We spoke to Cath at Prints Charming…
You’re designing some lovely fabric and crafty things now, but what were you doing before this crafty life?
Both of us were young mums before Prints Charming began and enjoyed making things for our kids.
(It’s funny, because that’s something we are re-experiencing now. Our Wednesday night class is mostly young mum’s making clothing or quilts for their children and themselves. It’s so good to see and be a part of.)
Do you come from a long line of crafty people? Have you always made things?
Both of us do in a big big way! Our mothers are wonderful and productive sewers, so when we were growing up there was always fabrics and amazing colourful mysterious things around.
Kirsten’s mother Heather has sewn for a high end boutique for over 30 years and produces incredible embroidery work. My Mum, Margaret, used to make the most amazing hotpants and long kaftans out of Marimekko prints… Oh Yeah Baby!!
What other jobs have you had?
We’ve both had jobs in fabric related areas. Direct from uni (BA Design), I worked in a design studio and then for John Kaldor putting ranges together and directing overseas studios. I then began a multi faceted studio called Art Park, in the early nineties selling original designs locally and internationally as well as developing a homewares line under the same name.
Kirsten has done the usual café thing, bank thing and when we met she too was working at John Kaldor – on the production side of things. Kirsten then went on to study Costume Making at NIDA- a truly intense couple of years. She also worked in film, tv and theatre, both in Sydney and London.
A chance ‘re-meeting’ two years later resulted in the exciting decision to combine talents and start Prints Charming.
Is fabric design your crafty dream come true – or did you arrive at it unexpectedly?
It’s the culmination of everything we’ve been doing for such a long time. It is part of who we have always been and by no means an accident. Forty combined years of experiences and learning have melded to become Prints Charming.
How much time do you spend on your craft? How do you manage the craft/life balance?
The biggest hardest equation of them all! We are both mothers. (Kirsten has 3 children, I have 2) Our kids are similar ages. We totally support and understand each others parenting commitments. When someone is sick or the school assembly is on – we make allowances for that.
Aside from that, we spend every spare second that we can on our craft, be it making, printing, sewing, drawing, stitching…
What do your family and friends think about your crafty life, your blog and your work?
They are our greatest supporters! Having said that, there are many moments when there is big concern for the amount of hours we spend burning the candle at both ends. We work very hard in our studio…but we sooo love it!
We also feel like we have a huge extended family, as so many of our customers have become loyal friends… Sometimes our stitching classes feel like creative therapy in action and we don’t see an end to this (nor do we want to!)
The beauty of our situation is that we meet so many people, who are all so different, yet bonded together by a love of fabric and crafting.
Who inspires you? Crafty or otherwise, and why?
People with passion and belief and drive in what they do.
What will you be working on in the coming twelve months? Is there something you really want to do – or an area of your work you want to improve or learn more about?
We have our third quilting range coming out in March 2009. It will take a slight change of direction for Prints Charming, but it’s still on our beautiful soft base cloth… and the colours just sing! This range will be released with Marcus Fabrics out of New York.
We love our classes in the studio and next year we are planning to do more. The screen printing workshops are always popular and its great to see happy faces as everyone goes home with an original piece that they have printed.
What do you find difficult about this crafty life? And what is the best part?
The difficult part is to hold back on ideas. We have WAY too many and not enough time to administer them all. Sometimes the physical aspect is tough. Printing fabric takes some muscle. The best part is walking in the front door of our workshop/shop each day. It’s like our creative home.
Do you find it difficult to balance the creative with the commercial when you are designing?
Having worked in the industry for so many years the balance comes naturally for us.
Do you have time to make things for yourself?
Funny, you know, but we do! We’ll often make a skirt for each other!
What’s your view on the Australian Craft Movement – there seems to be a lot of people following both Contemporary and Traditional craft here. In your opinion, is it different to the US Craft Scene?
It’s just getting better. The people we meet are sooo enthused and informed about what’s going on, not just around the corner but around the world! The creative internet highway has made the sharing ideas just so easy… and ain’t it grand?!
Having said that, I think Australians have their own style. Our use of colour is reflective of the different light in Australia, compared to the Northern Hemisphere. We would all happily travel to woop woop for the perfect piece of fabric, but now the postman brings it to your door!
However, as great as online shopping is, there ain’t no replacement for the ‘touch and feel’ of a lovely fabric!
