Hello – My name is Kayla Gottfried.
I’m a mother of two with a love for teaching, crafting and spending time with my family. Also, I can’t deny some of my favorite guilty pleasures, including “Big Bang” TV series, cookie dough by the spoonful, my cats and online shopping.
Growing up, I spent hours with my grandmother – who grew up on the Grand Ronde reservation in Oregon – sitting around a table covered with full hide leather, sinew and sewing needles. She was determined to teach all of us grandchildren how to hand-make moccasins the traditional Native way. I cherish those memories and think of my grandmother with every pair I make.
In 2009, I nervously asked my grandma what she thought about me selling moccasins for little feet — I did not want her to think I didn’t value our family’s traditional ways. I was so relieved when she let out her infectious laugh and said, “Honey, that’s what Natives always did, we used what we had.” With her blessing, I started my labor of love, Wild Blackberry Moccs.
When my husband and I had our first child, I couldn’t wait to get a pair of moccasins on our son’s cute little feet. Now with two crazy littles, I’ve perfected my moccs for infants and toddlers, using leather, suede, Pendleton® and wool with a variety of designs – I hope your tots enjoy them as much as ours do!