March featured member: WickedMint

Hudson Valley Etsy Team's March featured member shop is WickedMint, the fabric creations of Ryan Green.  Congratulations!

One cloudy day, I went to see Ryan at her home studio in Beacon (I can’t wait for it to start getting warm again!).  Her house is wonderful, full of lovely artwork and I was immediately envious of her well-organized work-space.  Although she’s been making things since she was little, as her mother taught her to sew, Ryan’s been selling her creations since 2003, starting at craft fairs and markets in NYC and through her own website, eventually moving to Beacon.  She’s been selling on Etsy since 2006, almost exclusively since 2009, and she’s even an Etsy educator!

I've seen Ryan’s creations around Etsy long before I became a member of the HVNY team, so it was a pleasure to meet the person behind the lovely chevron patter I see around, as well as some great silk-screened work! I had spent some time reading her blog in preparation and found out she has a nearly 4 month old girl.  I got to meet Elliot, who was very reasonable with me distracting her mother. 

is she going to start sewing soon?

So why does Ryan do what she does? “Being able to make things gives me freedom to own things that I might not otherwise be able to afford or be able to find in a store. I love sewing fabric creations because I can dream something up in my head and make it come to life. When someone becomes a customer by purchasing one of my items, it feels amazing. I imagine it feels how an artist would feel after selling a painting in a gallery.”

what a cute elephant!

And how does Ryan make these lovely creations? It depends on what she’s making but like most things it must be designed first! 

For her tea towels, cosmetic bags, and her telltale chevron patter, she begins with a computer design that is printed through spoonflower on a high quality linen/cotton blend fabric.  She’s hoping to expand this process to cover most of the items in her shop, as they offer more color preferences and she feels it’s safer for Elliot.

Modern Avocado Green Throw Pillow by wickedmint 

Still, her pillows are generally silk-screened in her basement (I didn't get a chance to check it out, but aren't her pillows gorgeous?) on brightly colored duck cloth or cotton twill.  Generally, she uses white ink, but she could use up to 4 different colors with this process.

Next after the fabric is printed, silk-screened, and cut all the pieces have to be collected and sewn together. 

Here she’s working on a cosmetic bag.

To the ironing board! She has to flatten out the pieces to be sewn a second time.

I love all the brightly colored zippers she has that go ever so well with her own designs, as well as her collection of threads!

Then, when everything’s sewn up, it’s time to get it ready to mail out.  She has personalized shipping labels and tags that gives just the right personal touch while letting you know you are buying from WickedMint!

As I mentioned earlier, Ryan is an Etsy Educator!  Basically, as part of a pilot program, Etsy trained 15 shop owners in how to teach others  interested in opening a shop Etsy 101.  Most of them had already been educating people, but Etsy wanted to have the trainings be more standardized and give the trainers the ability to communicate directly with Etsy.  So, if you’re interested in opening up an Etsy shop, keep your eye out for any workshops she might be holding near you.  I hope they start training more people soon, if only because being an “Etsy Educator” sounds so cool!

Gray Chevron with Red-Orange Accents Cosmetic Bag by wickedmint 

I hope you enjoyed your trip to Ryan’s workshop!  I know I did.  Definitely, go check out her awesome Etsy Shop and keep an eye out for a craft fair or Etsy 101 class she’ll be at.  You can also find her on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.  I’m sure you know someone who needs a lovely pillow or tea towel to warm up their home just in time for spring! 

Enjoy!

Amber