Halloween Treats from the Buffalo Etsy Team

Halloween Treats! curated by Buffalove on Etsy

Creatures and Bugs from the Buffalo Etsy Team

Creatures and Bugs curated by Buffalove on Etsy

Monday Interview: Erin Makes Stuff

 This week Erin Makes stuff takes some time out of her busy monster making to share a little about herself and her knit bundles of fun!

 

 

Please tell us a bit about yourself? 

 Hi! I’m Erin! I live in Derby and used to be an art teacher. I now go to school to learn how to make teeth! I come from a creative family and don’t know what to do with myself if I’m not constantly making something! I like things that are colorful, fun and well crafted. My favorite color is magenta.

What do you create? How long have you been working on your craft/art? Mostly I design and hand-knit monsters. Since I’m often asked where the idea for my monsters came from, I’ll tell you here! One day, many winters ago, I wanted a new hat. So I bought a book on how to knit and figured it out. I made many awful hats. In 2007 I decided to start figuring out how to turn the monster doodles from my notebooks into knit monster plush. After trial…error… more error… more trial… I eventually figured out how to make something pretty cute! The monsters are always evolving and I usually work a pattern from memory. I usually get ideas for new monsters while I’m working on other monsters. I’m now a little addicted to knitting.

How did you come up with your store name? 

 My shop name is “Erin Makes Stuff” so I put a lot of thought into that one.

How does Buffalo influence your work?  

I travel a bit around WNY for art shows and I can say with absolute certainty that all the Buffalo shows I do are the best! I love the energy and appreciation people in this city have for the arts and am proud to be a part of it. Also, I’ve recently started making Buffalo Bills fan monsters. They’ve become a hit and I’ve shipped them to transplanted Buffalo natives all over the country!

How do you promote your work to the world? 

I am an Instagram addict! I am always posting new photos of the monsters there [@erinmakestuff]. I think it’s an awesome tool to easily share photos of my work with fans from all over the world. I also have a Facebook page and a website.

www.erinmakesstuff.com
www.facebook.com/erinmakesstuff.monsters
www.instagram.com/erinmakesstuff

 

What is the hardest part about selling online? 

The monsters that I knit are so soft and plush that people want to pick them up and enjoy them. Knit items are made to be touched. When I sell online shoppers lose that experience, regardless of how good the photos are. I also miss seeing my customer’s reactions. At a show, almost everyone that walks past my booth cracks a smile. And that is what is most important to me: making other people genuinely happy.

Do you have any up and coming art shows/craft shows that you would like us to know about?

 I just finished my holiday show season, but my next event is at the Larkin Exchange Building on February 14^th. I keep the “EVENTS” page on my website updated regularly.