We Interview
Carole Davidson has turned a love of making into an Etsy emporium. She chats to CrossStitcher about why she’s ‘Pincushion Crazy’
Carole Davidson
From her beautiful studio in Canada, Carole Davidson makes pretty pins and accessories for stitchers around the world. With a little imagination, she’s turning a lifetime’s stash into sewing must-haves, and even designs her own packaging too. We asked her about her stitching life – and what her family call “Mum’s pin empire”…
What’s the first thing that you remember making?
I started making ‘clothes’ for my own dolls when I was about eight years old. My mother had a Singer sewing machine that was from 1895 and I did all my sewing on this machine until I got married. When I got my first electric sewing machine I found I had the luxury of an extra hand because I no longer had to crank the handle!
What do you love about stitching?
I’ve always loved to sew. I love making something beautiful from bits of this and that. Over the years I have collected a formidable stash of fabrics, interesting embellishments and buttons. At my age I’m trying not to accumulate any more ‘stuff’ so I try to limit myself to what I have on hand: for example, I have a collection of silk blouses that I cut up and repurpose. For the past few years I’ve done a lot of dyeing which I find fascinating. But I guess at heart I consider myself a weaver first and foremost.
You spend half of the year in Victoria and half in Whaletown – can you tell us more about that?
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia – it’s a small city that is known for its beautiful gardens. Whaletown is on Cortes Island. We’ve been going there for nearly 40 years and now that we are retired we spend half the year there. There is an incredibly creative community there… all the little islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland are a magnet for potters, painters, writers and anyone who loves a quiet, secluded life.
The pins took on a life of their own and totally highjacked the direction I thought my Etsy shop would take
Tell us a bit more about your cute little studio!
My little cabin in Whaletown overlooks a small protected bay and I consider myself very lucky to have such a lovely spot all to myself. We can watch the comings and goings of the ferry and check out the boat traffic.
Until we built our real house about 15 years ago my little studio was where we lived. We built it in 1983 from anything we could get our hands on.
What inspired you to start making the pins?
In 2008 I went through a rough patch health-wise. I was in a lot of pain and basically was housebound for a long time. I spent a lot of time browsing the internet to amuse myself and came across Etsy.
I decided right then and there to open an Etsy shop and list some pincushions I had made and some handwoven tea towels. I had my first sale on the third day and I was hooked. I thought that my pincushions would look better if embellished with some fancy pins, so I got to work. I’d seen some in an old book I have that has pictures of Victorian sewing accessories so I checked my bead selection and bought some long pins. I loved doing graphic arts on the computer so I designed some packaging and listed the pins separately as well as adding them to the pincushions. Well, the pins took on a life of their own and totally highjacked the direction I thought my Etsy shop would take. My sons refer to it as “Mum’s pin empire”.
Do you ever hear nice stories from your customers about what they do with the pins?
I do get emails from buyers telling me they are giving my pins as little gifts at quilting retreats and conferences, one man uses them to embellish his handmade greeting cards that he sells to raise money for a dog rescue charity. Others make handmade pincushions for their sewing friends and buy my pins to include with them. Some end up at weddings.
What’s been your favourite pin design so far?
I guess my favourite pins are the little angel stick pins. They are inexpensive and are very popular. The bee and garden pins are popular too.
What are your hopes and plans for the business?
I consider my pins as more of a serious hobby than a business. I’m in my 70s so time will tell just how long I’ll do this. I’m not ready to stop yet but the beauty of online selling is that there are no long-term commitments!