The first time I met Leya, she told me that she doesn’t just make one type of craft, but switches mediums frequently depending on her mood. Thus one day she’ll make obi belts, and the next she’ll construct collaged shadow boxes. The day after that? Oh, maybe she’ll start a really cute line of children’s clothing. And what floors me isn’t just that she does all of this stuff – but that she’s so freaking good at all of it.

I talked with Leya about moving to Philly, crafting, and community.

When did you move to Philadelphia?

I relocated to Philly just over a year ago. My then boyfriend, now husband, applied to a bunch of schools for his PhD and when it came down to choosing between schools in Boston, Durham, Philadelphia and a few other places I can’t recall, I voted for Philadelphia. There were lots of reasons it was my top choice. It has a great art and craft scene; it’s close to NY but a little more laid-back than NY; and one of my closest friends loved the city so much she had tattooed her Philly-affection on her forearm. That pretty much sealed the deal.

Why did you start Curious Bird?

I started Curious Bird in 2004 after moving from San Francisco to Winston-Salem, NC (another school-related relocation). I had lots of time on my hands and I was making stuff pretty much daily. Also, having always been a big thrift store shopper, I found North Carolina to have some of the best thrift stores around, so I decided to launch a site selling vintage clothing and house wares, along with my handmade creations. It was initially a big experiment that turned out to be lots of fun.

Can you describe the stuff you make?

I started out making mostly tote bags, wallets and home accessories sewn from vintage fabric I’d collected over the years. I also made a kazillion of my owl pillows, which I designed and created using wool felt and vintage fabric. Over the last year or two, I have moved away from making as many tote bags and started creating patchwork obi belts, along with one-of-a-kind mixed media shadowboxes and gocco printed card sets. I also just created a new line of infant and toddler clothing and accessories called Baby Bird…

More after the jump!

What are your favorite places in Philadelphia?

Any place with a photo booth. And Franklin Fountain is always nice.

What do you think about the Philly craft scene?

I’ve found it to be extremely supportive and helpful. There are tons of people with ideas, good ideas who are really making a go of it, but aren’t unavailable to take a moment to answer a question. The Art Star Craft Bazaar this year was a huge success and lots of local people were in attendance selling their crafts and volunteering their time. It’s a good community. I’m happy to be a part of it.

To see Leya’s crafts, stop by Art Star or Mew Gallery here in Philly, or visit her website.

Curious Bird
www.curiousbird.com