The craftsman of Uusikaupunki

It started with tarpaulins. More specifically, boat covers with windows, precise stitching and detailed corners. Sami Kunvik, from Uusikaupunki, wanted to learn how to make these.

In the summer of 2021, he decided to put his ideas into action. He acquired an industrial-scale sewing machine for his small workshop in Pajala and binged on instructional videos on YouTube to see how to make tarpaulins in practice.

“I wanted to do something with my own hands. I knew that making boat tarpaulins is difficult, but maybe that’s why I wanted to learn how to do it. The idea seemed somehow exquisite,” says Sami Kunvik.

 

 

In his day job as a supervisor at Valmet Automotive, Sami’s hands are busy at work mainly when typing on his keyboard, so he likes to get involved with something concrete in his free time. He has always wanted to see what he can make with his own hands – when he was a kid, Sami diligently observed his grandma, who enjoyed sewing and knitting and engaging in crafts whenever possible.

Sami inherited the passion for crafts from his grandma. As a teenager, he started repairing furniture and, a few years later, he spent his free time repairing old boats and selling them. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he grabbed a pair of knitting needles and made sweaters.

 

 

Sami inherited the passion for crafts from his grandma. As a teenager, he started repairing furniture and, a few years later, he spent his free time repairing old boats and selling them. During the COVID-19 lockdown, he grabbed a pair of knitting needles and made sweaters.

Working with his hands comes naturally to him and provides him with some counterbalance to his day job. His background as an engineer is also apparent in crafts, however.

“Handicraft usually involves some type of logic in the background. When you find the logic, it’s typically relatively simple to finish whatever you’re working on,” says Sami Kunvik.

Sami felt motivated enough about succeeding in making tarpaulins that he set up a company in autumn 2021. Pretty soon, his customers started inquiring after other types of services from the dexterous craftsman. People started carrying in the seats of various means of transport and, pretty soon, furniture.

Sami Kunvik approached the new items with his familiar style – he studied the logic behind them and learned the ins and outs of upholstery one stitch and staple at a time.

“I just jumped right in, learning through trial and error. There are some mistakes, but they are forgotten when I succeed on my second attempt. Or third,” he says with a laugh.

Since then, the craftsman’s small workshop has moved closer to the town centre, near the P.H. Virtanen antiques shop. At the moment, Sami’s workbench holds a recently upholstered retro couch, a cushion for a boat and the rear shelf of a 1960s Cadillac.

People have learned of the skilled craftsman by word of mouth and more and more customers are finding their way to the workshop.

“I’m here at the workshop three evenings every week, on average. And at weekends too, of course. You’re welcome here whenever the lights are on,” says Kunvik.

 

 

Although it may seem that working a second job in addition to a day job is stressful, handicraft is a hobby for Sami Kunvik. Or “just a little tinkering”, as he puts it.

“This gives me feelings of success. Getting to experiment on and learn new things feels wonderful. I like the feeling when a customer brings me a template or a broken item and I’m able to fix it. If the customer is happy, so am I.”

Sami Kunvik is not about to quit his day job. The craft projects provide a counterbalance to his regular job, and everything is going very well so far.

“Doing things with my hands is absolutely magnificent at the moment. If my livelihood depended on this, it could get too serious. My day job is work and this is a hobby that helps me think of something other than my job. For me, this combination is perfect,” says Sami Kunvik.