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doingitherself.com

Jen Nedbalsky of DoingItHerself.com is one busy gal. She is a crochet-enthusiast who sells her work at DoingitHerself.etsy.com. She is also a community organizer and activist. In her professional life she manages The NYC Grassroots Media Coalition webpage (nycgrassrootsmedia.org), The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival High School Program site (hrw.org/iff/2007/classroom) and occasionally the NYC Radical Cheerleaders website (nycradicalcheerleaders.org). She hopes to find time for writing, but has not as yet ventured into the blogosphere.

We caught up with Jen recently and asked her how she became a “crochet-enthusiast”. Although she tried knitting a couple of times, she found crochet to be more fun. She learned how to crochet at the Revolution: Celebrate Harlem 127th Street Collaborative Block Party in Harlem. The party was organized by her favorite artist Brett Cook-Dizney. Brett, with the help of his friends and local community members, organized DIY-Trainings, film screenings, and teach-ins in an effort to bring the community together to create, and share skills with each other.

In traditional DIY style, Jen learned from others in an intergenerational group. While many indies have learned skills from older family members, Jen’s story is a little different. She learned from a group of “amazing women” running the booth. After an hour or so, she had learned 3 or 4 basic crochet stitches. The experience of learning along with an intergenerational group of women, served as even greater inspiration. Before long, with just a couple of very simple stitches under her belt, she was making tiny kitten hat for her friend’s new baby. Of course this was after the standard warm-up of a few misshapen pot holders. Her pattern designing skills came out of necessity as she still can’t read crochet patterns. After making hats for friends’ babies, she began to sell them.

“Crocheting calms me, it boosts my confidence and after I finish a new hat, it makes me feel as though I’ve accomplished something tangible for the day. As an activist and non-profit worker, a lot of times your victories are quite long-term and you can get burnt out and feel as though you haven’t accomplished much in a week or month. Crafting and seeing my efforts make others happy really gives me a sense of satisfaction. I also get a huge boost from my activist work, the combination of crafting and organizing work in my life really makes me happy and fulfilled.”

DIY City: Do you create your own designs?

JN: Yes, I create my own designs. Of course, I get a lot of inspiration from out in the world. I know that I was not the first girl to ever make a hat with cat ears on it or to crochet a pair of earrings but I think I take inspiration from things I really see and love and put my own spin on it.

DIY City: You have been making clothing and accessories since you were a kid, do you still make clothing? for yourself?

JN: When I was in 3rd grade my mom and I signed up for a sewing class together. I made an apron, and then by the end of the class I made a knit top and skirt for myself out of this great pink elephant printed fabric. I was so proud of it, that I wore it for show and tell. Pretty soon after I started making things, I decided to try and make it into my career. My brother and I would set up a little stand at the end of our driveway on Long Island and try to sell the friendship bracelets, latchhook pot holders and lanyard keychains we made. After that, I discovered the glue gun - and in 7th grade started a (Melrose Place era) ribbon “choker” business. I hot glued buttons and fake flowers and cameos onto ribbon. It was with the choker business that I learned how important craftsmanship was - all my chokers fell apart and I went bankrupt. (That is, off of the tooth fairy money I had used to invest in my little business.) An important lesson to have learned early on. I think the choker business was a big let down for me, I didn’t start selling stuff again until I found out about Etsy 3 years ago!

DIY City: Where do find your supplies for the things you make?

JN: Ah, great question! There’s a great discount button website called: trimfabric.com - I work a few blocks from the NYC Fashion District where they sell wholesale buttons, fabric, etc - but they are all still way too expensive for my budget. I get my buttons from trimfabric.com and I get the Lionbrand yarn that I use from A.C. Moore or Michaels (whoever has a better sale that week.) A.C. Moore gives you a raincheck if they run out of the yarn color you’re looking for which is very cool. If I’ve got an order and I’m totally stuck and can’t get out to an A.C. Moore or Michaels (since they don’t exist in New York City) I just order from joannfabric.com. They deliver really fast, but their prices are higher than I’d usually like.

I also have a big tin of buttons and salvaged fabric that has been passed down from my great grandfather who was a tailor in NYC, and from my grandmother.

“I am an enthusiast of many things, crochet being one of the more relaxing and restorative of my hobbies.”