CaughtREDhanded: Handmade Jewelry. Handmade Life.: October 2008

CRH Featured Artist: tsurubride

It is my honest pleasure to introduce Meghan from tsurubride to all of you. I fell in love with her designs and had to show her off but I really wasn’t expecting such a wonderful and interesting tale woven in her interview. I hope it will warm your heart as it did mine.

http://www.tsurubride.etsy.com/

1. Tell me about yourself (anything from age and education to what you eat).

Hi! I'm Meghan, and I've been sewing for ages! I started by sewing clothes for my Barbie doll (very poorly!), and then my mom taught me to sew with a machine and I never looked back. I went to school for fashion, and I work full time in the industry, but since I was working with clothes every day, I got out of sewing for a while. But then, my step-daughter wanted me to make some clothes for her dolls, and that helped to reignite my interest in sewing. Since I still didn't want to play with grown-up clothes I ended up making some purses for myself, and then my friends wanted some, and I thought, hey maybe some other people might some of these as well!

2. Tell me about your art and anything that is new and in the "works"!

I just started making card holders and fun ipod holders. I kept thinki

ng of other adorable animals to make, but they didn't all work as clutches so I tried different accessories. I have some other bag ideas floating around in my head, again, different animals, but with handles. I'm also always on the lookout for good looking vinyl. I'd like to be able to offer some items for people love animals, who don't love leather.

3. What is the best and worst think about owning your own business/working for yourself?

I love that I get to set the pace for everything: from how fast I'd like to grow my business, to how much time I spend developing products. The hardest part is that when things get busy it'd be nice to have another pair of hands to help out, prepping stuff or sewing. Sometimes I get my husband to help me cut leather, but he's not the best with the sewing machine! It would also be nice to be part of team, where I can have other people source materials or manage the finances.

4. What is the story behind your brand?

My name comes from the Japanese word for crane. In the old Japanese tale The Crane Wife, a poor sail-maker finds an injured crane on his doorstep with an arrow through its wing. The man takes the cra

ne in and nurses it back to health. After he releases the crane, a woman appears at his doorstep with whom he falls in love and marries. Because they need money, his wife offers to weave a wondrous sail that they can sell at the market, but only if he agrees never to watch her make it and never have her create another one. The sail sells for a tidy profit and they live comfortably. But the man gets greedy and gets his wife to weave another sail, which she does – again making him promise that this will be the last and that he will not watch her weave it. This sail is even more beautiful than the last, and sells for even more. But again, the man gets greedy and haves her make one more. As the previous times she makes him promise that this will be the last and that he will not watch her weave it. The man is too curious though and he eventually peeks in to see what she is doing and is shocked to discover that at the loom is a crane weaving the wind from her wings into the sails. The crane, seeing him, flies away and never returns. This story, and it's telling on the Decembrist’s Crane Wife album, has come to have a special meaning to me and my husband. However, instead of sails, I make unique crafts with the wind, and this time with my sail-maker at my side.

5. How are you gearing up for the holiday season?

Sewing, sewing and more sewing! I'm also doing a couple of shows, which I'm super excited about. I'm trying to make sure I have lots of options in stock, and I'll probably need to limit the number of custom orders - at least as it gets closer to Christmas. I just got in s

ome new leather, so supply-wise I should be good to go! Just need to shut myself up in the house, crank up some music and get working! I'd also like to use some of my scraps to make cut leather ornaments, maybe as free gifts with purchase, and also available in the store (I sort of have a Christmas ornament obsession...)

6. Tell about one time you have been "caught RED handed"

Conveniently enough, this one ties to the holiday season. I've also been a snoop when it comes to birthday or Christmas presents. My husband always searches for gift ideas on his work computer, and gets gifts shipped to work since he knows I'm so nosy. One year, my brother, step-sister and I went snooping for gifts in our parents room when they went out for brunch. We didn't find anything, but we thought we were so clever. However, our parents knew that we were likely to go on the hunt, and had closed the door a specific amount, so that they'd know if we'd gone in their room. When they came home we were totally busted!