Craft…
Knitting, crochet, embroidery, needlepoint, felting, sewing & crafts. We do a lot of things for babies - clothing, blankets, booties. But also accessories for children, adults and the home.





Our Inspiration…
We inspire each other & bounce ideas off each other. Our families also inspire our creativity. We have many family members that do needlecrafts. Our entire extended family has been knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, crafting, carpentry for many years. If we see something we like, we usually try to make it. If we see something broken, we usually try to fix it. One relative has done carpentry, tie-dye, batique, embroidery for 30 years. Another makes pocket books & many other crafts and does craft fairs and home shows. Another is an artist or painter and does art shows and has 2 etsy shops. Another has a website & shop for soap making for over 30 years. Our hobbies also inspire us - Andy likes to fish, so she made a baby fishing hat which sold on Etsy, Joan's love of antiques inspired her to do embroidery on antique linens.

Our AHA moment of being an Artist…
We kept a low profile for a number of years, but people kept wanting to buy what we make, so we finally made an Etsy shop. For many years we made beautiful handmade gifts for family members (weddings, baby showers, birthdays, etc), then people began to notice and ask if they could buy our things. For Andy, it was going to baby showers & everybody asking where she "bought" her gifts (which were handmade). For Joan, it was running some errands & having more than one person wanting to buy her scarf right off her neck!

Our Creative sides are ignited by…
Most inspired when working on a project & meet up with someone else who's working on a project. We occasionally work on projects together or go to knitting groups or classes. That is often where Joan finds new customers is by going to classes to learn a new craft & she would just happen to have one of her other projects with her (or a tupperware of finished projects in her car). Different seasons of the year also inspire us. Andy just made a baby 'April Showers' hat or Easter bonnet. We try to focus on the upcoming holidays. Sometimes it's hard to get in the Christmas spirit in the summer or fall when you need to be starting on making all those holiday gifts, or knitting with wool on a hot summer day, but we try to think ahead to the next season & what will sell then.

Our  Masterpiece…
Christening dress we made together, image attached, it is also on our shop. Andy crocheted the top and all the accessories, Joan made the bottom & sewed on the little pearls.




Apart from Crafting …
Andy - fishing, spending time with family at the beach cottage
Joan - golf, skiing, snowshoeing
both together - antique shopping & thrift stores

When we are busy creating …
Joan - in her studio, get lost for hours in a project
Andy - when I start on one project, my mind starts working on all the things I want to make, and one project branches off into many ideas.

In ten years we would be…
Our interests will expand even more, diversify & include more projects other than needle crafts, maybe more custom orders for Joan, that has already started to take off with her quilting & embroidery.

Places to look for us…

5 comments:

  1. A wonderful feature on "the flying needles"!
    I am your newest follower through the "Etsy Blog Team". Please checkout my blog when you get a chance: www.godsgrowinggarden.blogspot.com
    Thanks
    Angie

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  2. Hopping over here from the Etsy Blog Team. :)

    Beautiful feature! Their work is gorgeous, and they seem to have a lot of fun with it.

    Link up your Friday Feature with me!

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Thank you, we appreciate your blog so much, and thank you for the wonderful comments! Love, The Flying Needles

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  5. That sounds like a great shop! Thanks for the feature, it was interesting to read. And thanks for visiting & commenting on my blog. Yours is quite lovely too:)

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