Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx with Skinny laMinx

I just love the designs from Heather Moore of Skinny laMinx. It’s like she peeked right inside my brain and saw what I wished I could find in the way of home textiles.  Her Scandinavian retro designs are bold,  yet simple enough to appeal to my design aesthetic. In fact, her tea towels, aprons and napkins make me want to get busy in the kitchen and invite some friends over for a dinner party. Her cushions make me want to curl up on the sofa with a good book and read away my afternoon. Her ceramics make me want to smash all my dishes and platters on the floor, so I have an excuse to get all new Skinny laMinx ones.

Heather got her start selling on Etsy in 2006 and before that she sold her wares locally in Cape Town, South Africa.  In addition to homewares, she offers totes and bags and is planning a line of children’s goods as well. She is also a freelance illustrater and writes the Skinny laMinx blog.

You can learn more in my Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx interview with Heather.

1. What’s the name of your business, what do create and sell and how did you get your start?

My business is called Skinny laMinx, selling my screenprinted textiles. Mostly, I sell tea towels and cushions, but also little purses, handbags and totes, some ceramics, and am hoping to branch into kids’ gear later this year. I started by screenprinting and selling my cushions in an indie local store in Cape Town, where I live, and then opened an Etsy shop, where I started selling all over the world!

2. Do you like to cook? If so, do you have a favorite recipe? If not, does someone cook for you?

I’m really no good at cooking at all. It makes me nervous and then I forget essential ingredients. My husband Paul is a very good cook, full of imagination and inspiration. We’re both vegetarians, and he makes our dinners and breakfasts pretty memorable most days. What a guy!

3. What are your inspirations in your art and in life?

I love the Modern style of the 50s, and the clean lines of Scandinavian design of that era.

4. What three things would you want to be able to have if you were on a deserted island? Beyond the basics of survival.

I’d love to have Paul, my husband, along with me. He’s very funny and we laugh a lot, which might take the edge off our predicament.

It’d be great if our cats could come too, because they’re too sweet. And because we’re veggies, we won’t be tempted to eat them when island life gets tough.

And lastly, I think it’d be wise to have a Leatherman.

5. What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst?

Having a new design come to life on a piece of fabric is a hard-to-express thrill for me. I just want to eat it up! It also makes me very pleased when I see people enjoying looking at my designs – some people seem to get very happy when they see them!

The worst thing is the time pressure I’m always under, and I’m doing my best to make life more efficient this year!

6. What are you reading, watching and listening to?

Reading: Microthrills by Wendy Spero; Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami; Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor

Watching: We don’t have TV, but I’m looking forward to the Coen Brothers’ Burn After Reading movie.

Listening: Paul’s obsessed with Gram Parsons right now, so there’s lots of that, Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. I’m also loving Midlake, Fleet Foxes and My Morning Jacket (beardy guys)

7. What’s new? Any new plans or products that you want to share?

My plans for this is year is to get more organised and get systems in place so that I can enjoy the way this business is growing. I also want to hook up with other local small-scale fabric producers to share resources, and I’m about to go big, investing in having a range of 5 new designs screenprinted on yardage. I’m looking forward to seeing that, as it’s quite a big step. Also, I want to start a Cape Town fabric mafia, so the other small-scale fabric producers can share resources, connections, etc.