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The Evolution of Handmade by Buffy
Handmade by Buffy has been a long evolving project.
It started with hand sewn dolls (1) and greeting cards (2) sold in coffee shops and gift shops in Northern Wisconsin.
When I moved to Chicago for a job opportunity, the focus became custom dolls (3) and magnet paperdolls (4) sold by order at an gallery, craft/art markets and by referral.
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As Etsy was developing as a platform for artists and crafters to sell their services, I focused on online markets. Less traveling and worrying about tracking stock in various locations. When I first opened my Etsy shop in 2010, I sold stylized oil paintings and then paintings with embroidered detailing (5) for a couple years.
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But as my professional work absorbed more time and energy, I focused more on using the computer as a medium; selling digital products vs physical. I started illustrating custom pet and couple portraits in vector (6) and offering design services as a side hustle.
Then a new position I began working at allowed me more creative freedom and inspired me to revisit my outside creative pursuits. A time of renaissance so to speak began.
When a friend introduced me to enamel pins and how to have them made, I developed a line of soft enamel pins (7). This line was themed with Native gardened vegetables with my mother, who was a master gardener, to sell at farmers markets and in my Etsy shop.
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This job also rekindled my love of designing repeat patterns and textile designs. In 2024 I started creating patterns (8) for fabrics and wallpaper on Spoonflower.
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I also found myself revisiting the embroidery on canvas as a tactile distraction. Instead of just embellishments on a painting, I started embroidering the whole piece, skipping the oils, to create hand embroidered illustrations on canvas (9) and I've begun experimenting with needle felting (10).
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Itching to delve into a new product development project, I've joined forces with my sister, Lynn, to marrying my fiber art illustrations with our love of doing jigsaw puzzles. We pooled our money to produce a line of puzzles (11) and plan to keep adding more products and lines featuring fiber arts and illustrations. Keep following our journey!!
-Buffy
