FAST Member Interview- Cindy of Jacob’s Reward

If you’re a member of FAST and would like to be featured in the weekly interview, visit this thread in the yahoo group to get the questions, then send your answers (and a picture or two if you’d like) to me at merigreenleaf[at]yahoo.com (or a convo to merigreenleaf). These will be posted in the order I receive them.

What is your name?
Cindy Telisak

What is your Etsy shop? Does your shop name have a meaning?
JacobsReward. The name comes from the story of Jacob in the Bible, who worked faithfully, for a long time, under harsh conditions to earn his bride, his wealth, and his ultimate purpose in the world. (Genesis 30). I feel like at 52 years of age, I’ve finally found what I’m supposed to be and do when I grow up. I see how all the experiences I’ve been through in these years have led me to this point and how it’s all coming together. I am truly amazed and grateful—blown away, really.

Besides your Etsy shop, do you sell anywhere else?
I do a few craft shows around town, and also have vendor space at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, and a couple of local fiber retreats. Just this year, my focus has turned from selling finished items, to offering my farm as a Fiber CSA. I’ve been mentored by the best in the business: Susie Gibbs of the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm. Since working with Susie, I’ve launched a daily blog, lots of social media networking, and word of mouth advertising to get the word out about the CSA. I have nearly filled my limit of shareholders for the year and will soon begin selling shares for next year’s fiber harvest. In a nutshell, a “share” entitles the holder to a distribution of my fiber clip once it is returned from the processor as roving. My fiber includes several colors of alpaca fiber and also sheep wool from my Jacob sheep and Gulf Coast Native sheep – both rare breeds. I also sponsor lots of hands-on activities at the farm to keep the local shareholders really involved in the day-to-day workings of the farm, and in meaningful community with each other. We are all having a blast – to the point that several of my shareholders actually consider the fiber harvest “icing on the cake.” I also teach spinning and knitting. The farm has a Ravelry group: “Jacob’s Reward Fiber Farm CSA.”

Do you have a website or blog?
Yes: jacobsreward.com and jacobsreward.blogspot.com, and I’m on Ravelry as (no surprise) JacobsReward.

How long have you been making art/crafting?
Most of my life

What was the first thing you remember making?
I remember coloring a really big cut-out of Santa with crayons in kindergarten. I was terribly upset when I learned in junior high that my mom had thrown it out.

What kind of fiber arts do you do?
I knit, crochet, spin, weave, felt, paint, sew a little, used to do ceramics.

What was the first fiber art thing you made?
I crocheted a baby blanket for my nephew as a way to learn the stitches. My grandmother tried to teach me to knit as a kid, but the yarn was nasty and unappealing. Finally, eight or nine years ago, I got my mother-in-law to teach me crocheting and knitting because the yarns and patterns coming out were so yummy! I traded in my cross stitch habit for crafts with yarn, because it felt like I had more to show for myself and the hours that went into projects.

What’s your favorite thing to make?
I love small, easy-to-finish things because I spend so much time working with the farm and the animals. I like mittens, scarves, fingerless mitts, shawls, and I hope to make myself a vest or sweater soon.

(Click the below link to read the rest of the interview and see more pictures)

What do you think is the strangest or most unusual fiber arts item you have made or been asked to make?
I make felted wine sleeves with needle-felted peacocks on them for my friend down the road who has a vineyard. (Her logo is a peacock.)

Where is the craziest or most interesting place you’ve ever crocheted, knitted, felted, spun yarn, etc?
Once I took my knitting on a boat with some girlfriends who were waterskiing. I don’t ski, so I did a little “extreme knitting” in the back of the boat. Never dropped a stitch even while banging over the wakes!

What is your favorite place to work?
In my wonderful Red Barn studio. We finished it out with sheetrock, built-in shelves, work table, room for all my stash, refrigerator, AC/heat, CD player – it’s heaven.

What inspires you? Where does your inspiration come from?
I have to be very inventive in my business, so that’s where most of my creativity goes. I love to make things that other people have designed, though I almost always tweak the design a little to my own tastes. Sometimes other people’s creativity helps my mind start to spin.

What is your favorite color?
I’m huge on Green. My friends kid me about it.

Do you tend to work with that color, or do you find yourself working with other colors?
I really find myself gravitating to the autumn colors most of the time, and have to make myself stretch into pinks and blues just for a change of pace.

Do you prefer a specific type of fiber?
I raise sheep and alpacas, so I have really fallen in love with those two fibers, and blends of the two.

Is there any other kind of art (fiber-related or not) that you’d like to learn?
I’d really like to learn shibori and nuno felting. The things that wool does just amaze me.

Tell us a bit about yourself- where do you live, what’s your job, do you have a spouse/children/pets, any other hobbies, that kind of thing.
I’m married (20 years) and have a beautiful 13 year old daughter. We moved to a tiny little house on 4.5 acres five years ago and have been so happy ever since. I started adding fiber animals and chickens, and now have 10 sheep and 5 alpacas – with 4 more coming in mid-June. I have 28 laying chickens that provide my family and some customers with the best eggs ever. In my three years with animals I’ve learned so much. Some lessons came the hard way, but I’ve also had some incredible mentoring from friends, and that has helped me grow as a shepherd and a businesswoman.

Tell us one quirky thing about you (or one thing no one knows about you).
Because of my blog that gets updated almost daily, my life has become an open book! People probably know this, but I’m a terrible procrastinator and really have to push myself to get things done. I have great ideas – too many to implement – but I really rely on my friends and farm shareholders to keep forward progress going. If people or critters are counting on me to do stuff, I can usually meet deadlines.

Do you have any advice for other fiber artists? Have any craft room, storage, or other tips?
Dream big, and find people who have been successful at what you want to do. Learn from them and then make the endeavor your own. Stretch, and don’t be afraid.

Tags: etsyfast, member interview

This entry was posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 9:02 am and is filed under featured member. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.