Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katia Fateeva. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Katia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I started selling my hand-tufted rugs through Etsy. My products usually were small, bright accent rugs, and the design process depended only to my imagination. After slowly selling 2-3 pieces at best for a few month, I was still struggling with making rugs all by myself, managing social media a working full-time. And then, I received my first commission request – it was huge area rug that had to be designed for a specific space, with clients referrals. When I said yes, I did not know how significantly the whole process of rug making will change. I have to say this was a dream-client, who had confidence in my designs and provided all details about the design of the space itself, so I could create truly unique piece just for them.
As for the process, I created yarn samples and color scheme that I continued to use from that point on. It helped me to chose colors for my future rugs, and also helped with client communications because I was able to provide color examples right away.
I also had to build a huge tufting frame. When you make a rug, you have to use a tufting frame to create a nice tension for the tufting cloth, so the size of the rug really depend on the size of this frame. Before this commission, I used small frame, and was only able to tuft small pieces. After building my big 6ft x 6ft tufting frame for this commission, I moved on to using this frame only, which gave the ability to be more creative with designs, shapes and sizes, and I am grateful for getting this commission and getting out of my comfort zone.
And last but not least, I got such a powerful response from the customer, that it helped me to gain confidence in what I do, and continue with even more passion (and experience).

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an owner of Fatfluff, and I create hand-tufted rugs, candle and candleholders. Besides rugs, I also make tufted mirrors, wall hangings and purses. As for many, quarantine was the time when I discovered my artistic abilities. I was always searching for ways to express myself through art, and during pandemic I finally got the time to do it. I saw tufted rugs on Pinterest. I am I-will-make-it-myself type of gal, so I got my first tufting gun, some yarn, cheap tufting cloth, and built my tiny little tufting frame. After some practice, I got pretty good at it. I learned Procreate and also really got into drawing future rug designs. Then, Fatfluff came as there was barely any space left in my apartment where there was not a rug. I started to create commissions, make rugs for particular designed spaces, and, of course, experiment with styles! I can say that my work does not depend on trends, it is more of trying to create something exclusive, making customers feel like it’s only them who own a particular piece of art I made.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It is a great question, because we live in Era of mass markets and over consumption. And it is hard for us, as a society, to distinguish between what we like and/or want to own vs. what is being sold to us through ads and social media. I think what we can do is to learn about mass production practices and ethics of big companies we give our money to, and compare it to small business practices, where more and more creates advocate for sustainability, dead stock materials use, and pay their workers good salaries. We really need to think twice about who we support and their reasons, and understand that by supporting small businesses and creative, we support communities, design freedom, work equality and artists independence.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Getting the feedback, especially in person. I had a couple of big artists markets, an to see genuine appreciation for you art really makes up for filing taxes as a small business :)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @fatfluffrugs

Image Credits
Taras Ivanitskii