First Friday Fiber-Artist Focus

I am excited to post the first monthly post named “First Friday Fiber-Artist Focus.” This month’s interview falls on July 04, 2014; so I am publishing it on Saturday instead.  I don’t want to wait until August.

Strawberry Couture by Lenore

Lenore Berry-Zaragosa

Lenore Berry-Zaragosa

I asked Lenore 12 questions and she answered all of them and then some. I first saw Strawberry Couture in 2012 and was amazed. She had a couple of models wearing her hat designs. Since then, I have yearned to own one. The problem is there are so many! Which one do I want? Why can’t my budget handle more than one?

Me: How many hat designs do you sell? Do you have them in stock? How do you keep up with your orders?

Lenore: ” I have approximately 72 hat designs and counting (not including scarf designs). I do not keep them in stock. Originally, I started as a ready to ship but customers asked if I could make the same hat in another color.” [sic] Made to Order is how she sells hats/scarves today [sic]. “This made it easier for me. Fortunately, I only live four miles away from my craft stores where I buy yarn.” She doesn’t stock yarn, except for prototypes, when a customer places an order she buys the yarn. 

“I make each order first come first serve.” [sic] She fills each order; doing all the work alone [sic]. “I suffer from aches and pains that slow me down on my orders.  Muscle rub helps.

Me: How long does it take you to make and deliver your easiest design and how long for your most difficult?

Lenore: “The easiest design takes approximately three to four hours. Five to six for the more time-consuming, such as hat and scarf sets. I take breaks in between because of my hands and joints get worked up so much. Thank goodness for muscle rub. Once I use that, I am more motivated to work faster. The only assistance I do get is from my husband, who drives to the post office to drop the packages in the shipping bin.”  Here is a video of just how fast she crochets. (Puts me to shame) ;)

“It doesn’t take long to make [sic] each hat [sic]. However, sometimes it may seem to be a long time during the winter months I can be backed up two to five orders. I may need to extend the ship date an extra week [sic] beyond [sic] the normal one to two-week ship date.

Summertime my orders are down, [sic] so I create new styles and the accompanying pattern [sic].  Wintertime, before Christmas is the most hectic time.”

“The power of the muscle rub and the way I rig my crochet hook go hand in hand [sic] to help increase my speed [sic]. I use no slip grip, the same material that keeps rugs from slipping, and available at the dollar store. I use a piece long enough to roll around the crochet hook. Then, I attach two rubber bands; one on the bottom and the other on the top [sic] of the crochet hook. Then I slip my finger in [sic] and it acts like a ‘bionic crochet hook’.”

Me: How many crochet patterns do you offer for sale? Do you use pattern testers?

Lenore: “I estimate 42 unique patterns I have for sale. The first pattern I wrote was The Lauren Cloche Hat.

Jose-Crochet edits my patterns. Jose Crochet was the first person to buy The Lauren Cloche Hat pattern. She mentioned the pictures and instructions were very vague and offered to rewrite it for me. I agreed! So she did.  We met on Facebook [sic]  and have become good friends [sic]. She edited the first few of my patterns.  If it were not for her, I would not have had the confidence to write patterns.  [sic] Since I live in Corpus Christi, TX and Jose lives in the Netherlands, we communicate via Skype [sic]. Jose found me because she likes the way I think. I appreciate that.”

Where Lenore can be found on the Internet:

• Etsy: strawberrycouture.etsy.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/strawberrycouture
• Facebook Page: facebook.com/StrawberryCoutureHats
• Twitter: twitter.com/strawcouture
• Blog: strawberrycouture.blogspot.com

Accolades and Praise for Strawberry Couture:

• Crochet Savvy Magazine featured Lenore in their Spring Issue 2012 (page 25)
• “Laura Weldon featured from Wired.com thinks my hats are great.” The GeekMom Guide to Great Hats  Strawberry Couture is the ninth of  sixteen hat artists in the article.
• Kathryn from Crochet Concupiscence featured Lenore’s shop on her blog.
• Also, from Crochet Concupiscence featured as one of the 100 most unique hats.

As Lenore says, “Request a custom order and have something made just for you!”

A slide show with more photos from the Etsy Strawberry Couture Store:

AllLenore says,Lenore

SPECIAL NOTE: All photos used in this article belong to Lenore Berry-Zaragosa

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** Part two “The History & Future of Strawberry Couture” next Friday 07/11/2014 **

Filed under: First Friday Fiber-Artist Focus Tagged: Crochet, Crochet hook, hats & scarves, Lenore Berry-Zaragosa, Strawberry Couture