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Unique gig
By SHERYL KAY LUTZ -- Even with an ever-present needle in hand, Terri Hearne, 51, says she's not big on sewing. "I can do buttons, and I can hem, but I'm not a seamstress," said the stay-at-home mom and home schooling educator from Lutz. "There's something utilitarian about sewing, something procedural. What I do, crewel embroidery, that's more artwork." So when her son Travis, 17, asked her to decorate his guitar strap with her needlework, Hearne was up for the challenge. "He had bought this beautiful Dakota acoustic guitar, inlaid wood, just exquisite, and it had this dorky green strap," Hearne said. "It was just a 2-inch plain polypropylene strap, and my needle went right through it, so I did him a strap all free hand, with leaves and flowers." Within weeks, Travis' musician friends had taken note of the distinctive strap. Several came knocking on Hearne's door. "I looked on the Internet and found tile decals, house trims, wallpaper, and I found I could replicate, within a smaller framework, a lot of patterns," she said. Before she knew it, she had given away half a dozen beautifully embroidered guitar straps. "I wasn't thinking in business terms then," she said. "But then I realized people were willing to pay for them." And pay they did. In the past year Hearne has sold dozens of one-of-kind straps, ranging in price from $20 to $200. "The price really depends upon the amount of time I work on the strap," she explained. "There are times that I work on a strap and I won't get the money back, but that's okay because someone really likes it, and that feels so good. I just write off the time. . . . It's worth it to me." Originally she decorated 2-inch straps; now Hearne sticks exclusively to the 3-inch variety. "It's like working on a small canvas -- the smaller it is, the less work you can do," she said. "If you have a bigger strap, you have a bigger canvas, so you can have a bigger vision." She begins each strap by picturing the finished product. Then, using a variety of fabrics, she sets about making that image a reality. First she covers the face of the polypropylene strap with a base cloth, and often covers that with different colored mesh materials to create a contrast for her needlework. She then decorates the strap with embroidery, many times including beading, fringes, leather lace and metal conchos. Her designs range from flowers to stars, from Western motifs to shimmering lake effects. There is even a patriotic strap created after Sept. 11. When the decoration is complete, Hearne applies a backing to each strap and applies color-coordinated paint to the leather button tabs that attach the strap to the guitar. She mixes her own paint, creating vibrant, one-of-a-kind colors. Hearne is developing a Web page that will highlight her straps, and she recently began showing her creations at local art festivals. - Do you have a neighbor who belongs in the newspaper? Please let us know. We're looking for people who have done remarkable things, but might not otherwise be featured in our news pages. Please send your idea -- including where the person lives -- to sokol@sptimes.com.
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From the Times |
