Featured Etsy Artisan: momomadeit

I LOVED these "Everday Housewife" aprons. The colors, the cut, the patterns! The creator of momomadeit, Joan, graciously agreed to be interviewed for my blog feature! I think I'd feel so glamorous doing my chores and cooking up a feast in one of these aprons...

Be sure to check out her shop! My personal favorite is here.

Thanks, Joan! Keep up the great work!

• Tell us a little about yourself – your name, where you live, your work.
My name is Joan Hand Stroh and I live in Waco, Texas. I am married to a swell guy and have three grown children and one granddaughter. In my past life, I worked as a disability rating specialist for the federal government. After retirement in June 2006, it didn't take long to realize that I was not the sit around, watch TV and eat bonbons type of gal. I do like to spend time in the yard - I have dozens of antique roses and a herb garden.


• Tell us about your Etsy shop and products.
In October 2006, I logged onto the Etsy site as "momomadeit" and looked around. Later that year, my daughter-in-law asked for an apron. She suggested that I make some and sell them - so here I am! Had I know I'd be selling aprons, I most likely would have selected a different user name. I am a bit superstitious, so I'm going to hang onto it. Originally, I had intentions of doing more baby items and retro inspired clothing, but aprons have become the focus of my shop.

My aprons are made in the traditional fashion with an emphasis on style and function. I'm not big on frills, so I seldom do anything that is "over the top" with trims and embellishments. I believe that a good apron is like a second skin - you put it on and after a while forget you are wearing it.

“Photo shoots” are always fast and furious, but the most fun! My daughter models for me when she is available and we have a blast!

• How did you get into your creating? Do you have a favorite item you’ve made? Tell us the story,
I've been sewing since I was quite young. I have three older sisters (I was a surprise baby 11 years later) and I remember watching my mom run yards of fabric through the sewing machine. She would keep me busy by letting me cut up scraps of fabric (with her huge silver scissors),and sew them, first by hand, and then by machine. By junior high I was making and wearing my own clothes. In high school, I was the "seamstress for the band", making the guys matching polka dot shirts and corduroy jackets. Sewing was fun and it allowed me to have clothes were unique, or things that I could not otherwise afford. It was not unusual for me to buy fabric on my lunch hour, come home, make a dress, and wear it to work the next day. I simply cannot imagine life without a sewing machine (or two).

I have always focused on making items with the intent that they be used. I'd much rather see the things I make being lovingly used until they are worn out rather than having them stashed away in a closet. Favorite items change over time for me - a “cool” orange backpack for my oldest son because I could not afford to buy him one, making boxers for my middle son out of weird fabrics, an "emergency dress" for my daughter who preferred soccer shirts and wind shorts, my daughter-in-law's wedding dress, a quilt for my niece when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, a last minute prom dress, etc.

As far as aprons go, the cocktail apron shown above has to be my favorite.

• What advice would you give a creative entrepreneur on starting a small artistic business?
You must believe in yourself. Focus on doing what makes you happy or gives you satisfaction. It takes a lot of hard work - there will be ups and downs. Always treat your customers the way you’d like to be treated and never underestimate the power of generosity.


• Do you have a person that inspires you (living or historical)? Tell us about her or him
My parents! My Mother was Martha before Martha was Martha! There wasn't anything she wouldn't or couldn't do. I have a picture of her wearing a straight skirt wielding a hatchet in her hand, whacking away at the rocky soil so she could plant grass. She was a talented seamstress, superb house keeper and a most excellent cook. She always saw the glass as half full. When she made drapes for the windows and didn't like them, she took them down the next day and reupholstered the couch. When my Dad was overseas during World War II, she opened her first restaurant. My Dad and I plotted, planned and built all kinds of things. He did amazing things with metal and found things. Looking back, I now see that their biggest gift to me was the belief that you can do most anything if you set your mind to it.


• Do you have a book or movie that makes you feel creative? Tell us about it!
I just don’t have time to read like I used to -the last real book I read was “For One More Day” by Mitch Albom - my daughter left it here and I felt compelled to read it.

Music and sunshine are what really makes me feel creative!

I can’t imagine a day with music. I listen to all kinds of music - classic rock as well as the new music. Some days, I let itunes shuffle, other times I put on a particular artist depending upon my mood - it could be James Taylor, Billie Holiday, Amos Lee, The Eagles, etc. John Mellencamp is wonderful to sew by.

Sunshine recharges my batteries. Sunshine also warms up the earth and I love the feel of hot sand or dirt between my toes. That makes me feel like a little kid again and that is good for creativity!

• What is your favorite handmade treasure?
Long story short: Two years ago, I went to a garage sale at the house that my parents built in 1957. After chatting with the current owner, I asked him if he was attached to the mailbox stand my father had made in 1957 - one of those initials made from large chain, now hidden by a large shrub. A deal was struck - if we removed it, we could have it. We cleaned it up, and it now holds our mailbox. It is not exactly stylish by today’s standards, but it holds special memories of my dad who died when I was only 26. Everyone wonders why we have a mailbox stand in the shape of the letter “R” when our last name starts with “S”, but it is all good!

Do you have any suggestions for creatively weathering these tough economic times? How are you creatively making the best of it?
Hmmm.... I’ve never been a spendthrift, so being mindful of finances is the norm for me. I never spend more than I can afford to pay off within 30 days. I’ve always got a gazillion things that I’d like to try. When sales are slow I have time to work on something new or different. I also believe that people often times are more creative when times are tough.

As a result of having a shop on Etsy, five of my aprons are in the project book "A Is For Aprons”. I am currently working on a new opportunity as a result of my exposure on Etsy. So, continue to work hard and show off your best products as you never know who is watching! : )