Where do I start?
I have a been a Stay at Home Mom since my eldest was 5 months old. She’s almost 14 now. My youngest is in first grade. When he started kindergarten friends would ask me what my plans are now. I replied that I just wanted to spend time in my sewing room. “Will you make that into a career?” they asked. “No,” I replied, “I have no idea how to do any of that, I just want to sew and create.”
Over the course of the year I grew. I stopped being a ‘lone’ quilter and joined guilds and sew-ins. Do you know that quilters are the nicest people ever? Seriously, I was so welcomed everywhere I went. It is a brilliant community, a place where I feel comfortable to create and share. I started thinking about pattern making. I do follow patterns here and there, but many times I just grab fabric and start sewing, do a little doodling on graph paper, some math and BAM, I have a quilt. I’ve never written any of it out, just made what I wanted and moved on to the next thought in my head. So I thought to myself, why not put the patterns to paper and create a book? I gave myself five years to accomplish this goal.
One night at a guild meeting, members were discussing some retreats they have been on or were planning to go to and someone mentioned Sew Pro. I asked them what that is.
In a nutshell, Sew Pro is a convention for members of the sewing community to learn how to create a business doing what they love. I researched it, discussed it with my husband, and mulled it over for some time.
Next thing I knew, I was flying to Chicago for a weekend by myself, for myself!
Hello, Chicago, nice to meet you!
I focussed on the classes that pertained to publishing and pattern design. They were all fanstastic and I learned so much! I made new, wonderful friends and I received fabulous advice from people in the quilting industry.
Earlier in my post I mentioned the welcoming quilting community I experienced when I first ventured out of my house. Well, I cannot begin to describe how welcomed I felt at Sew Pro, and noone embodied that sense of inclusiveness more than Pat Sloan, one of the keynote speakers. Pat walked table to table introducing herself before she spoke (like no one already knew who she was, right?) and she has remained active on the Sew Pro Facebook page sharing words of wisdom and cheering members on as they meet their goals and celebrate accomplishments.
It is in her honor that I created this, my first pattern that I am sharing here;
The pattern is paper piecing, finished size is a miniature 4.5 x 6.5 inch quilt. I used Pat Sloan’s HomeTown Girl Batiks. Perfect for decorating.
Or, you can send some holiday postcards.
(I very much want to mail these to someone! Leave a comment and I will pick two people to receive these)
The past few months have been a whirlwind. I’ve tried out some new things and some worked and some failed. I just tell myself that one day the ‘fails’ will be funny stories for me to tell as a keynote speaker at a future Sew Pro.
A bit of advice that I repeatedly heard at Sew Pro was “ASK.” Don’t be afraid to ask. Don’t be afraid to ask for exactly what you want.
Here I go, I am asking…
You’re about to see some of my quilt designs that I plan to create patterns for and put into an etsy shop in the new year. I’m asking all fabric designers reading here to look them over and think about showcasing one of your fabric lines with my pattern. I’m asking all pattern makers to think about being a tester for me. I’m asking distributors and publishers to consider my work. Contact me if you think we could work together.
Rainbow Twirls and Aurora Borealis
Star Flower and Patchwork Blocks
Valor, Jubilee, Ice, and Fall
I love how patterns can look so different just by playing with colors.
Wait…there’s more!!!
A couple of give-aways…
It would bring me so much joy to mail the two postcards I made. Leave me a comment here and I will randomly select two people on Saturday, November 19th.
As part of this blog hop, there is a Rafflecopter giveaway giving away three bundles of fabrics and patterns.
Please stop by all the other wonderful participants in the Sew Pro Blog hop. Everyone has so much to share.
Monday Nov 14
Lisa Peterson – https://lisaandlorelai.com/
Sherri Noel – Rebeccamaedesigns.com
Andi Stanfield – http://truebluequilts.com/
Brooke Gilbert – http://stitchedprintingcompany.com/p/blog
Tuesday Nov 15
Vanessa Behymer – https://vintagebarngirl.wordpress.com/
Pam Cobb & Lynn Rinehart – http://www.thestitchtvshow.com
Sherry Shish – www.poweredbyquilting.com
Joanne Kerton – www.canuckquilter.com
Lisa Nielsen – http://thequiltjam.blogspot.com/
Wednesday Nov 16
Carmen Ross – seecarmensew.com
Anne Beier – http://www.hudsonvalleyquilts.com/
Jessica Caldwell – www.desertbloomquilting.com
Pamela Morgan – mysweetlittlestitches.com
Thursday Nov 17
Maryanna Powell – www.marvelousauntiem.com
Cathy Smith – www.aquiltingchick.com
Lissa LaGreca – lovinglylissa.com <-That’s me!!!
Paula Mamuscia – https://creationsbypaulamamuscia.wordpress.com/
Angie Tackett – http://www.mystitchstory.com/
Friday Nov 18
Becca Fenstermaker – prettypiney.com
Holly Stockley – www.lighthouselanedesigns.com
Teri Seal – daymoonquilts.blogspot.com
Trinia Braughton – www.penguinfeats.com
Deanna Wall – https://www.stitchesquilting.com/
Oh, I’m going to ask one more thing before I go. This is my first blog hop and I have had so much fun. If you are planning a blog hop, please think of me, I would love to participate. I would also love to participate in any sew alongs that may be starting in the new year.
Lovingly,
Lissa