BeadStyle_Stacy

"simple quilt and patchwork projects for sewers" -- that is SO me!

My tip to new sewers: Take an old store-bought garment that doesn't fit any more and rip out all the stitches -- even the overcasting! Now contemplate the raw fabric and realize that store-bought clothes are made by cutting out shapes (like you've been doing since kindergarten) from fabric (just like the stuff you have in your own stash) that is stitched on a machine (that is fundamentally no different than your own) with human hands and minds (also fundamentally no different that your own). Have confidence that you CAN sew because millions of other people DO sew to create stores and stores filled with garments. Keep contemplating that raw fabric -- it means that sewing is not magic!

First off, let me say that your grandmother would be so proud to know that you have made a career out of the crafts that were her hobbies! Talk about a newfangled idea...

My grandma made elaborate quilts of her own design with whimsical themes: dinosaurs, motorized transportation, sheep, butterflies...The animal-themed ones she sometimes donated to our local zoo to be auctioned off. She didn't teach me how to quilt (she taught my mom who taught me), but she did teach me that something as functional as a blanket could also be art as well as a vehicle for charitable support.

Stacy
www.BeadStyleMag.com

But Mom, all the other pups are wearing wind breakers!

Now, this is what I call a high-fiber diet!

This time, the hair outran the tortoise.

What a perfect day for dreamweaving...

"Silly rabbit, knits are for kids!"

I absolutely agree that your craftions reflect your personality! I like to dabble in all kinds of crafts, and I especially enjoy finding ways to combine them. That's because, in any area of my life, I don't like to be pigeonholed or typecasted. I need to be free to create spontaneously in whatever medium I'm in the mood for without having people say, "But that's not what you do!" I also love creating functional items that serve a purpose in my home. That reflects my practical mind and my tendency to nest.

So I guess the moral of the story is keep creating, because no matter what you make, your craftions speak louder than words!

Stacy
www.BeadStyleMag.com