Let's Meet the Whip-Up Creator!

I'm a HUGE fan of the site WhipUp and I'm really happy to introduce you to it's creator Kathreen! We have emailed over the years, she has featured things of mine, I've even sent her some of my books and we just lovee.  

The WhipUp site is full of great things. Like book reviews, links to great online tutorials, and other funky fun craft things that we love to know and make! She lives in Australia and searches the internet for amazing things.. let's learn a bit more about her...

Pat: Kathreen I've followed your blog about crafting... but don't know the history behind it. When did you start it, what inspired you to create it?

Kathreen:  I started in 2006 - I was at home with the kids - looking for a creative outlet - I had a personal blog - redcurrent (no longer active) - and was looking for something more

More of a challenge - there was no real craft blog where it was all together - there are heaps now of course - so I asked a few blog friends to contribute and it was up and  running ...

Pat:What is your 'craft of choice'... you can have more than 1!

Kathreen:   lately its quilting - but it started off with sewing - for myself before kids - and then for the kids of course. Now though I am into quilting and crochet pretty exclusively - still for the kids though.

(Bag tutorial found HERE)

Pat: Do you have a favorite product you like to use? And what is your 'go to' tool?

Kathreen:   My sewing machine is my go-to tool - I am lucky now to have a spot where it can be set up all the time - it has made it a dream not to have to pack it away - or live around it whilst mid project - I have discovered basting spray recently and also use it for holding applique in place - I love it - has changed my life.

Pat: How do you fill up your creative soul?  When you need to recharge the batteries where do you turn?.

Kathreen:   I am a keen photographer and so I love to just go for walks and take photographs - I love playing with fabric - and hunting out vintage treasures - I guess though drawing out my design ideas in my many journals is where I am at peace. I also love to cook - not the everyday feeding hungry mouths type cooking - but the making a mess and creating type cooking.

(Craft Chair cushion.. CLICK HERE)

Pat: And since many of my readers are not Australian, can you tell us a bit about crafting in your area of the world. Is it popular? Do you do more with internet people?

Kathreen:   Australian craft blog scene has really exploded in recent years -there are some fantastic real life shops too - fabric and tools and craft books tend to be quite expensive though - so I do quite a bit of my shopping online - I do love etsy for that. And I do interact with heaps of aussie crafty gals - mostly through the internet as we live in different states.

Pat: The front page of your blog has sections, want to give us a brief overview of why it's set up that way so we can take advantage of it.

Kathreen: My brother has been developing a few back end things for whipup lately and one of his new things is the features section - this is where a few posts stay on the front page just a little longer than your regular post - my weekly newsletter is usually there - a few choice book reviews and fave tutes too.

(Funky book of stitchery CLICK HERE)

Pat: It's hard to play favorites... but indulge me! Do you have an all time favorite piece you blogged, and why is it your favorite?

Kathreen:   I really don't think so - each week I have faves of course - many of my faves are to be found in the annual calendars

http://whipup.net/2009/10/10/whipup-net-2010-calendar/
fave recent posts might include
http://whipup.net/2009/09/20/quilts-from-kellie-wulfsohn/ and
http://whipup.net/2009/05/31/free-quilt-patterns-2/
older fave posts include
http://whipup.net/2006/02/16/knitted-graffiti/ and
http://whipup.net/2007/06/22/resurgence-in-knitting/

Pat: WhipUp seems like it might be a full time job, do you have other jobs as well?

Kathreen:  Yes it feels like a full time job - I also work as design manager for a niche australian art magazine http://artmonthly.org.au/ and of course I am a full time mother to my 2 kids - both at primary school.

(Salt Dough Ornaments.. these are SO COOL.. click HERE and scroll down)

Pat: Any sneak peeks about your future projects?

Kathreen:  I am currently working on my second quilting book with Chronicle - the first is due for publication in March 2010. (WONDERFUL!!!! I can't wait to see it!)

Pat --- And a few on the light side...

--The Book you are currently reading
Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children
The curious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon

--Your Favorite Movie
the sound of music

--A Song that makes you 'dance the happy dance'
Phyllis Dillon – Don't Touch Me Tomato - always makes me dance and smile
Beautiful South -  Let Love Speak Up Itself - I just want to sing along

--The Color you have always LOVED.....
red (ME TOO!)

Cheers pat and thanks

WhipUp Website - http://whipup.net/
WhipUp Newsletter signup page (if you have one) http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=WhipUpNewsletter

Comments

[Sandi]

I remember making salt-dough ornaments with my kids. At Thanksgiving, I opened a box of ornaments that were made by my son in the late 80's and I was surprised to find the salt-dough ornaments still intact! Great interview and I will have to add Whip-up to my favorites list. Thanks for the info!

[Leslie Schmidt]

I, too, enjoy the WhipUp newsletter. I'm so glad there are people out there who can do all the detective work and find such cool stuff.

[Sarah Vee]

Great interview, Pat. I have received the WhipUp Newsletter for awhile now - there is always at least one project I"d like to do in it. Thanks for a good read this morning.

[Anna]

Pat: Those salt-dough ornaments brings back memories for me when I was growing up. As a teenager, I made tons of them for our tree. Then we found out that our dog was eating them--at least the ones on the lower branches! He lived to an old age, so it didn't affect him :-) I don't have them now because I was worried my cat would eat them too!