Tiny Studio Love

Tiny Studio

By Marilynn S. TurnerWinter C

74CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2020

aplanson photos

CT FOODANDFARM.COM 75

Do what you love and love what you do. That sums up the life and philosophy of Nicole Totino- Clark of Colemama Creations, a fiber artist who has managed to joyfully combine family and art into a great big hug surrounding her life.

Nicole works in her tiny studio in her tiny house nestled among the backroads of Quaker Hill, Connecticut. Her workspace is at the end of a small guest room, overlooking a wooded lot in the home that she shares with her husband, two children (ages five and eight), and the family dog.

Her world is one of color, where she creates corded baskets and purses, hats, and all sorts of vessels that not only organize one’s life, but add beauty, color and dimension.

“It’s all about joy for me; I love watching the rope in the dye bath. I’m color-obsessed,” Nicole said. The rope she buys? It’s a natural cotton cord, made to be used on sailboats.

“I often incorporate organic linen and organic hemp into my materials. I take the cotton - which I buy in giant spools - and weigh it into one-pound bundles, and then I hand-dye it. Once it’s dry, I sew it and sculpt it into a basket on my sewing machine,” she said. “I used natural dyes for a long time, but what I found is that plant dyes are not

76CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2020

CT FOODANDFARM.COM 77

78CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2020

a

studio in a

house nestled among the backroads of Quaker Hill

CT FOODANDFARM.COM 79

80CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2020

so colorfast on plant fibers. They’re much more colorfast on animal fibers and things like silk and wool. I use something called direct dye. All my products are sourced within the U.S., and there is zero toxicity. And it is a process; each color takes about six hours from start to finish.”

This self-taught artisan has been in business for five years; she started when her daughter was just three months old.

“It was my escape, [and] made me feel like I had something to offer. Before that, it was all about home and organization, but I needed my house to feel like a big hug.”

Nicole noted that she is a stay-athome mom who homeschools her children, and works most nights between 8:30 to 11 p.m.

CT FOODANDFARM.COM 81

Her world is one of

82CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2020

where she creates corded baskets and purses, hats, and all sorts of vessels that not only organize one’s life, but add beauty,

and dimension

CT FOODANDFARM.COM 83

My

workspace is perfect for me. I love to

84CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2020

“It’s all about time management, and my tiny workspace is perfect for me. I love to feel cozy and confined. All I need to do is sit at my machine, and everything I need is within reach. In three hours, I can make 15 little baskets,” she said.

“I can stay home, and I create my own schedule, but it’s not about money, I feel lucky that I can do this. And that’s what I love, I can do this thing I love at night while they’re sleeping, and then I can make enough money to supplement our household so that we’re comfortable and have a little extra. And then I can be with my kids in the daytime. As it evolved, the creation of that independence and freedom has been really beautiful for me.”

Nicole embellishes her work with creative touches like seashells, stones, driftwood, or funky hand-carved buttons made by two local woodworkers.

Although she has an online presence and is on Instagram, she mostly sells her creations at sheep and wool festivals. And the business has evolved: “I initially started doing two to three shows a year, while selling online and doing custom orders,” Nicole explained. “That felt really chaotic.”

“I decided to really focus on shows. I started doing sheep and wool festivals, and that’s when I felt like I’d really found my niche, and I think it’s because I’m a fiber artist, being a spinner and a knitter for years. When I go to the sheep

feel cozy and confined.

CT FOODANDFARM.COM 85

86CT FOOD & FARM / SPRING 2020

and wool festivals, the people have such an appreciation for handmade things, and they see my stuff and know exactly what to do with it.”

When it comes to show prep, Nicole shared that it takes three to four weeks to prepare for each show: “I spend one week dyeing, almost seven days, so I can do a color a day. I dye a full rainbow spectrum from red all the way to hot pink, and hit every shade in between. So with blues, I’ll do light blue, navy blue, a royal blue, teal, and aquamarine. I do a lot of different colors, and all my colors are blends of colors. I buy base colors, weigh the powders, and customize the colors which I make up as I go along. I never take notes,” she added, “because I like the colors to be ever-changing and always different.”

Nicole’s next show will be on Saturday, April 25, at the Connecticut Sheep Wool and Fiber Festival at the North Haven Fair Grounds, North Haven, Connecticut.

CT FOODANDFARM.COM 87