Made in Lowell: Solo Exhibit (with Giveaway!)

One thing I’ve learned through my prolific Etsy stalking: as a rule, the shops that focus on one type of handmade good tend to appear stronger and make more sales than the shops that sell a wide variety of items. Of course, on Etsy as in real life, it’s often the outliers that get ahead. Every so often, I find a shop that seems to defy all the typical rules and yet it is stunning enough to make me do a virtual double-take. Made in Lowell is just that kind of shop.

Many of the pieces in Made in Lowell are needle felted from roving. From beaded necklaces to pincushions and flower brooches, it’s clear the owner of this shop is a true artist with a needles and wool.

This curator’s personal favorite is Made in Lowell’s nest collection. Needle felted nests are embellished with beads and turned into a wide array of wonderful accessories. I can think of so many things I would love to adorn with one of these beauties:

As if these aren’t beautiful enough, you can buy them small enough for your hair or your finger.

But it isn’t all needles and wool, after all. Turns out the multi-talented artist behind Made in Lowell has a knack with clay as well. Among her best sellers are her polymer egg ornaments and polymer clay earrings.

And what could be better than a pair of earrings that combines the best of both talents: needle felting and polymer clay beads? These would add the perfect amount of sweet and funky to any outfit:

At the risk of making you all green with envy (I mean, really, how fair is it that this woman has all these talents and I can’t even draw a stick figure?), I would be a bad curator indeed if I didn’t point out that Made in Lowell also carries a number of handmade cards. I’m crazy about this set of four pomegranate watercolor cards:

There is so much to explore in this shop, in fact, that I dare not give it all away here–at least not without the appropriate spoiler alert. Lucky for us, though, the lovely owner of Made in Lowell was kind of enough to give us a glimpse into her world of clay, felt, and cards.

Curator B: Felting, sculpting, and jewelry-making, oh my! You have such a diverse product line, but it all seems to clearly go together so nicely. How did this line evolve? Did you start out with just one or two, or have you always sold a good variety of items?

Thanks for your kind words! My education is in Fine Arts; printmaking, sculpture, drawing and painting. When I discovered polymer clay through a friend in college, I was hooked! I’ve been making things with it ever since. A little before I opened my Etsy shop I learned felting and I think of new things to make with wool just about every day. I have always knitted and recently re-learned crochet and enjoy taking little projects with me everywhere I go. I also love paper goods, I make a lot of cards, tags and envelopes. I especially love making cards using my mom’s amazing watercolors! I guess I don’t let anything drop when I develop a new skill so it all adds to my eclectic collection.

Curator B: If you were only allowed to make one of your products for the rest of your crafting career, which one would you choose? Why?

Oh wow! You are trying to blow my mind aren’t you? Um, this one is tough…I guess the nest pins because they are a little different each time I make them even if I use the same wool.

Curator B: How long have you been selling on Etsy? Do you sell anywhere else? How has Etsy shaped or influenced your work?

I opened my Etsy shop in November of 2006! I also have shops on Artfire and 1000 Markets. In the real world I sell my work in 3 galleries, out of my studio, and I take my goods on the road to lots of craft shows. Etsy has influenced my aesthetic very much! I love that hip, modern quirky “Etsy look”, you know what I mean? I love watching the trends in designs, materials and colors move through the community. I find it all a lot of fun and very inspiring. Also, the friendships I make with other Etsy sellers? Life changing.

Curator B: Do you have a standout bestseller? What do you think makes it a bestseller?

Actually I have a lot of strong selling items, maybe because my work is so varied. I tend to sell “some of each” all the time with one item taking center stage for awhile then another standing out. But the nest pins and the pincushions are definitely the stars of the show most of the time. I think people are drawn to the felt items because they are so tactile, cute and colorful!

Curator B: What is the most interesting/fun custom item you have ever been asked to make? The strangest?

I once needle felted an African Gray Parrot for someone. I made the little toes out of wire that I covered in embroidery floss then covered in clear fabric glue, they gripped like the real thing! That was fun, if challenging. The strangest thing is when people offer me their pet hair for felting! Yeah, no.

Curator B: Can you give us a description of your studio/workspace?

I know how rare affordable studio space is, I am very lucky to have a huge, wonderful artist community about a mile from my condo in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. My studio is at Western Avenue Studios and now that I have it, I can’t imagine how I did all this at my dining room table for 20 years!

It’s definitely allowed me to grow my business so I can do this full time. Not only am I surrounded by wonderful, creative people who are also good friends, I don’t have to put my projects away at night to cook dinner

Ready for the good stuff? Hands under your chins, Stalkers; I’d hate for the drool to get on your keyboards. Check out this beauty:

That’s right: one lucky winner will be the owner of this needle-felted wool pincushion, complete with pins. To enter, hop on over to Made in Lowell and enjoy some good old-fashioned window shopping. Then return here and leave us a comment letting us know which of her items is calling your name. One entry per person, please. The winner will be chosen at random from among the comments next Sunday, October 11th. Good luck!