What is your shop's name and
how did you decide on it?
My shop’s name is DemeCrafts. The word ‘crafts’ is quite common and at
first I didn’t want to use it, but I went for it as I can knit, cross stitch
and crochet. I spend more time knitting
nowadays, but I might be adding cross stitch and crochet in my shop in the
future. So ‘crafts’ would capture all
three forms. As for ‘Deme’ is short for
a word I like and is relevant to my work.
How did you get started in your particular craft and how long have you been
doing it?
My grandmother taught me
knitting, cross stitching and crocheting at a very young age. I’m pretty sure I was about 6 years old when
I did my first cross stitch, which I still have. I have spent about 30 years cross stitching
(on and off) and still do when time permits.
Even though I hadn’t knitted
for several years, I still remembered the basics and got into it again in 2005. Apart from a couple of lace knitting stitches
a nice lady showed me, I learned everything else on my own through countless
mistakes and hours of practicing. I’ll
never forget unravelling entire scarves, which had already taken me many hours
to make, to reknit them better.
As for crochet, it’s something
I would like to improve in the future when I get a chance.
Are there any negative aspects
to doing your craft and if there are how do you work around them?
What I would call a negative
aspect of doing crafts, knitting in particular, is when others copy your
work. We are in a creative business and
we all need to create from our own imagination and try to make our work as
unique as possible to appeal to our buyers, our target market.
Those who copy do not give
themselves a chance to discover where their own imagination can take them and
how unique and talented they can be. I do believe fortune favours the brave, so
I try to focus on myself and my work and create patterns from ideas that come
to me even at the oddest times, like when I wake up in the morning or when I’m
grocery shopping. However, as my
original patterns are copyrighted, if need may be, I will not hesitate to take
the necessary action to protect my work.
What tips would you give to anyone thinking of starting your craft?
If you start it as a hobby,
then it would be to just have fun with it.
Being involved in crafts, such as knitting, has a lot of benefits, even therapeutic
benefits. It’s great for relaxation of
the mind, like yoga, and as a creative outlet.
If you are starting this as
full-time job, be prepared for the amount of time and effort you need to put
in. It’s like any other full-time
job. I actually work longer hours now
than I did in my previous office job, but I enjoy every minute of it. And keep on top of the finance/business part
of the job too!
How did you find Misi?
I found out about Misi from
literature I was given at my local Business Gateway office.
What is your favourite item in your own Misi shop?
The yarn is the finest yarn I
have ever worked with. It’s challenging
to knit with but at the same time so luxurious and the end result so rewarding.
It also happens to be the yarn I used to try lace knitting for the very first
time.
What is your favourite shop on Misi (besides your own)?
I am back to my Misi shop
after a few months of break so I haven’t had the chance to have a proper look
around yet. However, there is one shop
that has caught my attention, called CaractacusPots. Pottery always catches my eye,
especially small and useful things for the home. They remind me of my grandmother’s small
ceramics in the kitchen. I also like the
blue color in pottery and Caractacus Pots
has lots of that.
Random Facts about you:
What is your favourite season and why?
It would have to be the summer
since the weather is warmer and swimming in the sea is irresistible. However, I like all seasons for the charm
each one has. Autumn: for the gorgeous
warm colors everywhere. Winter: for the
snow and the cosy days in. Spring: for
the green and life that starts to appear.
What is your favourite food?
My favourite dish is spaghetti with meat sauce, similar to bolognese but
different recipe.
How many DVDs do you have?
Oh many! I love watching movies,
especially witty comedies.
What is your favourite animal?
A
ladybird
What actor/actress would you NOT kick out of bed?
My favourite actor/actress are: Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Dustin
Hoffman and Meryl Streep.
I would let them sleep on my couch, but I’m too selfish when
it comes to my bed!
Thank you for chatting with us, Minerva.
Stop by her shop on MISI for more gorgeous items.
xxx
You probably know
already that some people create works of art to fight stress. They
usually paint, sketch, or sculpt. Others resort to woodworking,
origami making, or metal crafting when they want to relax. Like these
activities, crafting can help your mind and body to relax. The
process of creating something beautiful from scratch can effectively
take your mind away from your problems. So if you want to soothe your
senses and forget stressful thoughts, try making hand crafted works
of art today.
As mentioned
earlier, almost everyone can become a crafts master. It only takes a
little bit of creativity to make something special out of the
ordinary things you see everyday. This hobby does not really require
expert skills. As long as you are properly motivated, you will be
able to create different crafts that you can be proud of. But the
best thing about handmade crafts is the fact that they are very cheap
to produce. In fact, you can just use recycled items, junk items, and
discarded things. There is no need for you to buy expensive art
materials and tools.
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