And The Winner Is?
Make A Rustic Sawhorse Table For Under $40
Lotta Jansdotter is like the big sister you wish you had – the one who always looks cool and was really good in art class. Jansdotter was at the forefront of the handmade movement before words like handmade, craft and blog became a part of our everyday lives. Before the days of Etsy, Jansdotter, the author of six craft books, built an empire with her silk-screened homewares and accessories. Today, you can find these items everywhere from independent boutiques to big brand stores like Barnes & Noble and West Elm.
Lotta Jansdotter in her Brooklyn, NY studio. Photo: Laura Fenton
ShelterPop visited Jansdotter at her Brooklyn studio to see where she works and discuss her latest book. The workshop, which is housed in a former factory, is a three-dimensional embodiment of her handmade life.
Jansdotter's latest book "Handmade Living" is a departure from her how-to books of the past. Instead of a project-based book, Jansdotter has created a tome dedicated to what she calls "handmade living," with nary a step-by-step instruction in sight. Instead, the book is more of a portrait of Jansdotter's life. It features a sneak peek into Jansdotter's home and studio, an inside look into how she entertains at home and a list of her favorite design resources.
Jansdotter published a similar book with a Japanese publisher a decade ago, but her U.S. publishers balked at the idea of a less structured craft book. Finally, Chronicle Books decided to take a chance on the avant-garde lifestyle book. "We didn't want to spell things out so much," says Jansdotter of the looser, laidback vibe of her new book.
A few examples of how Jansdotter lives the "handmade life" everyday: She sews her own table linens. With leftover fabric scraps, she makes an impromptu mobile. When she craves a new pillow, she makes one. She's noticed that more and more people are embracing the crafting life. "When you said 'craft' five years ago, it meant something different," says Jansdotter. Today, craft is "fancy, refined, good-looking – almost a luxury."
Jansdotter is clearly full of energy with several new projects on the horizon, including a book about creative people's work spaces, a 2012 calendar, a limited edition of hand-screened prints and a t-shirt design collaboration with her seven-year-old god son, among many others. ShelterPop toured the space where these projects come to life. Take a peek inside:
Above: Jansdotter looks over designs for a new wall calendar – she figures out patterns and designs using photocopies of her own drawings.
Jansdotter's space is full of life and is clearly being used by a creative individual. Photo: Laura Fenton
Jansdotter has a similar set-up of shelves over cabinets in her living room at home. Photo: Laura Fenton
A mobile made from fabric scraps hangs at the center of this photo. Photo: Laura Fenton
Like many Scandinavians, Jansdotter has a penchant for natural fibers and the color blue. Photo: Laura Fenton
Natural light floods Jansdotter's studio even on an overcast day. Photo: Laura Fenon
Inspiration lies in favorite gallery, a child's drawing and even a faded blue shirt. Photo: Laura Fenton
Do you love Lotta style? We sure do. One lucky reader will get a mega-dose of Lotta's style. We're giving away an autographed copy of "Handmade Living."
CONTEST RULES
* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us about your best crafting project.
* The comment must be left before 5pm EST on Friday, November 12, 2010.
* You may enter only once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive a copy of "Handmade Living" (valued at $29.99).
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
* Click here for complete Official Rules. Winners will be notified by email, so be sure to provide a valid email address!
Reader comments (Page 2 of 2)
Ms. Jansdotter walks to her own beat. So many things in her apartment are inspiration to fellow crafters. My favorite craft project was buying muslin material, mixing white, pale blue, gray and green paints. I painted dreamy flowers, very simple ones, on the muslim and covered odd shaped pillows for the sofa, and covered a huge frame with the same flowers to hang over the sofa. Several people offered to pay me to do the same for them.
ReplyWhy are some people so quick to judge others? The space you see is NOT her home, it's not her living room over-run with junk. This space is her Studio, her place of work...her office! This is where she creates and designs. For an artist a "mess", as some would call it, is a good thing! It's a sign of creativity, a sign that the artist is indulging their imagination. It's a sign that I would hope to see if I were to hired a designer, a sign telling me that my hard earned money is paying for something original and not something that was designed for someone else and then neatly tucked away only to be used again and again.
ReplyOne of my best crafting projects was when i pulled apart an old wood pallet and made a potting table from the pieces. I love taking old things and turning them into new things!
Not my taste, even for a working studio.....too girly. But to each his -- or her -- own.
ReplyCLUTTER! OY!!
Replymy best/favorite craft project is an afghan that i knitted last year. it was my first big knitting project and my mom gave the materials and pattern to me as a christmas gift and spent the time to teach me the craft and get me started. it took me over a year to finish, not because it is especially big or elaborate, but because i'm a newbie knitter and also, i usually feel like knitting is a cool weather endeavor.
ReplyLove Lotta, and her space is so inspiring!
ReplyMy best craft project was making mobiles to hang from trees for a birthday party out of various scrap paper pieces. It was a hit.
hhmmm... My best crafting project is sort of a hard one since I craft so much. I'd say my best project has been my daughter's first halloween costume. It was one of those last minute things where I was able to just use what was on hand. It turned out really well - she ended up being a Super Baby. My husband liked it so much he would much prefer I make her a costume than buy her one now.
ReplyI'm constantly crafty so it is hard to choose. But I think I'm most proud of the dorm room loft I designed and built with my dad from PVC pipe. It held up throughout my college career and was much studier and better built than the ones you could rent from the school. And since we didn't have a bed to measure until we got to the dorm we made it modularly with pieces that could be cut on site to make it fit the bed provided. It had a built in ladder and some hooks to hang my towel and wash rag to dry.
ReplyI keep a scrapbook-style garden journal cataloguing the plants I have grown over the last few years. It is very satisfying to look back and see the changes in both my gardening and creative styles.
ReplyPS- Thank you, Lotta, for showing your studio. I admire your style and really enjoyed this article. I look forward to reading the new book!
I love her style!
ReplyI made throw cushions using mismatched scraps of fabric I had - sorry, not very creative, but I love them because I love every piece of fabric.
Love Lotta! Love her studio! My studio is very similar. My favorite craft ( this month!) is making cement planters from recyclables. I use milk, cottage cheese, ice cream, and yogurt containers as the mold. Just plant with a succulent and give as gifts. People flip out! I would love to add Lotta's new book to my library. I have all of her previous books. Thank you!!!
Replymy favorite crafting project was my buckwheat neck pillow. it was my first sewing project ever using a machine i had borrowed from a friend for the summer. it involved all new experiences - picking a printed fabric and muslin at the fabric store, buying buckwheat from the bulk section of a health food store, and learning the frustrations of troubleshooting the bobbin in the machine. now, every time i use it, i appreciate it so much more because i made it!
Reply