{"id":55750,"date":"2019-07-22T03:55:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T07:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/utnews.utoledo.edu\/?p=55750"},"modified":"2019-07-19T11:38:17","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T15:38:17","slug":"sew-cool-alumna-creates-funky-cats-for-art-on-the-mall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/07_22_2019\/sew-cool-alumna-creates-funky-cats-for-art-on-the-mall","title":{"rendered":"Sew Cool: Alumna Creates Funky Cats for Art on the Mall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carrie Hawkins will bring more than 500 fun, fuzzy felines to her booth for Art on the Mall.<\/p>\n

Dubbed Ragamuffins, the recycled kitty dolls come in three sizes and sport tags that say \u201csaving ugly sweaters from landfills since 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Carrie Hawkins showed off a large Ragamuffin she made from a mohair sweater.<\/p><\/div>\u201cI make all the cats from recycled sweaters. I go to rummage sales and thrift stores, so it\u2019s kind of neat: It helps charity, and then I turn around and make it into something else,\u201d she said. \u201cI use everything \u2014 the collars and the cuffs of the sweaters will become the collars of the cats. I use mismatched earrings for charms. <\/p>\n

\u201cAny way I can reduce waste \u2014 that\u2019s my big thing: I love to recycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sews the cute creatures in her home studio in Temperance, Mich. Jars of antique buttons line a shelf above bolts of fabrics. Two sewing machines and a box of jewelry and trinkets sit atop a table. Bins of ribbon and fabric scraps are stacked in the corner. And, oh yes, there is a Siamese cat: Ellie is sleeping on a chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cEllie likes to get up on my lap and help me,\u201d Hawkins said and laughed. \u201cSometimes I sew and she\u2019s hitting the bobbin on the machine constantly like it\u2019s a toy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Two other muses roam about the house \u2014 Saki, a black cat, and Lilith, a tiger tabby.<\/p>\n

The 2001 UToledo alumna found her creative groove by fusing her passion for the past with her fondness for felines.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted my art to represent me and what I stand for,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cSo I designed the pattern for the cats and decided to make them as earth-friendly as possible and recycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cCreating is just something I have to do,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

That love of art began early. The Toledo native recalled having her own art studio at age 6. <\/p>\n

\u201cI took a toy box in the closet and that was my art table. And I made little refrigerator pictures, but I didn\u2019t give them to my mom, I sold them to her,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cI had a little portfolio, and pictures were a nickel if they were a little more detailed. There were a couple penny ones if she just needed something quick to throw on the fridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Carrie Hawkins sewed eyes on an owl doll.<\/p><\/div>Since receiving a bachelor of arts degree in graphic design and painting, and taking graduate courses in art education at UToledo, she has been selling her award-winning creations for more than 20 years. Hawkins and her company, Scaredy Cat Primitives, have been featured in Prims and Your Cat magazines. <\/p>\n

\u201cOnce my family moved to Temperance, my parents and I would go to a lot of antique shows and estate sales, and I was always fascinated with rescuing all the things. You\u2019d go to estate sales and it\u2019d be kind of sad because you\u2019d see photos and letters that got left behind that nobody wanted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

That desire to save is strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved to a rural dead-end street, which was a dumping ground for unwanted cats. I was very well-known for bringing home strays,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cAt one time, I had eight rescues. I learned how very different their personalities were and the little quirks they had that made them different.\u201d<\/p>\n

She repurposes found objects, bits and pieces to give her Ragamuffins distinct personalities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how something can tell a story by its wrinkles, dents, chips and stains. That inspires my art. I love paying tribute to the past by recycling. People give me all kinds of things for my work. I\u2019ll make use of it instead of throwing it away. If I didn\u2019t have an outlet for it, I\u2019d end up being a hoarder,\u201d she joked.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Small Ragamuffins sit in Carrie Hawkins’ studio; the cat dolls will be finished for Art on the Mall.<\/p><\/div>Some owls will fly in with Hawkins and her cats for Art on the Mall Sunday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI make owls out of tweed and wool skirts and blazers,\u201d the deconstructionist artist said. \u201cSome I make out of a linen fabric and put a little bit of coffee dye on them. I dye them really lightly, let them dry, and then I do embroidery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming to Centennial Mall on Main Campus for the juried art show is a highlight of summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is probably my seventh year at Art on the Mall. I love it,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cThe atmosphere is nice, and it\u2019s a great, laid-back crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she\u2019s not in her studio with her cats, Hawkins is a member service associate at the Francis Family YMCA in Temperance, where she also teaches art classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love creating unique things. I hope people appreciate these are one-of-a-kind pieces of art, something they can\u2019t find at a big-box store,\u201d she said. \u201cLike the tag on the back says, these [cats and owls] are handmade with love.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UToledo alumna Carrie Hawkins fused her passion for the past with her fondness for felines to create Ragamuffins, which she will bring to Art on the Mall Sunday, July 28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,4,60,5,6,53,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55750"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55750"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55794,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55750\/revisions\/55794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}