Etsy Showcase Seller - An Interview With Jodie From Ric Rac! ~ Luxury Furniture

More lovely Elephants here...

This is going to be a really tricky post.....

....tricky because I had so many gorgeous and witty photographs to choose from, I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself! I wanted to use so many more than I have, they're all so wonderful!

Jodie, a.k.a 'Ric Ric' from Ric Rac Sews, is a fellow Ballarat blogger, and crafter extraordinaire!

You can find her on Etsy here (where you can purchase the patterns to make 'oh so cute softies' like the ones you'll see on her blog) ..... and her joyful blog here.

Jodie's soft toys and other craft works are an absolute delight! Her toys come with names, stories, and personalities all their own. I can just imagine the smiles they must bring to the face of any child who recieves one.

Heck, I'm all grown up and I want one (or more) to play with!

Now, if only I could sew I'd have a shot at putting one of her patterns/kits together. Perhaps it's time to learn!

On her blog you'll find dancing robots..... (read Jodie's Stayin Alive post featuring these snazzy dancers.... so groovy!)

Elephants that play together... (read the story of Parsley and her brother Beet - two elephants who were not too big and not too small.)

All sorts of dolls....

Small bots....

Seamus the Super Monkey.... (no-one's the boss of him!)

Racing Snails.... here's Jodie's tutorial for making these cute guys.

Teapots and teacups.... (here's the evolution of a 'soft' teacup!).

And all manner of charming, witty, delightful 'softies'!

In fact, Jodie is so creative and overflowing with ingenious ideas I found myself marvelling at her talent, passion, and never ending enthusiasm for what she does.

I asked Jodie to tell me a little bit about herself, her 'Secret Room', and what she's 'gotta thing' for...

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H.A.H (Heartfire At Home): What word best describes you?

Jodie: Crazy.... in a good way.

H.A.H: Why does your craft mean so much to you? What is it that creating achieves for you?

Jodie: I can't help but craft. I have always made things and have tried all sorts of crafts over time but sewing is my passion. Craft fills my insatiable need for learning, there is always something new to learn and try.

I love the challenge of creating, I love the fifth, eighth and thirteenth attempt at creating a shape just as much as the first.

Creating something from nothing, especially something 3D excites me and I am always surprised when something works out -making things is like I have finally found the thing I was meant to do!

H.A.H: If you had a Secret Room that you could decorate/design just for you, what would it look like?

Jodie: My secret room is huge, almost barnlike with heaps of natural light and a mezzanine level. I have no idea whats up there! My secret room has whole walls of things -interesting artefacts and gizmos and whoositwhatsits and massive wooden worktables. There is no clutter, even though it is full of things....

H.A.H: Have you gotta 'thing' for anything, like I have for owls? And, can you briefly say why you think you have a 'thing' for it (if you know).

Jodie: This one I didn't even have to think about. I have a HUGE, massive thing for text. I love text and fonts and letterpress and would, if possible , wallpaper my house in newsprint (but it would all have to be good news). I love stories and every single thing I make seems to have some sort of story bubbling away in my head as I make it. Working in a library I am surrounded by text all the time , but it is still never enough.

I wonder if this love of text has anything to do with my inability to read in Grade One and being made to sit on the blue mat out the front. Everyone knew the blue mat was for the dummies !

H.A.H: Do you have any memories that influence your craft, from early childhood or later? If not, what does influence your craft/where do you get your ideas from?

Jodie: I do remember when I was quite small, playing with my grandmother's tin of buttons. I used to sort them out in colour or size and then use them to make pictures. My nan would have a fit if she saw the kilos and kilos of buttons in my button tin.

H.A.H: Do you have a favourite quote or any 'words of wisdom' you abide by?

Jodie: Not really, I do tell myself to get over myself quite often though.

You know, when you think your not good enough, young enough, skinny enough or whatever I give myself a good talking to , usually along the lines of "Oh get over yourself would you?"

H.A.H: What do you hope to do/achieve next?

Jodie: I am really happy right now, pottering about in the land of toys and softies. I'd like to fiddle a bit more with robots and wire skeletons and there is fox that has been brewing for six months or more .

One day I would like to be making things full time instead of in every spare second that I can scrape from real life .

H.A.H: Finish this sentence: 'I'd like people to remember me .........'

Jodie: 'I'd like people to remember me.... with a smile'.

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Thanks Jodie for letting us into your world of toys, softies, and sewing!

One thing I know for sure is if there were a 'blue mat' like you mentioned above for people who sew, you would NOT be on it!

You would be out the front, but you'd be sharing your vast knowledge and ideas with everyone and helping them get better themselves. (After reading Jodie's blog I've seen how generous with ideas and good spirit towards others she is!)

In her 'About Me' section on her blog, Jodie begins her bio with the words...

Hi, I am Jodie. I craft almost everyday . I am more than a little obsessed with selvedges- you know those little maker marks on the very edge of fabric.

And, boy, does she make some gorgeous things out of those 'little maker marks'!

Look at this dress... (you can see some more pics here)

And this umbrella.... (oh how those selvedges 'call').

Wow!

So much to see and do.

Thanks again Jodie!

Here's the link to visit Ric Rac Sews on Etsy where you can buy the patterns and kits to make some of these lovelies.

And, for a real pick-me-up, a good chuckle, wondrous pics, and lots of gorgeous craft projects, remember to visit Jodie's blog.

Time to go...... things to do.......