Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Feld.
Katie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Hi! I am a stay at home mom of two children & one hound dog named Walter. I have always been creative and crafty, a real DIY-er. About five or so years ago, I began refinishing antique furniture while we lived in Tucson. Our family had just begun with the birth of my daughter, and once she began walking and exploring everywhere, it became difficult to balance furniture restoration and home life. I wanted a way to work from home and be with my children, so we started a coffee mug printing business. I discovered just how fun it was to design a product from the ground up. It was not long before I began watercolor painting everything from cactuses to bigfoot and printing my images onto coffee mugs to sell in my Etsy store. They were a hit and I quickly discovered just how much fun it was to have art in my life. I began to notice my daughter engaging in the creative fun watercolor brings, and it became something we loved doing with each other more and more. Last year, we moved back up to northern Arizona just outside of Sedona and gave birth to our son. Painting was getting hard to do with a newborn and our daughter. I was losing my crafting outlet as life evolved like it tends to do.
One day, I stumbled upon rug hooking or “punch needling” and instantly knew I had to try it. Well, I did and immediately fell in love with it! I loved the colors, fibers, and the textures. I also loved I could do it around my kids as it is not a messy craft. Soon, I was taking my images I had used in the coffee mug business and turning them into patterns for the rugs I was making. I found I wanted to do more and more rugs and also bigger projects. So, I bought a professional grade tufting gun that is used in rug making. I told myself, I was nuts but made the investment and I bought it anyways! It has been about nine months now, making rugs, and other projects using this technique. I am sure there is no end in sight for me. I absolutely love that an old craft like rug hooking is seeing such a revival in popularity and that I am making myself a part of it. “Rug Hooking”, as a technique can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt. I love seeing the new modern twist to it! There is a lot of interest in this craft and it is growing very fast. One thing I have been working on is supplying kits, materials, and tutorials for people who also stumble into this fun craft. I can’t wait to see where this trend goes.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a punch needle or rug hooking artist. I suppose I could just be called a fiber artist.
I am currently making a floral skull rug entirely out of vintage yarns from an estate I bought out in Tempe. An artist by the name of Rheba sadly could no longer do her craft, so I am keeping the memory alive and giving her vintage yarn collection all the love and attention it deserves. I have sent out some of her yarn collection to other rug makers from California to New York, and already they are creating their own masterpieces. I love seeing a young generation of crafters like me give these old wool yarns and supplies the love and happiness that they probably gave someone else 40 years ago.
I hope people see my art and smile at something funny or cute about it. Most of the time, however, they just ask “wow what is that you’re doing?!” I am constantly encouraging others to try it. Is quite relaxing.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I think the role of being a starving artist is slowing fading. I think the world needs art just as much as we need a creative outlet. In my lifetime I hope to see arts, crafts, and creativity continue to grow and see a huge resurgence.
It’s already happening if you look closely. Places like Etsy and Amazon Handmade wouldn’t exist today on such a huge scale if arts were not seeing a big resurgence.
I think on a local scale we could all stand to spend some time teaching kids our arts. Teach them anything you know. They just may need it someday in our changing world.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I can be found on Instagram almost daily sharing progress videos of my rugs or wall hangings. I also sell my finished pieces, and beginners kits and supplies for rug hooking on my Etsy. If anyone would like to give punch needling a try, I very much encourage it. Especially if you have children, my daughter, at just five years old now makes her own patterns to punch. She can literally get lost in working a pattern on her frame for good chunks of time. Being an artist is probably most inspiring to others, by encouraging them to be creative and to express themselves as we do.
Contact Info:
- Address: Etsy.com/shop/minimasterpiecesaz
- Website: www.minimasterpiecesaz.com
- Email: minimasterpieces1@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kate.crafts
Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
