GreenWayBabywear's Profile

Bio

Hi :)
My name is Thomi. April 2 I was Featured Seller ... here's the interview!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff).
Hello - My name is Thomi McIntyre. My husband is a photojournalist, and we moved our family to Dryden, NY two years ago when we got jobs at the local newspaper. This area is wonderful - definitely a good choice. We have two kids and five acres - a good balance, I think. I've had all sorts of jobs, everything from teaching college to assembling diesel engines ... I am home with our youngest now, and glad of it. I can design my days as I see fit, create, and experience the real flow of the seasons and time.

I was lucky enough to go to college for painting straight-up for 6 years. Creating informs my life and life has chapters. This is an extended one about fiber, the next a surprise, a mix, or maybe just paint ...

2. Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I spend most of my time at home with my family. I like to cook, and our family likes to eat, so I'm in luck! As a mom of two, much of my time goes to answering questions, dodging toys and snuggling. Right now spring is coming so we are gearing up for chicks and our first big garden. Every season has it's own excitement. I also read a lot and spend time online researching.

3. What first made you want to become an artist?
I don't remember a time when making things wasn't part of my day. I drew, painted, crocheted, embroidered, sewed doll clothes, cut paper, colored, etc., as a small child, and that just never stopped. My dad made everything with an incredible attention to detail, craftsmanship, function and beauty. Experiencing that ethic every day informed my whole outlook on how to approach art. The separation/conflict in graduate school between those studying "fine art" and those in "crafts" just lost me completely.

4. Please describe your creative process (how, when, materials, etc).
Most of my process is in my head. I visualize an entire project, work through all the steps, solve many problems well before getting to making prototypes. Sometimes I'll wake up with the solution to a problem. I often back myself into a corner by needing skills I don't really have, so research and learning are also fundamental.

I work whenever I get a chance, but usually these days the knitting happens with my son napping on my lap, and sewing happens with him making like a dust mop on the floor and my daughter refereeing. When free time opens up, I do my best to jump to it. Creating is not a choice - I get really antsy if I don't have some opportunity to make something everyday. Idle hands ... no way!

My current focus is knitting and sewing, so I have really gotten into yarns and different fabrics. Organic wool was quite a revelation, and the smaller the farm I get it from, the more naturally it is produced, the better it feels both to the fingertips and conscience. I hope to eventually work with a local farm to get all the yarn I need for my work. I find bamboo fabric really amazing stuff no matter what the weave, and am glad for once that something I like has gone trendy.

5. What handmade possession do you most cherish?
Most significant to me is the beautiful cherry cradle my dad made when I was pregnant with my daughter. "There isn't a right angle in the damn thing," he has grumbled several times. He used lumber he'd been storing for almost 20 years from a tree that was in our backyard. From that tree Daddy has also made a flintlock pistol, an outrageously beautiful and "bombproof" workbench, bookshelves, and I know there are other projects lined up for the rest. The cradle will eventually leave my home as my brothers start having kids ... you can pay shipping guys.

6. Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and websites (besides Etsy).
Books are always around and rotate depending on the newest "need to know," but there are some stand-bys: "Knitting Nature" by Norah Gaughan, "Knitting without Tears" by Elizabeth Zimmerman, "Vogue Knitting Stitchionary" 1, 2, and 3 and anything by Storey Publishing - I love that any animal or homesteading/farming topic I am interested in, they have a reliable book or manual on.

Music: Dylan, U2, Sinead O'Connor and Springsteen, then Pandora radio to help me figure out there is new stuff out there.

Websites: Amazon, WOWIO (free eBooks!), A to Z Home's Cool, and Google.

7. What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
I think it is very important to answer convos from people promptly and professionally. Buying handmade is often something a buyer has not done often and it may require a leap of faith. Perhaps they need reassurance that you are "for real," that your price is appropriate, etc. Answering as many questions as a person has can make a sale happen, and can also win someone over to the handmade is better mentality. Another biggie - take pictures that really show off your work.

8. What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
I really appreciate the easy navigation between my view of my shop and how it appears to others. I also like that I can post several big pictures. I think it would be very helpful to be able to have a template function to make listing similar items easier.

9. How do you promote your work?
I have a website that my husband just built, listings on directories, email tag lines, and word of mouth. We have plans to start with cards locally and some banner ads soon.

10. In ten years I'd like to be...
I want to have my own studio and bring in a decent income with my creative output. I hope we are generally self-sufficient through gardening and raising animals and homeschooling our children.

Female, Born on November 17

Favorite Materials

wool, organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, yarn, fabric, paint