Pleased to meet you. Interview #5 Kate Popovski

1. Please tell us your name, business name & where are you based.
My name is Kate but my business name is LiliPopo (a corruption of my middle name and my surname thought up by my daughter). I'm lucky enough to live in Penzance, Cornwall.

2. What do you create and how would you describe your style?
My work is a mix of things based on my drawings of girls and gardens and my love of stitching. Sometimes I create drawings, sometimes I add stitches to my drawings and sometimes they become embroidery patterns or embroidered linen items. My style is quite whimsical, I tend to like things a little wonky and not too perfect so I like my paper a little bumpy and my linen a little slubby. I also love adding prints to my embroideries, especially the feed sack prints with their tiny flower patterns.

3. How did you get into making and do you make a living out of your creations?

I remember learning to knit when I was a child and we were always drawing but I hated sewing thanks to school sewing teachers! It took a long time before I started sewing again as an adult. I'd done quite a lot of knitting for my two boys but once I had my daughter I began sewing and drawing again. I couldn't find the patterns I wanted so I started drawing them myself. What began as a hobby is slowly creeping into being a business. Because we home educate working from home is perfect for me but home educating also means that my Lilipopo time is limited so it's not paying a full time wage! So far this has been a nice way to earn a little bit of money while doing the things I love doing but this year I have a little more time and I want to take it all more seriously. It's taken time but I have a much clearer idea of what I'm doing now.

4. What is your favourite piece of work or a favourite project you have worked on?
I think my daisy girl and balloon pattern because I never get bored stitching her, particularly a black and white version I've done that's still waiting to be framed. I just love the moment near the beginning of a project when I have all the colours in front of me whether they are fabrics, threads or paints and I just get to play around with them. I do feel very lucky to be able to do this kind of work every day.

5. If you could achieve any business goal with your work no matter how fantastical what would you most like to do?
Paper dolls! It doesn't seem like a huge ambition but I need to get my head around the whole huge idea of printing! I'm not the most techy person so layouts and things are slightly terrifying to me. But I do intend to give it a go this year. Other than that I would like a studio so that I could leave the house for 'work' in the morning and the children would believe that what I do is actually work!

6. Do you have any tips for others who want to set up a creative crafty business?

I have gone about my business in a very casual 'see how it goes' sort of way so my advice is just try it out. Set a bit of time aside in the evenings to do what you love doing and give it a go. Online selling marketplaces are great if, like me, you're a little nervous of being out there in the real world. Folksy in particular is great if you're selling from England, you just pay your 24p listing fee and then a small commission if you sell so no real risks.
The other thing is pricing! It's so difficult to price your work but it's really worth getting it right at the beginning, I think most people under value initially and it's difficult to suddenly raise your prices when you realise you're working for almost nothing! There's quite a lot of good advice out there on pricing and it's worth really thinking about.

Quick fire round. Just for fun please pick 1 answer from each of the following. If you don’t fancy either just choose the one you most prefer:

1. Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash

2. Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia
Chronicles of Narnia

3. For veggies - Quorn or Tofu
Tofu

4. Knit or sew
Oddly knit (it relaxes me)

5. Pen or pencil
Pen

6. Cut or paste
Cut ( I hate the mess of glue)

7. Mug or Cup
Mug for hot chocolate, Cup for tea

8. Half full or half empty
Half full

9. Mac or PC
PC

10. Amy Butler or Cath Kidston

Cath Kidston

Kate's enchanting handiwork can be seen on Folksy and Etsy, she also has a very lovely blog that you can follow here to keep up to date with her latest adventures in beautiful Cornwall.
You can also check out Lilipopo on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks Kate for taking part in the interview and for choosing between Johnny and Bob.
Keep up the lovely work and good luck with the paper dolls