Ashford Artist of the Month – Aug 22 – Sheramy Scott
When you have a childhood surrounded by the joy of fibre arts it is only natural to continue it into adulthood! Sheramy Scott, owner, artist and creator of My Mother’s Daughters Handspun shares her journey and her beautiful handspun yarns that are an outpouring of her love for spinning fleece, texture, colour and sparkle!
I hope you enjoy reading her story.
Kate
Who are you, where are you from and what do you do?
My name is Sheramy Scott (my nickname is Sherm). I grew up in Florida. Not the Orlando or Miami kind of Florida, but the 7 miles from Alabama kind of Florida. I’m a Southern Gal and, even though I haven’t lived within 2000 miles of home for 15 years, I still consider myself a Southerner. I’ve since lived in Japan and Southern California, and I currently live in Prescott Valley in North/Central Arizona with my husband (Brian), our five daughters (Clementine, Josephine, Mabel, Annie, and Opal), and our very bad (but super cute) Terry-poo named Honey Bun.
In addition to being a stay at home mom I’m a fiber artist.
I use an Ashford Kiwi 3 with Super flyer. I’ve owned two other wheels prior to my Kiwi. My first wheel was great to learn on, but limited. I don’t like limits. My second was specifically meant for art yarn, and it had a lot of neat things about it, but it was too finicky for me to enjoy spinning on it. So, I went to my local yarn store (Fiber Creek in Prescott, Arizona) and tried out all of Carma’s wheels. I fell in love with the Kiwi 3! I was only able to try out the 4oz set up, but enjoyed spinning on it so much that I knew I’d love the Super Flyer too. I love this wheel! The 4oz set up lets me spin cotton and fine yarn when I get the itch, but the Super Flyer handles all of my bulky yarns with almost no limitations. It just works!
What was your background?
I have a Master’s Degree in Psychology and throughout my twenties I planned to work as a therapist. When we moved to Japan, however, I couldn’t get work in my field, so I decided to stay home with our kids. Now, I am a stay at home mom to 5, beautifully creative girls and I use that degree EVERY day!
How did you get started on your fibre artist journey?
My mom was a fiber artist. She learned to weave when I was a very little girl, so I was always surrounded by looms and yarn. I got an inkle loom for my 6th birthday and a small table loom when I turned 9. Though she tried really hard, none of those early fibery pursuits seemed to stick. I was always more academic than creative…or so I thought! The longer I stayed home with our kids, however, the more creative/crafty I got. I didn’t have any one hobby that I focused on, though. In 2014 my husband was deployed to Afghanistan for a year. In October of that year, I decided to take our 2 daughters and visit my parents in Florida for a couple of months while he was gone. In preparation for the trip, I wanted something to keep my hands busy so I decided to learn to knit. While searching for new patterns and yarn online, I came across art yarn. I was in love! I felt an overwhelming need to attempt to MAKE some. My mom, being who she is, just happened to have some roving in her closet. She also showed me how to make a drop spindle from a dowel rod, a cup hook, and a CD. She gave me some tips and YouTube videos to check out, and I was off! I received my first spinning wheel for Christmas that year.
How did your journey evolve over time?
I’ve always been “crafty” and my mom worked really hard to teach me how to do things (sewing, beading, weaving, knitting, etc.) but I never had anything just click like hand spinning did. I took to it quickly and even though art yarn was my main love, I really wanted to KNOW how to spin yarn of any kind. I purchased Jaycee Boggs Faulkner’s Craftsy class called “Spinning from Worsted to Woolen” and it really helped me understand how to get the yarn I want. My art yarn started out as serendipitous creations, but quickly turned into intentional art. I’m a control freak, and I don’t like limits. The desire to get exactly what I wanted led me to purchase my drum carder (and my first Ashford tool) in 2015. It’s a pre-2004 used carder that a person I met online offered to sell me. It needed a new drive band and some cleaning, but has worked like a dream ever since. I also started purchasing undyed fibers and learning to dye the majority of my supplies myself. I’ve never had a one-on-one lesson. I’m mostly self taught. The most influential books and videos for me have been: Spinning and Dyeing Yarn by Ashley Martineau (the first book I ever bought on the subject), Jaycee Boggs Faulkner’s “Drafting from Worsted to Woolen”, Natalie Redding’s YouTube videos, and Sayra Adams’ of Atomic Fiber Studio dyeing videos.
After creating so much yarn, I had to start using it. Knitting was working well (I use size 50’s and 70’s mostly), but my mom’s influence definitely led me to weaving. I bought an Ashford Sampleit (10”) and really enjoyed it. Then I had my husband’s grandpa make a tri-loom for me. That loom has been SO much fun. I love continuous strand weaving with art yarn. I love being able to step back and see my progress from start to finish. So, to sum it up, I’ve gone from drop spindle, to wheel, to carding, to dyeing, to weaving (both rigid heddle and tri-loom).
Once I felt like I really had the hang of everything I was doing, and could produce (repeatedly) a quality product, I opened up an Etsy shop. I sold my first skein of yarn in early 2016. Recently, I’ve moved from Etsy to my own website.
What do you do with your creations/art/finished pieces?
I use them in my own projects (knitting and weaving). I also sell them. I absolutely love that my art gets to inspire and become a part of someone else’s. Most artists create a finished piece. When my art is finished for ME it goes on to become a part of something else. That is just so neat to me! Until they are used or sold, the skeins hang on my wall where I can see them all! I love colors and sparkles, so they make me happy just hanging there.
If you sell your work – where do you sell it?
I sell them online at my website: www.mymothersdaughterhandspun.com. I also sell in person at Flag Wool and Fiber Festival in Flagstaff, Arizona every Summer. Once all of my kids are in school (if I can ever stop having them!) I plan to do more in person selling at various festivals.
How do you manage a balanced life as an artist?
This is always the fun part! I’ve learned a lot over the years, about being an artist, a seller, and a mom/wife. I’ve really had to learn to just flow with the seasons that I am in. I love to sell yarn and be a part of other people’s work, BUT ultimately, I make yarn because I ENJOY it. I really believe that when people see my work they see my joy. If I stop enjoying it, the quality of my work will suffer. So, I guard that enjoyment. I make when I can. I have a beautiful craft space in our home with a GATE. When I start a project, I know I’m going to have to stop about 50 times before it’s done. Being able to set the project down, shut the gate, and know I can pick it up exactly where I left it when time allows keeps me from getting frustrated by interruptions. My home and family come first. It’s easy to think of them as a distraction, but truly they are my life’s work and art is my extra. My art makes me genuinely happy to be at home. It’s an answer to a very specific prayer that I made as I was learning to be a stay at home mom. If I keep my priorities right, the joy I have when I get a moment to create is that much greater and it shows in my work. (I hope that makes sense!)
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
So many places! Firstly, my Mom, she is so creative and really worked hard to pass that on to me. The longer I live apart from her, the more like her I am! All the things she taught me: sewing, beading, weaving, knitting, etc. all play a role in what I do now. Even doing it all with kids bouncing off me makes me think of my mom! When I started my business, I knew what I wanted to call it and I had her draw my logo for me (it’s me and our oldest three daughters as sheep. I only had three lambs at the time.)
Color, I love just noticing the colors in our world and how they go together! Color theory plays out so perfectly all around us! Most of my color combinations come from something I’ve seen while I was out and about. I’m always making notes about color combinations that I’ve seen, or taking photos of random things with beautiful colors. I’m also inspired by different time periods for colors and textures (Victorian era colors are some of my favorites).
Antique and vintage buttons and textiles are also really high on the list of inspiration. I LOVE to think of how old buttons and beaded fabrics brought a smile to someone’s face as part of their garments in the past, and now I can give them the chance to make people smile some more! Even though they aren’t part of a useful garment anymore, they still have so much life!! I like to be a part of their story!
Next would have to be thrift stores. I really enjoy exploring these kinds of stores for things that I can find to put in yarn: trim, buttons, lace, beads, etc. I’ll find things I love and then let the wheels start turning about how to get it into yarn securely. I’ll usually wake up in the middle of the night with ideas to try. I’m a problem solver, and I really enjoy figuring out how to get what I want.
In the same way thrift stores inspire, so do craft stores. I love exploring Hobby Lobby for things I can try to put in yarn.
Finally, my craft room inspires me…when it’s clean! It’s so full of all the things that I mentioned above that I’ve collected over time because they inspire me. When it’s clean and organized, I can see all of those things and let the wheels start turning. Once I’m inspired, though, the room becomes a giant mess fast! It’s a cycle that plays over and over and over again! Clean, inspire, create a mess. Clean, inspire, create a mess.
Do you have advice for people just starting out on their fibre journey?
Have fun and be yourself! This is such a fun craft with so many facets and outlets. It can grow and become overwhelming fast! Focus on the part that makes you the happiest and get really good at that part! Doing something you love well will make you passionate and that will draw others in to what you’re doing giving you the opportunity to share your joy with them. It’s like a ripple effect.
While focusing on the parts you love, make sure to be yourself. There are so many talented people out there to inspire you. It is tempting to try to recreate exactly what you see others doing. If you’re an artist, though, people should be able to look at your work and see you first and foremost. Let yourself be inspired by what you see, but try to make it uniquely your own. Doing so pushes your creativity and gives you something to add to the fiber community that will inspire others.
Where will your fibre journey take you in the future?
I have no idea, but I THINK I would really LOVE to own a bricks and mortar store someday. A place to sell, teach, and create; ultimately just another way to share the joy that is art yarn with others! I live in a really creative town with lots of fiber art opportunities, so I’d love to be a bigger part of that someday!
