Profile: Kathy Egan of "Oiko - Wax Printed Textiles"

Name: Kathy Egan
Stall name: Oiko – Wax Printed Textiles
What are you selling at Sew & Tell? Handmade Hemp Textiles by the metre, wallets, bags, cushions, notebooks.

Q. What is your craft / creative outlet of choice?
A. At the moment its crochet, time effective and I can complete a piece in a sitting which I can later attach to a gift or a bag. A new crush is making paper flowers out of vintage books. I was in Sydney recently and visited Jo Neville’s Paper Couture and walked away completely inspired.

Q. Who is your craft idol?
A. Craft Idol, that’s a tough one to answer, too difficult to choose just one. I’ll start with local artist Helle Jorgensen, she taught me to crochet and inspires me every time I see her wearing a new piece of jewelry she created. I recently brought The New Artisans and I’m completely taken with the work of Severijia Incirauskaite-Kriauneviciene (don’t ask me to pronounce her name) she drills holes into metal objects like fry pans and car bonnets and then cross stitches floral motifs and images relating to the object, amazing is an understatement.

Q. Who taught you to craft?
A. My mother, I come from a large family, I have six sisters and growing up in the 70’s it was a necessity for my mum to sew. She used to make us simple summer dresses out of the most beautiful cotton fabrics. It was also a big part of family life to make our own toys, versions of batman caves and doll houses with secret passage ways all made out of cardboard boxes and found objects. On graduating from yr 12 I trained in Fashion Design, its a long time ago now…..eeek! I learned to draft patterns, and lots of other fun stuff like screen printing and millinery. I then went onto learn skills from the many creatives I have been privileged to work along side in theatre/film costume departments. And, I’m still learning new creative skills from the amazing people I have managed to attract in my life.

Q. Who or what inspires you to be creative?
A. Serendipity has smiled on me and I’m ever so fortunate to have hooked up with three insanely creative women. We meet weekly to discuss, plan and hold creative workshops. We are also working towards opening a workshop/retail space in Murwillumbah this year. We call ourselves Hey Maker! These women really do inspire me to make the time to be creative. I have just stepped out of a three year breast feeding, sleep deprived bubble! Being a mother of two very little people I am grateful for the snippets of time here and there to make something, without it, I do go nuts.

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?
A. Better time management and I wish I could speed type. Sounds boring I know, but just think there would then be more time for the fun stuff like playing with the kids and crafting!

Q. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A. Happiness is living this family life here in Stokers Siding.
Perfect happiness is finding a balance where all life areas are in Harmony. This would look like a happy contented family, time with friends, time to make stuff, time to muck around with the kids, an organized home and a clear head. Oh, and my sisters living closer to me with their children would top it nicely.

Q. What is your greatest fear?
A. Don’t spend much time thinking about that one so I don’t know, perhaps the opposite of the above answer.

Q. What is your current state of mind?
A. Relief, to be feeling rested and motivated again.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A. Bringing two new little beings safely into the world and then working out how to look after them.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?
A. I treasure my two children.

Q. Where is your ideal place to live?
A. I have traveled to many inspiring and cultured places that I could very happily live in but I think Stokers Siding is really my ideal place to live and raise a family.

Q. Favourite holiday destination?
A. Any Croatian Island in the Adriatic for a few weeks, the food, the wine, the cheese……. ahhhh bliss!

Q. If money were no object, where would you take off to?
A. Any Croatian Island in the Adriatic, with family and friends in holiday villas close by.

Q. Can you tell us about your best vintage find?
A. My two 1960’s Singer sewing machines, a portable and a classic model that folds into its own table. Both machines have full sets of discs that you use to manually change the stitch. I love that these discs give an imperfect patterned stitch.

Q. What is your favourite thing to cook for your friends?
A. Rasberry and coconut cupcakes, its quick and easy, reasonably healthy for the kids and yum! I’ve done these to death and keep promising myself I’ll come up with something new….. like the raw strawberry cheesecake I came across today.

Q. What is your motto? 

A. Gosh, I don’t actually have a motto. Perhaps a mantra for when I’m rushing around like a mad woman…….. “Slow down, I have everything I need and I am right where I are meant to be.”