2008 Crafty Bastards Vendor Spotlight: Tiger Flight
Get to know this year’s Crafty Bastards vendors! We’re posting a series of interviews of crafters who will be at the CB festival Saturday, June 28, at the Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center in Silver Spring, MD.
Tiger Flight’s Beth Baldwin creates sad-eyed owls, sweet yetis and new friends with funny stories and lives of their own. Her guys are colorful and small and this makes them irresistible. Check her out at Booth #73 this Saturday at Crafty Bastards Silver Spring.
1. Using just three words, how would you describe your work?
Silly, funny, delightful
2. What are you doing to prepare for Crafty Bastards? Are there any new products or techniques that you will be trying out for this show?
Since the last Crafty Bastards in the fall, I’ve created two new characters- Eddie the Yeti and Corn-y the Acorn. I also have a big family of Owls called the Owlingtons that come with a name tag…I’ve been making them since before Christmas.
3. Is your craft widespread in the handmade community? What makes your stuff different from others in your craft genre?
While my Baddie dolls require patterns, I let the materials dictate the design of The Owlingtons. I make them from sweaters that I felt and fabric scraps that I’m able to scavenge. So I just kinda….freestyle the owls.
4. Starting an independent shop takes a lot of dedication, planning and hard work. At what point did you realize you had the chops to start your own indie craft business?
To be honest, I’m still not convinced I do. I know I feel happier when I’m in the zone making stuff, but there are times when nothing is coming together and I question what I’m doing….I think being an ‘indie crafter’ or an artist or whatever you want to call it, you really have to have perseverance and not let those moments stop you. Although sometimes, I wonder if it’s just as important a skill to know when to pull the plug, you know?
5. Where are your favorite places to find your supplies? (shop, home depot, junkyard, bookstore, G St. Fabrics?)
For my owls, it’s a specific Goodwill that seems to always have lots of wool sweaters. When it comes to just buying fleece and felt, I like whomever has stuff on sale!
6. Crafting is a grassroots revolution of sorts. It’s catching on as people appreciate all things handmade, original, recycled and environmentally/socially conscious. Does this influence/inspire your work? If so, how do you incorporate it into your craft?
Since my owls are one of a kind, I do tend to let them get a little folk-arty so I don’t entirely stress that everything is absolutely symmetrical and there’s a lot of embroidery and blanket-stitching. I think people like the fact that they’re old sweaters too…I’m thinking about making small owls for anyone who has a sweater to donate to me- it’s getting harder and harder to find decent wool sweaters.
7. After seeing your work, many would-be crafters are inspired to start their own creations. Will you have any DIY kits available for sale at Crafty this year? Could you provide any simple how-to’s or tips for readers who want to get started on their own designs?
Probably not at this time, but last Christmas I did a ‘make your own ornaments’ workshop for a store in Baltimore that carries my dolls. I had patterns and techniques, I probably will do something like that towards the end of the year…
