Le Coccole on Modishblog

Oh girls, I'm so exited! I'm a very quite, sometimes timid, person, but I can't stop to talk about my passions when you ask. :) It was a pleasure for me to reply to the interview for Modish Blog on the "Handmade Spaces" feature.

So, go and find out where my creations take lives, knowing more about my studio and me too.



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Handmade Spaces: Le Coccole

Today I have a wonderful little handmade space to bring you from Giusy, an Italian crafter who sells her cute fabric wares in her Dawanda shop, Le Coccole di Giusypatch! She's also a participant in this month's Modish Marketplace, so after the interview, head over to find out how you can get free shipping on an order from her lovely shop!



What do you create in this space?

In this space I reload my energy, it's magical. I am sit in front of the sewing machine for a moment and ideas come to me. When I don't have much time, I simply write or sketch a design on my notebook. Here is where my creations, the bags, the wallets, are born. It's where I developed the idea of the moleskine's cover, while I was taking notes on my large scratch-book; and then smart phone covers, pouches etc. Everything that has a seam, is born here!

Where is it located?

As I’m an independent artist and as I can’t afford a brick and mortar shop in my country, I have a small studio in my house that is just 2 x 2 meters. It is separated from the bedroom by two panels of plasterboard so I can have the privacy needed to sew up late, without disturbing my partner. If you're wondering where I keep the rest of the fabric (and I have a lot) or finished bags and accessories before send them out, I have a separate cupboard where I can keep all my treasures!

What sort of tools/equipment do you use?
My sewing machine is my best friend here! I have fabric, a sewing machine and tools for cutting like the mat, rotary cutter, scissors...Needles and threads are essential, without these I could not do anything. For the rest I use materials of good quality and my hands, the most precise tools of all :)

What inspirations do you keep nearby?

I take inspiration mainly from fabric designers and from what a particular fabric and texture can give me. As a good Italian, I like to combine fashion with practicality. For example, my bags are designed both to be carried in the evening and during the day- they're not too sporty and not too elegant. Another source of inspiration is technology- I am fascinated by all the tech instruments we use daily. I take inspiration from these things while trying to keep traditions intact. This is why I wanted to create, for example, mobile phone covers! Using environmentally friendly materials like cloth and pure padding cotton, which makes it impossible to generate static electricity and discharge the battery, for the most modern phones like the blackberry or Iphone.

What do you like to listen to/watch while creating? Or is silence best?

During the spring and summer I have millions of birds flying out in my garden, so I love to listen their songs. At the moment, after the swallow's migration, I like to listen the "Mamma mia!" soundtrack, do you know Abba?! Their music is great, and it makes me smile. If I'm not at the sewing machine, but at the iron board, you can see me dancing in my small studio, he he!

How do you feel when you enter your handmade space?
As I wrote at the beginning, here is where I reload my energies... when I'm in my studio I am relaxed, all the tensions accumulated during the day thin out because I'm finally in a place I love deeply, where my creativity is free to go out and take its "shape".



Too see all the wallets, bags, notebook covers and more that Giusy creates here, check out her Dawanda shop! And you can read more about what goes on behind the scenes on her blog!