ENCHANTED COTTAGE INDUSTRY: (Clockwise from
top left) Gnomes and toadstools adorn the Black Forest-themed Schwarzwalder Skirt; Kopacz’ infamous Cuckoo
Cabin; silk-screened skirt panels in progress.
some kind of place between growing and staying
small. Is that even possible?”
Hannah’s clothing is clearly well made, but
what jumps out is just how fun it all is. Skirts are
festooned with frisky gnomes, juicy green apples,
candy-colored tulips, and retro sunflowers — some
even feature removable squirrel brooches. With
such playfulness, it’s easy to see why Kopacz finds
the actual screen-printing to be the most relaxing
and enjoyable part of the design process.
“That folksy imagery really has a compelling
sense of history for me; it gives me a feeling of nostalgia for a past I don’t remember but wish I did,”
says Kopacz. “I always liked traditional folk handicrafts and clothing, things that were made by hand
with love, and loved. That kind of stuff gives me a
happy memory feeling, even if it’s not my memory.”
Kopacz’ affection for the handmade is shared by
many of her friends and family members (including
her boyfriend’s mom, who has her own page on
craftzine.com/06/kopacz
Hannah’s website called Made with Love by Grandma,
where the 80-something sells snail-shaped potholders and popsicle-stick purses). Her reverence
for old-school crafting is also evident in her popular
blog, Knick Knacks & Ric Rac, where she catalogs
her thrift-store finds, home improvement projects,
and endless sources of inspiration.
“I’ll see something that tickles my fancy, some
kind of cute doodad that will make me want to
sketch out a new design,” she says. “I have stacks
and stacks of sketches — like ten years’ worth —
which I keep in case I suddenly run out of ideas.”
But judging by what we’ve seen of Hannah
Kopacz so far, that’s just not likely. ×
See more images at
craftzine.com/06/kopacz.
Jenny Ryan is an L. A.-based writer, crafter, and event organizer
working on her first book, Sew Darn Cute, out next winter
from St. Martin’s Press. She drinks a lot of espresso.
