Monthly Artisan Spotlight – TotusMel

Jump to Comments

Hello, my darling dears. Today, I’m putting up the first ever Monthly Spotlight on the Liebling blog. This month’s featured artisan is Pam of TotusMel, a needle tatting mother of two that blows me away with her intricate designs. What is needle tatting, you ask? Feast your eyes on the beautiful designs below.

                                

I know, right? These absolutely gorgeous chokers effectively reference victorian, gothic and art deco design. In addition to these gorgeous chokers you’ll also find bracelets, scarves, hats and pendants at TotusMel. Learn more about Pamela Quevedo, the creative force behind these designs in the interview below. 

Tell everyone about yourself name, shop name, location, anything personal you want to share.

 

My name is Pamela Quevedo and I’m TotusMel and like so many other Etsians, I’m a stay at home mom to two small girls. They are the biggest challenge to creating on a daily basis.

 

How did you first get involved with your particular craft? Is there any history behind needle tatting you’d like to share?

 

I’ve been a lifelong crafter, a jack of all trades if you will, but I only discovered tatting a few years ago. It started as a diversion from my usual activities of knit and crochet, but evolved into my most creative endeavor to date.

 

Tell us about your influences, inspirations to your craft.

 

Most of my tatting begins as a vintage pattern for something else entirely. I try to create something new and wearable out of them. I have been designing my own pattern more and more and they are influenced by the steam punk and neo-Victorian movements.

 

Describe your creative process how, when, materials, time spent, etc.

 

I usually start with what kind of piece I want to make, then I scour my pattern collection for a pattern or inspiration. I almost always use cotton thread and spend most of my T.V. time with the needle in hand. While some of my pieces can be completed during morning cartoons, most of them require a few days and a scarf of hat can take weeks.

 

Share your best promotional tip.

 

I hate social networking and I have no knack for advertising, but I can tell you that simply hanging out in the forums for a while can go a long way.

 

What other hobbies, passions, interests do you want to tell us about

outside of your craft?

 

When I’m not tatting, I’m playing video games and reading comics. I’m hopelessly addicted to popular geek culture.

 

Do you enjoy reading? What are your five favorite books?

 

I honestly haven’t had much time for reading since I had kids, unless you count picture books. My favorite authors are Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman.

 

Music? 5 favorite bands/albums

 

I listen to a lot of cartoon music…I have kids, but when I get to choose, I listen to mostly industrial and electronic music. Some of my many favorites are:

 

Smiths

Nine Inch Nails

Depeche Mode

VNV Nation

FischerSpooner

 

Movies? Top 5 please.

 

I’m a movie junkie so this one is really hard to narrow, but here’s a few:

 

Hellraiser

BoonDock Saints

Shaun of the Dead

Equilibrium

Princess Bride

 

Who is your favorite Beatle?

 

Don’t have one, they work best as a group.

 

Do you have a favorite childhood memory you’d like to share?

 

…can’t think of one in particular

 

Where do you picture yourself five years from now?

 

Hopefully with a few more minutes to myself, but I’m certain I’ll still be tatting regardless of whether anyone wants to still buy it or not!

 

One last question, how did you come up with your shop name?

TotusMel is latin for all honey. That’s what my name, Pamela means. I picked that moniker when I started my first online adventure in 1995 and I guess I was trying to be pretentious and not be DragonGirl42 or something, so I went with Latin and I’ve been TotusMel ever since.

Thanks for the interview Pam! If you’re interested in learning more about Pam and her work, life, thoughts, etc. check out her BLOG 

32 Comments

Filed under Featured Artist

Tags: art deco, chokers, Etsy, Featured Artist, gothic, needle tatting, steampunk, TotusMel, victorian