Sheffield-On-Sea

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'Meet the Maker' #7 - A Crafty Conversation with...

 ... Debbie from debbiegreenaway.com

Would you like some cake? 

Yes please...with a cup of tea?

Sit down, make yourself comfortable! Time for introductions... What's your name, where do you come from and what do you do?

 

My name is Debbie and I come from Huddersfield - currently living in a village called Denby Dale. I am an illustrator and printmaker and I try my best to draw every day but at the moment I am doing at lot of printing, sewing and painting. Am hoping to return to the starting point - drawing - once the to-do list has been whittled down to a very small to-do list.

So... Are you Yorkshire born and bred?

I am. I was born in Huddersfield. Lived here until I went to university in 2005 in Preston, then I moved to Manchester for nearly four years. I returned to Huddersfield last year. I enjoy living here in Denby Dale as it is very green, hilly and open but I have to say that I miss Manchester a little bit.

What's the earliest thing you can ever remember making, was it any good and have you still got it?

I remember that I used to draw and colour all the time and I have a couple of cards that I made for my grandma. Also, come to think of it, I think she still has an embroidery I made her and grandad for their golden wedding anniversary that was in the early 90's. I use a flexi-hoop that I got from a 'Get Set Sewing' box and 'stitched' two people dancing. I remember sewing it in the summer holidays, sat in the garden with my cousins and my grandparents had it on their wall for years.

What have you made most recently? (and do you like it!?) 

There are two things that I have made recently, one is a screen-print on fabric that I have stitched in to and framed and the other is a two colour screen-print design of a bird holding a feather. The first one had been waiting nearly a year in the to-do box for me to sew into and I recently finished two of these within the last month - there is one more to sew. The bird design I am very pleased with as it took me ages to hand paint the screen and I wasn't sure if it was going to turn out as I had planned it.

What are your 5 craft cupboard essentials? 

I think I have more than five! I have been on a clear out mission this last year to reduce the amount of stuff I use. Off top of my head I would say,

1. Scissors. I splurged on a pair of proper fabric scissors last year and I have to say they are the best. I also have a very small pair for sewing jobs and about three others that are general scissors.

2. Rulers. You cant beat a straight line and they are good for measuring everything. Favourite one is a very slinky metal one.

3. Silk Screens. I use these for printing. I used to use the ones in the print studio, but invested in a couple of my own so that I can use them at home

4. Paints - mainly acrylics for painting or mixing up to use for printing and I am attempting to use watercolours.
5. Threads - embroidery threads that I have bought, been given and found in charity shops. I arranged them in to a colour co-ordinated box and I would recommend sorting things out into colours as it makes starting a project so much easier.

If  I could add two more - I would say my sewing machine and box of buttons. The sewing machine was a gift from my mother-in-law and she got it from a second hand shop. It is very sturdy and I push it to the limit all the time! The box of buttons only gets used when I am sewing them onto my robots but most of them are being saved for them special projects and probably will never get used.

What music do you like to listen to while you make? Do you prefer to 'Get on Down' or 'Boogie on Up? 
 

A bit of both. The radio is usually on and it is either Radio 2 or Heart FM. I love to listen to a mixture of music and find that I concentrate better than if I was to put an album on as I would always be drawn to swapping and changing tracks/albums. The best thing is to plug my mp3 into the radio so Ii can have it on a super mega shuffle of everything. I quite like a bit of Bon Jovi, Lenny Kravitz, Prince - I am a fan of sing-a-long songs and like guessing the year for 'Nine at Nine' that is on the Pulse on a morning.

If I gave you £250 to spend on craft supplies and equipment what would you buy?  

Paints, screens and paper for printing - huge sheets of smooth paper and I would hunt for a huge set of drawers on ebay to put the paper in.

Other than your own, name a shop, website or blog that you really love: 
 

Book By It's Cover is a website about art related books - children's books, sketchbooks or handmade ones. http://www.book-by-its-cover.com/
It is hard to pick a shop as there are many that  I like - I would pick Lisa Stubbs' shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/lisastubbs?ref=pr_shop but there are many more!
Blog - my friend Emma McCann's blog - she is a wizard at illustration and knitting, and loves her colours http://emmamccann.blogspot.com/

And now for the quick fire round!
 

What's your favourite craft magazine?

I have to be honest and say that I haven't bought one in ages but I last looked at Mollie's Makes when I was in WhSmiths the other week.

What online craft site do you prefer?

Folksy.

What is your favourite part of the designing/making/selling process?

Designing. I love drawing and not knowing what may or may not come out of the pencils on to the blank page.

And finally...

What question would you like to ask the next person who features in 'Meet the Maker...'?  

If you could learn another craft what would it be and why?

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

www.debbiegreenaway.com and from there, there are many links out to other things, blog, online shops, flickr and twitter.