Imagine. Create. Inspire.

So today started as many of my days off do: cleaned house and did the laundry. Then with every surface in my home squeaky clean, I retreated to my office with my cup of coffee and a contented sigh. I decided to dive into some projects that have been "in process" for awhile and much to my satisfaction, accomplished much.

I found myself either finishing projects or getting as much done as I could before I had to take another run to the store and get more of something.:) So, I came down to this project: Alien #16, mine. Admittedly, I had lost momentum on this when I misplaced the perfect button that I had set aside. Though I had resigned myself to using something else, it wasn't the same. And then, a few days ago, the original button showed up under my couch. I have no idea how it got there, but was quite ecstatic to find it. And so, with the button in hand, I went ahead and finished the last one.:) Introducing: THE ALIENS.

And....the button, the losing of which caused me so much angst.....

So now you see how, with the glitter around the outside edge, that button was the perfect button because it was just too galaxyish.:)

At certain points in all our lives, we're struck with a fancy that is likely nothing short of ludicrous. My life is no different and such a fancy struck not that long ago. Shortly before this fancy struck, I had given the rapidly approaching Christmas little thought. I knew I would likely be assigned the name of a family member, given suggestions as to what to do, and would take care of it before I flew out for the family Christmas. No big deal.

And so....it was just a few weeks before Christmas that "the fancy" struck. I had recently seen the cutest line of patterns. Most are stuffed animals and other "critters" that are adorable, however the one that stood out to me was the "that's so ridiculous and weird, it's cute" stuffed alien. Recognizing that I have siblings who enjoy fantasy and sci-fi, I'm sure that this fancy struck many memories and "the alien" was almost instantly endeared to my heart.

The Fancy began: it started with taking the pattern home, with the intention to make one for my younger brothers.....but wait, if I make one for them, my older brother will want one.....and if I make one for him, my oldest brother will want one....and if I make one for him, his wife will want one.....and if I make one for them, their kids will want one.... This thought process continued and it was as this point that maybe my thought should have been "Too bad. Life's not fair." Instead, I went through all members of the family (which is not small) and before I knew it, The Fancy (taking the form of 16 aliens) had been conceived. The birthing process took a little longer.

The first task was pulling together the fabrics for each individual alien. I knew that some assembly line processes would work later on, but when putting the colors together, I found myself working on just one at a time. This was one of the most enjoyable steps in the process. It didn't matter if the greens didn't match exactly, or if I put stripes with polka dots because they were aliens after all! With each fabric I chose, a little character was added and each developed a personality. And just like the little child who dumps the box of crayons in order to find exactly the right color, I quickly had quite a bit of my fabric stash on the office floor. For all of you (I know you're out there) who believe that my home is always clean and tidy, this picture is for you.:)


The next stage was cutting them out and fusing the applique. This was much easier to assembly line and went fairly quickly. Unfortunately, this was also the stage at which reading the directions IN FULL would have saved me quite a bit of time. I found later that instead of cutting out all the alien limbs (legs, arms, and antennae) the instructions said to trace them and then sew them. It was at this point that a few other creative minds stepped in and suggested that instead of following the directions, why not use embroidery software to digitize the limbs, which would allow me to use my embroidery module to sew them out. Oh so much easier!!!


So with all the limbs sewn and turned, I turned my attention to stitching down the applique and stitching in the details. This was a slightly more tedious process, but one color at a time, it got done. In the directions, details were hand stitched. I briefly considered this, but when reality set it, I realized that time was not on my side for such a plan. So instead, I dug up some heavier cotton thread and stitched the details with a triple straight stitch. Worked like a charm and was much more time efficient!


Next was putting all those bits and pieces together. It took some doing to get everything placed right, lest I have an alien whose leg was coming out its side, but it got easier the more I did. I would give each alien a button belt buckle, sew the pieces together, stuff him/her, and sew them shut. Viola! An alien was born! I did run out of ploy-fil at one point had to stop to pick up some more. It's been so long since I used poly-fil, I have to admit I didn't even know it came in a bag that large!


Thus, The Fancy was birthed and resulted in 16 adorable alien babies, each unique with a quirky personality. It was quite literally days before Christmas when the last ones were born, but it did get done. I added a tag, some ribbon, and some wrapping paper, and the alien invasion stealthily crept beneath the Christmas tree. While they greeted some rather perplexed persons when opened, they were a hit overall; indeed, it was hard to get anyone to share long enough for others to see what some of the other aliens looked like. There was a great deal of satisfaction in watching my youngest niece carry hers around for the rest of my visit and in finding out that several of the new alien parents had taken theirs to bed with them. And so, my harebrained fancy resulted in much joy and many smiles, which made all the (at times tedious) work entirely worth it.

For those of you out there who have worked at quilt shows, you know that it is usually a good idea to wear comfortable shoes. Convention centers and fairground buildings typically have flooring that is just not that friendly on the feet. However, those of you who know me well also know that I'm not usually caught at work anytime not wearing dress shoes. Those of you who know me really well know that I have a pair of black heels that I wear constantly with slacks, skirts, or dresses. And, those of you who know me really, really well have seen me in tennis shoes a few times when I'm running. All that goes to say, I do alternate shoes sometimes if one pair starts to bother me, but I've been known to wear that one pair of black heels several days in a row, even at a show.

So true to form, the two days that I spent working out at a show this weekend, I wore my black shoes. I've lost count of how many comments I've gotten in the last few days about the shoes I wear. In fact, one of these days someone is going to go and buy me a pair of tennis shoes and bring them to work. It's not that I don't own tennis shoes, I just don't wear them often. I suppose most of that is because I don't dress for tennis shoes. However, more than that, those black shoes are more comfortable than most of my other shoes! Hmm....I might just have to think about giving the black shoes a rest.....just for everyone else's feet that start hurting when they look at them.:)

I recently took a road trip during which “inspiration” seemed to be the theme. I thought on it much of the twelve hour drive out, much while I was there, and more while I was driving back. So what is inspiration? Where does it come from? These are some of my thoughts from my trip.


What is inspiration? A dictionary definition of “inspire” includes, “to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence; to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc.; to influence or impel.” A dictionary definition of “inspiration” includes, “something inspired, as an idea; a thing or person that inspires.” So, inspiration is an idea or thought that is aroused or ignited by something or someone that is motivating in some way.


Where does inspiration come from? In my industry, some of the more common places to find inspiration are from books, patterns, sewing stores, and quilt shops. However, in any creative endeavor there are an infinite number of sources for inspiration. Something I’ve always enjoyed is hearing/reading the stories about the inspiration behind a creative work. One may be inspired by a person who encourages an idea or pushes creative thinking. One could be inspired by something they see, such as a beautiful landscape, or something they see only in their mind’s eye. One may also be inspired by an idea; something that is not tangible but exerts strong influence. Lastly, one may be inspired by a combination of these, or something that doesn’t quite fit into any of these categories. I personally have been inspired by everything from pictures I’ve seen, to the abstract concept of the coming of Spring after Winter.


As somewhat of a side note, I would greatly encourage the recording of inspiration. I have only recently begun doing this and I advocate it now for several reasons.


1) Sometimes something inspires us and yet we do not have the time to act on the inspiration right that second. If you capture that moment, record those thoughts, etc., you will be able to revisit those inspirations when the right time comes.


2) Often, what begins as our inspiration will change and evolve throughout the creative process. That’s okay. Let it. But, record those changes and document how a piece came to life. As I said, this has only recently become a habit I try (and fail sometimes) to practice and honestly we all have pieces that we just do with little to no inspiration driving us. But, I have not regretted a single one of my “Inspiration Journal” entries simply because they each document a creative journey.


3) This may cause a few of you to chuckle, but it is one of the more practical applications. Inevitably, artists are often asked questions like, “What was your inspiration for this piece?” and “How long did this piece take?” I personally have been asked questions like this so many times. While we, as the artists, can often remember most of the major points about a piece, I know that many times I’ve been asked a question that I simply can’t remember the answer to and it’s my own work for goodness sake! So, I have found that the act of documenting the journey really cements those details and I have an even greater appreciation for the finished product.


So, why do I bother to share these rather lengthy thoughts? In spite of the fact that we are all surrounded by sources of inspiration each and every day, I know from firsthand experience that we sometimes allow ourselves to get so caught up in our daily lives that we miss them. My goal is to take the time to notice that sources of inspiration are all around me and to encourage you to look for them as well. Make a point to notice the colors in a sunset or a single flower, to talk to those who can inspire you, and to allow a pattern printed on a piece of fabric to take you where it will. Inspiration starts as a spark and turns into a journey. Enjoy each and every minute of it.

Welcome to my blog! It has taken some convincing, but I’ve finally taken the time to join the blogging world. I have created this blog in order to help keep everyone updated on both the twists and turns of my life and my creative adventures.

I work in the sewing/quilting and sewing machine industry. In the past years, I have worked as a sales person presenting Bernina sewing machines and serving as a teacher and lecturer. Currently, I am independent and have been doing contract work, and I travel to various sewing shows and work for/with Bernina dealers. However, I am currently pursuing a possible change in what I’m doing. Future updates on that.

I have been sewing for about 15 years now. It is a hobby I am passionate about and that I thoroughly enjoy passing on to others. One of my favorite things about teaching is the look on students’ faces when they discover they can do something they never thought they could. It’s like discovering it all over for myself. I haven’t yet met up with a technique that I haven’t liked, and I love the process of learning new things. I am blessed to be in an industry where I am surrounded by people with whom I am able to build mutual learning relationships.


Stay tuned in for future updates and tidbits about my life!