Cottage On Cross

Today I'm talking with Karen at Cottage On Cross.

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00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters, and topics adjacent. I'm your host, Mary Lewis.  A Tiny Homestead podcast is sponsored by Homegrown Collective, a free to use farm to table platform, emphasizing local connections with ability to sell online, buy, sell, trade in local garden groups, and help us grow a new food system.  You can find them at homegrowncollective.org. Today I'm talking with Karen at Cottage On Cross

00:28
Good morning, Karen. How are you? Good morning. Thank you for having me. You're in Pennsylvania, right?  I am, yes. Okay. I'm in Minnesota. It's beautiful here for the first time in four days.  We've had clouds and rain  since, I think, mid-afternoon on Monday. So it's been really nice to get up this morning and see the sun shining. So how are things in Pennsylvania?  Well, we probably got your weather. Oh,  We're in the midst of that rain, but it's spring and it's needed, so I'm not complaining.

00:58
Yeah, the weather people here were saying on Monday, they were giving us the heads up that this drenching was coming and they were all like, we need the rain. And I'm like, we don't need 17 inches guys. Oh gosh, no. Yeah. I think we've all, I think we've all ended up with five inches total. Well, that's better. Yes. You don't want your garden to flood.  No, that happened last year. I don't want it to happen this year. So,  all right. So you  tell me why it's called Cottage on Cross.

01:28
That's a fun story.  It's purposeful,  but it's also out of desperation. This is not my first online business. And I learned accidentally with my  last one that  your name matters  in Google searches.  If people don't even know what they're looking for, but type in a keyword,  you'll come up.  know, cottage  core,  was super trendy when I started it.

01:56
And that's a lot of what I make. So I wanted that name somewhere.  And the first  maybe 28 names I chose  weren't available either on Etsy or on Instagram.  And  I needed the availability on both of those.  So  I ended up with Cottage on Cross because we live on Crossroad.  okay.  Okay. So for people who don't know what Cottage Core is, can you explain that?

02:24
Um, well right now, grandma core is trending, which is pretty much the same, just another term for it. It's just kind of a, uh, a back to basics,  um, aesthetic  where, uh, if your grandma had it, you're gonna like it, but, but that's the grandma core. Cottage core is,  uh, well, kind of the same thing. It's like little house on the prairie, um, vibe going on.  Um, it's, it's a more, uh, old fashioned vibe maybe.

02:54
Uh huh. Okay.  Um, what I find interesting about Cottage Core is that I grew up with Cottage Core because we spent time with my grandmas, obviously,  and,  my mom was very influenced by her mother, who was my grandma.  And so we always had old fashioned things in our house. And to this day, I really, really hate sleek, shiny glass metal furniture.  want,  I want wood furniture. want cast iron.

03:23
hooks for my coats. want the old fashioned stuff.  I am the same. I am the same. And I think we probably grew up similarly then. Yeah, just in touch with family and the generations  back through and all their things that they brought with them and they didn't have the new shiny,  partly because they couldn't afford it.  And partly because it was cherished memories for them  from the generations. And yeah, so you just grow up loving that stuff and

03:52
No, I shunned. I shunned all that too. So this is not a going back for me. This is a celebrating that they've caught up with us. exactly. And I feel like I'm going to sound really dumb. I feel like shiny glass and metal is very cold. And I feel like quilts and cast iron and wood are very warm. I agree. So I really like the cozy warm feeling in my house. I don't want it to be, you know, austere and cold. Yes, I agree.

04:21
So before we get into what you do with quilts, because I've seen the pictures and what you do is really beautiful. Thank you. Do you live on a farm? I grew up on a dairy farm.  I had almost all the animals growing up and it was a fantastic way  to live.  We have land off my family's farm now. We are right across from the farm. I see it every day. It's beautiful.

04:46
I do not have a farm. I have a working knowledge of what a farm is and how much work it is. So I've chosen very carefully what I want. We have chickens. They are easy to care for. I can walk away from them for a day and bank up on their food and they're going to be okay versus a milk cow. can't do that. The goats are really hard to contain. So no, I do not have a farm.

05:12
I live on four acres with a lot of chickens, guineas,  dogs.  So it's a almost farm, we'll call it. Almost, yes.  And you have the best of both worlds because the family farm is across the way. Right.  Very convenient, very nice. I love that.  Okay, so  let's talk about what you do with quilts.

05:38
When I looked at the pictures, I thought that you were making the quilts and then making things out of the quilts. Then I read further and you're not. You're actually buying or acquiring quilts and then repurposing them. So tell me the story. Yes,  I wish I could quilt.  And if I did, I probably would never cut them up because I am very aware of how much work goes into them.  I did not come from a family of quilters and I'm a little bit saddened by that. A family of seamstresses, yes. So that's where I acquired my love of.

06:08
sewing and I learned from my mom and  who learned from her mom and  so  From there we've had quilts in the family that had been passed down, but they're cherished heirlooms I wouldn't cut those up  but  I was inspired by others online who had been making things out of quilts  and thought oh I can do that. So I started picking them up at Salvation Army and Goodwill and places like that and now they are hard to find there

06:36
But when I started, I was able to, and  a lot of people don't like it, that people like me cut up quilts, but  my theory is they're there because nobody wanted them.  And somebody could find them to give them a loving home, but I'm giving them a loving purpose. it's, know, kind of, kind of one in the same as how I'm looking at it.  But I,  if it's a quilt that's in really good shape, I do not cut it. I will, you know, find a new home for it.

07:04
I use what they're called cutter quilts.  They're  very badly damaged.  They're so stained you can't see  what the pattern is underneath some of the stains you cut around those.  They have holes in them that just can't be repaired. The batting is out of them.  I use those in projects and a lot of my projects reflect those. You can see the fading of some of the colors.  I use the best parts that I can, but you can still sometimes see that they are old quilts.

07:33
I do give them new life.  like to extend their life that way in a way that can be useful. Okay. So what do you make out of the old quilts?  Right now I'm making handbags mostly. I've  always had a love of purses. So this is like combining all my passions right here.  I make tote bags, purses, handbags,  but some home goods,  banners. I'm working on banners now. I have like five or six cuts, some for the patriotic season coming up.

08:03
And some just for fun.  We have a birthday banner in our home that our kids love to put up in their all adults. So when they come home for birthdays, I still have it hanging.  Banners are just fun. And a quilt banner just adds some color and  some of that old fashioned charm that we talked about.  Just some things like that.  Okay. So if you're making handbags out of old quilts, does that mean the handbags or the purses or whatever are washable?

08:33
Hmm.  It really depends. That would probably be based on the quilt in particular.  Some really are and some  really are not.  And I  probably need to send washing recommendations with them. That's a good idea.  Some are, some are not. Spot cleaning would be better  for some. Okay. The reason I ask is because I never ever have bought a cloth

09:02
purse or handbag  because I'm terrible. put my bags down wherever and I don't really look what I'm doing and they always get dirty.  Whatever it is. And I'm not even talking about a like a handbag, I'm talking about like a duffel bag.  And  I've always bought leather bags because leather you can clean pretty easily as long as you know what you're doing. Right, right.  So.

09:25
That's why I ask, because I'm terrible. I would ruin one of your beautiful quilt bags within 24 hours of owning it. I would. I know I would. really am the same. I have washed mine, and it's washed well. And I can attest to the washability of that one. But some of the oldest quilts where the fabric is thin, I try not to use those as much because they do not wash well.

09:53
And it kind of is, if it's dirty, you've got to use it like that. And nobody likes that. It feels dingy.  But most of them can be washed, whether it's just with  a cloth  or you can throw it in the washer. I do try to make them usable and durable because why have something if you can't really use it to its fullest? Right. Yeah, exactly.  Do you travel places to find quilts or are you just finding them in Pennsylvania?  Both.

10:22
I am always looking,  sometimes even just on eBay.  But  when I'm traveling, I am looking.  I'm always looking. I'm sourcing, whether it's on Marketplace or at flea markets there, or  even just a pop into a Goodwill if I'm somewhere out and about. But yes, every time I'm away from home, I'm always looking. Okay. And is there a certain kind of quilt that's better for this or can you use any kind? Hmm. That's a good question. That's an interesting question.

10:51
Any quilt can be used. I have preferences on what I like. I actually prefer to use quilt tops versus quilts, mostly because they're going to be in a lot better condition because they're unfinished quilts. It's the quilt that has been completely assembled, but it's not had the batting and the backing added. So it's just the thin top. And then it's been stored.

11:21
because nobody's finished it. So it's in very good condition, but nobody knows how to finish them.  Few people know how to finish them nowadays  and don't have the desire to do so. So I can pick those up for a little less money and they're in very good shape.  So  they're gonna be the washable ones. They're gonna be more durable.  And then  I put interfacing, heavy interfacing behind them to make them stiff. So I look for those  first and foremost.

11:49
And after that, just anything  with pretty colors or patterns. I stay away from anything with polyester in it. I like all cottons.  That goes along with the cottage core and the grandma core.  It's staying away from the new  vibe. Yeah, and polyester doesn't biodegrade very easily and cotton does. I don't even like the feel of it. It's gross. I'm going to be on your team. It's gross. I don't like polyester either.

12:17
I also don't like how polyester smells. Polyester has a scent and I don't like it. You are correct.  And I agree. It's gross. I don't like it. So I avoid polyester like the plague. I  honestly I avoid plastic like the plague as much as I possibly can.  Okay. So  if you are  sourcing old quilts or new quilts, I guess, if there's a cotton new quilt that you really like, you might get that too. Who knows?

12:47
I'm assuming the cost is anywhere from  zero to hundreds of dollars.  I'm  pretty particular in my price point.  I have to be able to make a profit.  So far, I've not spent over 150 on a quilt and to me that was astronomical, but I know a good quilt can go for far more than that. But those are the ones that I wouldn't want to cut anyway. yeah,  I try and keep my price point low so that I can

13:17
keep my bag price points lower. I know there  are those who sell for a lot more than I do,  but I like to be able to help people more like me who are on a budget.  Yeah, yeah. And really you're doing it because you love it and you just happen to be making  a small profit on it, I think. Yes. Yes. Okay.  Um, let me see.  I want to tell you a story. My mom  loves to quilt. Like she's got into it.

13:45
I think when I was probably in my early  20s and she kept clothes from my sister and I and she made us each blanket. And I don't even know what happened to that blanket because I'm a horrible daughter and I don't know what happened to it.  But it's for a twin bed and I didn't have any twin beds and I'm sure that it got stuck in a box somewhere and the box got lost in a move. I don't know.  But it didn't stop my mom. She still quills. And she took

14:14
A quilt that she had made from my dad's dad, so my grandpa. And she tore it apart when he passed away and she made a new quilt for my mom and dad's bed.  the new quilt was actually better than the old quilt because she was more practiced.  But she still loves to do it and she's 78 years old. Good for her. Yeah. And I'm just like, how in the world do you have what it takes in your hands to do all that fine work?

14:43
And she says she's lucky and she has good genes. Okay. Good for her. No, that's  I love that. I love that she still keeps up with her passion  that way. I hope I can still that age. That'd be fantastic.  Yeah. And she made me a pillow when we moved into the new house, which is not the new house anymore. It's we've been here almost five years,  um, with, uh, lady slippers and chickadees and pine tassels. Cause those are all mean things. grew up in Maine. Oh, I love Maine.

15:11
And she sent it to me and I was like, I love what you did.  said, I think that  the puppy will love what you did. Cause Maggie, our dog was a puppy then and she basically adopted the pillow. She would lay on it on the couch and my mom had this kind of irritated note in her voice. And she said,  you know, she said, I made that for you because I know that you read before you go to sleep. And I thought you could prop up your tablet against it.  Oh, I love that.  And I said,

15:40
I'm sorry, Sid, I didn't know you'd tell me.  And she was like, I guess, I guess Maggie can have it. I guess the grand dog can have it. And I was like, okay, she's not ripping it up. She just puts her head on it.  So I sent my mom a photo of Maggie curled up on a pillow and everything was fine. So,  so just because you make something for somebody doesn't mean it's necessarily going to do the thing you intended it to do.  That's correct. That's correct.

16:08
In fact, that kind of reminds me of that someone just sent me  their father had passed away  within the past year  and she asked me if I would be willing to make a bag from the pants of a suit coat of a suit that he had.  She thought it would make a nice and it did. I just finished it yesterday.  It's pinstripe, it's navy pinstripe and she sent

16:34
contrast band for the bottom. It's like the clamshell style bag that I make,  leather handles. Oh my gosh.  I am so honored that I was able to be entrusted with such memories for her.  These are reasons why I love to sew, why I love what I do.  You're just making something  that people can treasure as long as they want it.  It was so fun.  Yeah. There's a lady I saw on Facebook who takes flannel shirts that

17:04
husbands or dads have worn and makes pillows out of them and it still looks like the shirt.  the front with the buttons is still the front with the buttons in the pocket. Oh, that's interesting. And I thought that was really adorable. So yeah, there's so much sentimentality in  textiles. Yes.  Very much.  Weird, but there is. is. In fact, I still have my security blankie from when I was five.

17:34
because I can't,  that textile, it's  the feel and the color, it's, yeah, there's memories wrapped up in that. And I thought at one point, oh,  I'd love to make a teddy bear and give to my first grandchild, but then I couldn't bring myself to cut it up and it'd probably  fall apart, it's so old.  But yes, there are memories wrapped up in fabric.  Yeah, I had a stuffed panda, flat panda pillow that my mom had either made or gotten

18:03
me  when I was like a toddler. And I had that thing until I was at least 30. Like  I brought that into my third marriage. Well.  And it was beat up and it was dirty and it was gross. And my daughter who was, don't know, 12, 13 at the time,  she said, are you going to keep your panda? And I said, um, why? And she said, because I would like to have your panda.  Oh, I love that.

18:32
I said, why do want it? And she said, well, number one, she said, I'm going to give him a bath. She said, I was reading up on this the other day. She said, I think I can get him really clean.  I said, OK, what's secret? She said, I'm not telling you. If you're this old and you don't know yet, I'm not telling you.  I was like, oh, OK, fine. Take it. Have it.  So she did her magic. don't know, something to do with lemon juice and vinegar and baking soda. I don't know what it was.  And she did that experiment. And she got him half clean.

19:00
And then she stuck him on her bed during the day when she was at school. And I was just like, I don't know why this kid wants his panda, but if it's going to make her happy, she can have the panda. Right. And I think she may still have it and she's 35 now. So that's awesome. I love it. Yeah. So there's just something about, again, textiles, you know, we love a doll. We love a teddy bear. We love a good blanket. You know, a good blanket is hard to come by.

19:29
It is. It is.  okay. So tell me,  have you gotten any, I don't know, stories, responses, reviews on  your work? All the reviews have been  positive.  I've  been very happy  with my customers and it seems like they've been very happy with the bags.  And a lot of it goes back to what we're saying. They're saying that

19:59
You know, they love the quilts too, and they love that they can carry a piece of  history with them. They're loving,  of course they talk about the quality and the design, but  I  think they love the fact that they're able to carry something  old with them,  some history,  besides just going to, know, Marshalls and buying something new.  There's memories with it, and that's important to people nowadays.  I think it's...

20:28
It's a valuable thing that they know that can't be reproduced. I think that's important to some people as well. Well, I'm assuming your bags are one of a kind. Yeah, so that makes them really special too. It is, yes. Because even if I can make from the same quilt, it's, know, quilts aren't... Wherever you cut, it's going to be a different pattern. Which I love. I love that. So if you see it and you like it, you probably should get it because...

20:57
I can't make another exactly the same, which I like too.  My other business that I have on Etsy, I make dog collars and  bandanas and that's going to be 10 years old next month.  the reason I started Cottage on Cross is because I make the same things over and over there. And it's starting to feel, I mean, it's handmade, everything's handmade, but

21:21
They, I have X patterns on the site and they purchase and then I make it and it's starting to me to feel very cookie cutter. There's no creativity left there.  So I love cottage on cross where I can just create anything I want.  And it doesn't have to be  a box pattern. It doesn't have to be the same old, same old that I did last month or last week or yesterday.  I love the creativity. It's been very freeing for me.

21:50
Yes, part of the reason I love my podcast so much is because I talk to somebody different every single time  and everyone has a different story. It doesn't matter if they have a five acre homestead, just like the other 10 people I've talked to who have a five acre homestead,  they're going to be doing something different with their five acre homestead. And that's a beautiful thing.  I love it. It makes me  so excited  when I hop on to talk to people.

22:17
And the podcast is not just about homesteads. It's about crafters like you and it's about cottage food producers. So not only am I not just talking homestead every time I get to talk about baking, I get to talk about sourdough bread, I get to talk about quilting or basket making. was a lady I talked to while ago who does the actual,  I can't think of the name of them, the baskets that fishermen take fishing with them, the fishermen take. Creel  maybe.

22:46
Maybe. That's fun. Yeah, she makes the most beautiful hand-woven I bet she does. Yeah. Well, that's  fun. So it's always really interesting to me when people are doing stuff like you're doing because  no one does this stuff anymore.  Not as many, but I've always been  a little more creative in what I do.  We have four kids and our youngest was born with Down syndrome.

23:13
So when I was, I homeschooled until he was born and it was just kind of turned upside down. He had, he's healthy. We are incredibly blessed that way. has no heart issues, no other issues, but the testing and the doctor appointments, the first couple months of his life, we were at the doctor like twice a week. Yeah. All the time for months on end. We didn't finish school that year. He was born in March. Yeah.

23:41
The authorities don't know this. My kids are adults now, it's okay to say. But because of him, I need to be a stay-at-home mom. I need to be able to take him to the doctor's appointments, which are non-existent now. But now that he's 22, he's an adult also. He is still living at home. He always will. But he doesn't like to be left alone. I trust him. Clearly, he doesn't trust himself. He doesn't like to be alone. So...

24:09
He has to have somebody with him all the time and  we don't trust him  with just anyone. I'm  still a mama bear.  So I need to be home. so being able to make money while being at home,  you have to be creative. So I've, I've always looked for ways and things that I can do  to supplement the income while being available  to the family.  I just, I loved being able to sew  that has opened up worlds of opportunity for me.

24:40
I have a question. If he's with you all the time, has he learned any of the quilting stuff? Oh gosh, no. If mom is doing it, he's... Of all our kids, he is the most normal in the aspect of, my parents embarrass me. It cracks us up. Like we go to church and the kids sit with us. They always have like when they're younger, not him. From the time he was like 13, he's like, oh, I'm sitting on the other side of the church. I can't be seen with you. It's embarrassing.

25:08
So no, if I'm doing it, he wants nothing to do with it, which is a little sad to me because I have an online friend whose daughter has downs and she quilts. And I think, oh my gosh, the meticulous aspects they could bring to the table. She is an amazing quilter, this friend's daughter. Our son, he could probably do something well, but he chooses not to do anything that we want him to do because that's his stubborn gene. So no, he did not pick any of this up.

25:38
have him take out the trash in my shop and that's all I can get him to do. Okay well I just I was hoping that I could have... Yeah me too. I was I could hear a story about a young man who quilts because that would be really cool. Or makes bags out of quilts, whatever. No, no. Okay so I have another question for you. Have you found any really unusual quilts in your you're acquiring them? Hmm let me think about that for a minute. Unusual quilts.

26:07
I did find one that had, and it's not unusual, was just  really cool,  it was dated 1870, I  think. It was hand-stitched with the date on.  I got it at an auction.  It was like a bulk sale,  and I could not, I ended up selling that. There was no way I was gonna cut into that one.  Yeah, other than that, I haven't really come across any unusual.  There was one I did buy, I was cutting into it, which is,

26:35
which is more common than people realize, but they don't cut into them so they don't know. But when you cut into it, you realize there was a quilt inside it that had gone bad. And so somebody made a quilt top and put over it to extend the life of it. So it's like a quilt in a quilt.  I swear I read something in  a  historical fiction book about that the slaves used to hide things and like sew things into their quilts.  Oh, that's interesting.

27:05
That's interesting. they  could bring a quilt with them when they were traveling in the Underground Railroad,  they would put stuff inside the quilt. So if you ever cut into one and find something really special, that might be where that came from. That would be, yeah. No, the only thing I found that's a little unusual,  the ones made with old feed sacks, you're aware of those, for  the  podcast listeners that might not know,  I'll explain a little bit.

27:32
Back during the Depression when things were so hard to get food was scarce  and in clothing and  everything was was a struggle  the the grain companies  would print Like a floral pattern on their grain sacks  so that the women could reuse them for clothing  And a lot of those were reused were used also for quilts  And a feed sack quilt is a really fun thing to find the patterns are just beautiful

28:00
But a lot of those still have  grains in them. When I cut into them, there will be like oats that fall out.  Funny. That is fun.  Yeah. Again, I'm a big reader, so I read all kinds of stuff. And I saw an article online about the FeedZaxx from then,  and they had pictures of them.  And the prints that they used, some of them were so adorable. Yes.

28:28
Yep. A lot of them were kids patterns so that they could make kids clothing out of them. And I feel like they were wearing mom's old dress. So it was fun. Yeah. And weren't the feed sacks made out of cotton? Yes. 100 % cotton, which I love. Yeah. So they were soft too. So if you made a skirt, wasn't itchy. Right. Correct. Yeah. And wasn't burlap. was not. You think of a feed sack and you think burlap, but no, these were cotton. Well, these days, probably plastic.

28:56
It is, yes.  We're so crazy here. We use those to keep the weeds down in the greenhouse. Same!  We're the same.  Yeah, they work great because  the sun can't get through them and the weeds die and then you've just got dirt again, which is great.  All right. Well, can you  start a new game for the end of the podcast? The new game is...

29:23
Can you tell me one word that describes how you feel about your business?  One word that describes how I feel about my business.  I'd say joy. It just brings me joy to be able to create every day and  joy to be able to offer something to someone that brings them joy. So it's, it's literally happy, happy, joy. It really is. Yes. Good. I'm glad because  really you don't throw your whole self into something like this, Karen, if you don't want to be doing it. That's true.

29:53
That's true. Now I love, love my job.  Everyone says, oh, it's Monday. And I'm like, yes, that's my actually work seven days a week because  I can't not. I work in my basement and that's also storage for, you know, extra things in the house. You know, we keep  Sam's club stacks of toilet paper down there and I'll go down to get a paper towel roll. And you know, three hours later I'll come back and I'm like, look at this bag I made.  My husband's like, we needed the paper towels.  I just love it. I can't not work.

30:23
Yeah, and it's so easy to get distracted by things that you love.  I sat down yesterday to find who I was talking to in the afternoon yesterday on my phone.  And of course it was on Facebook and found three other people to message about if they'd be a guest on the podcast. it's...  That's how it works. Yes. It's just how it works. Yeah, exactly. When you love your job, you never work a day. It's just what you get to do. Yeah.

30:53
My husband asked me how many hours I put in on the podcast. And  at this point, if he asks me, just say all of them.  That's the right answer.  Because I never stopped thinking about it. I'm always okay. What can I do? Who should I talk to? What else do I need to get done to get that episode ready to go out? Blah, blah, blah. And he said, you don't put in all the hours. He said, you sleep, you do dishes, you take a shower. I'm like, I'm dreaming about the podcast. And he's like, you are obsessed. I said, yes, I am.

31:22
Yes, agreed.  Nope, that's how you know you love what you're doing. Yeah, and I'm guessing you're probably in the same boat and that's  wonderful. Everybody should have something that makes them this happy. I agree. I wish everyone loved their job this much. Wouldn't that be great? Yes, the world would be happier.  Yes, my dog is not happy that I love my job though. She's sitting outside my bedroom door whistling. She's like, are you coming out yet?

31:50
All right, Karen, I try to keep you to half an hour and we're there. Thank you so much for your time. Where can people find you? We are cottage on cross on Instagram. And that's it? That's it.  Or Etsy. Cottage on cross on Etsy. That's where I sell.  Yeah, that's the important part. We want people to go see your thing.  Okay. And as always, you can find me and my podcast at atinyhomesteadpodcast.com.  Thank you, Karen. I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much for having me.

32:19
Have a good day. You too.