Sounds Crafty: Flip Grater

Check out other Sounds Crafty showcases on Felt:
• Ruth Carr, Minuit
• Flip Grater
• Fleur Jack, The Twitch
• Nathan King
• Hannah Curwood
• The Phoenix Foundation
• Hera

Indie folk singer/songwriter Flip Grater has performed with international stars such as The Shins and Ben Lee, and our very own Anika Moa, Dave Dobbyn and The Phoenix Foundation. She has braved the stage at South By Southwest music festival in Texas, she's toured New Zealand, released two critically acclaimed albums and written a cookbook with a twist. In spite of this impressive resume (and although her photograph may suggest otherwise), Flip keeps her feet firmly on the ground in her hometown Christchurch. She took some time to share her thoughts on craft and pick out a few favourites on Felt...

Did you make stuff when you were a kid?
I made punk clothing for my barbie dolls.

What's your earliest or most vivid craft-related memory?
Making homemade christmas tree decorations from egg cartons, glue and glitter.

Are you crafty or do you make stuff now, and if so, what do you make?
I knit during winters and recently I've turned my hand to furniture upholstery. I bought this beautiful old piano stool and recovered it with a gorgeous vintage European fabric. At the moment I'm making a window seat in my living room.

Assuming time, materials and cost were no object, if you were given the opportunity to make anything you wanted, what would you make?
I know so many talented crafters - if money was no object, I'd buy theirs.

If you were a crafty superhero, what would your name and superpower be?
Polka-hontas. Everything I touch turns polka-dotted.

Hot glue gun, needle and thread or hammer and nails?
Needle and thread. It teaches me patience - which I need!

Do you think craft suffers from pre-conceived notions of lace covered coat hangers and toilet roll covers? If yes, any suggestions for how craft can improve its image?
What's wrong with lace covered coat hangers and toilet roll covers?

What's the best handmade thing you've ever been given?
That's a toss up between: a blue felt cuckoo bird that hangs in my entrance way, my pink knitted mittens, and some handmade hazelnut chocolates I ate in Italy while on tour last year.

Have you ever worn something you've made on stage or in public?
I went through a giant scarf making phase a couple of years ago... as in, making giant scarfs. I made this ridiculous brown and pink striped one that I took on tour around NZ and used to decorate the stage as it got longer and longer.

If your music took physical shape what would it look like? What would it be made of?
A large, crocheted conch shell with tear-shaped pieces of (faux) fur and sandpaper all over it.

Do you think people should make more stuff (...instead of buying it)?
Yes..craft and food.

Why would you buy something handmade?
The love.

What was the last handmade item you bought? Handmade rabbit-shaped keyrings. I got them from a crafter at a Christmas market in London as gifts for my sisters.

Are crafty boys hot? Hot like a sun-burst vintage Maton. (It's a nice guitar - it means yes.)

Keep an eye out for Flip's new book, The Cookbook Tour Europe, which comes out later this year. You can also catch Flip playing a free gig at Goodbye Blue Monday in Christchurch at 9pm on May 14, or head out to hear her play at Langdale Winery Restaurant on May 23 (phone 03 342 6626 for more information).