The OSI Interview: Kayte Terry

Kayte Terry writes the blog This Is Love Forever. She is a stylist, author and all-around crafty lady. She lives in Brooklyn, NY [again, Brooklyn with the cool kids! We are so getting a complex in LA.] with her husband and their rabbit/muse Potato. Kayte is the author of Complete Embellishing, my very favorite crafty book (check it out, it's fantastic!) and the forth-coming book Appliqué Your Way, out next fall. She'll also soon be working on a new series of softies (like this one) of endangered fish and other sea creatures on plaques. Her favorite things right now are: paint by numbers, Japanese craft magazines, '90s club kids and mylar wallpaper and the color yellow.

1. In the context of your work, which bits of minutiae matter most?
Little details are very important in my work. Embellishing is all about details and that's really where you see the individual "hand" of the crafter. The placement of a sequin or an embroidery stitch makes a big difference.
Also, it's important to me that I know how things were done before we had kits and machines to do it all for us. I like to know the "right" way to make something even if I don't end up actually using that technique.


2. Which bits matter least?
The threads and bits of fabric that end up all over my rug. The dishes that sit in the sink when I am really busy. The occasional nagging sensation that I am making something weird or ugly.


3. In the context of your life, what types of minutiae once seemed important, but have since fallen by the wayside? Why?
Worrying about whether my job is silly or frivolous. "Friends" have actually said this to me before but I think that making things beautiful is really important.


4. What types of minutiae, if any, have you had to train yourself to pay closer attention to?
My public image. It's not like I'm famous or anything but when you have a more public profile than most people, you think about what you say before you say it and you try to keep super-personal information off the internet.

Also, I have learned to pay close attention to details in materials I work with: the patterns of vintage wallpaper or fabric, the detail in a bead or button, the color of threads and the textures of yarns. I like working with vintage materials the most because each material has a rich sense of history.


5. Just for kicks -- what are your favorite bits of minutiae (personal, from a book, a piece of music, moment in a movie, etc.)?
I love little tiny moments in life when you feel like everything is perfect: walking around New York and having one of those "I am so lucky to live here" moments, that feeling in the air when you can sense the seasons changing, the smell of someone you really love...these are the best parts of life.

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Thank you, Ms. Kayte!