Our Story…

Located just outside of Portland, Oregon, Hot Skwash® is a family-run business dedicated to bringing joy and beauty into peoples' lives. Daria Knowles, the founder, earned a degree in Art History, Classics and Humanities from the University of Arizona in 1991.  Supporting her husband through his graduate studies, Daria rapidly rose to Director of an art gallery in Denver, Colorado.  For five years before starting her family, she was responsible for running the gallery:  selecting artists, hosting openings, and running day-to-day operations.  Later, as a stay-at-home mother, Daria continued her creative interests by sewing and knitting. Her passion for fabrics in particular led her to designing and constructing beautiful purses with fine silks, linens, suedes and velvets.  

In 2002, Daria came across a gingham holiday pumpkin with a crude stem at a gift store.  She knew this could be transformed into something incredible with the right fabrics and colors.  After creating velvet pumpkins for several years, friends, family and clients encouraged Daria to grow her creative talents and start her own small business.  As popularity rose for the pumpkins, Daria recruited friends and neighbors to join her at the kitchen table to help with the  demand.   Employing stay-at-home moms who share the same passion for the pumpkins helps connect Hot Skwash to its roots-combining creative passion with family.  Daria founded Hot Skwash, LLC, in 2008.  Her keen eye for color, texture, and shape gives each treasure its own personality.  Working with local farmers, Hot Skwash harvests unwanted pumpkin and squash stems and recycles them into unique accents for the home.  Each fanciful stem is hand signed in gold lettering, “Daria.”  May Hot Skwash bring joy to you and your family for years to come.

Go to our blog, velvetpumpkins, for more pictures and news and musings.

Find out about past special events here.