A new year, a new look to my Monday Morning Inspiration posts. Calling it now "Sew Inspiring" where you can meet some of the very inspirational crafters, sewers and artists right in your own neighborhood. Or in the next state. Or across the ocean. You get the idea.
Join me on Mondays to meet some inspiring artists. Want to be featured? Just send me an email...twopeasinapoddesigns at gmail dot com.
It is my pleasure to introduce to you today, the adorable Caroline from Sew Can She.
{Since the feature is called Sew Inspiring, can you tell me what inspired you to sew all the time and then start SewCanShe.com?}
It’s funny how life leads you in ways you would never expect. I cannot remember ever not sewing, I guess my mom taught me that young. My sewing machine got packed away for college however, and then I loaned it to my sister for a while. It wasn’t until I had babies that I decided to start sewing again. But then, I might have cracked had I not had sewing to escape into for a while each day. It was like I could sit down at the machine and my worries would fall away. It saved me. Then I started making pdf patterns and a little company started. But eventually I knew what I really wanted to do, and that was make a site where people could be surprised, delighted, and excited each day by a new sewing tutorial. And, where I could help all those great tutorials out there get noticed!
{What continues to inspire you each day and how do you keep your art fresh? Inspiration each day}
My daughter Chloe is my inspiration. She’s only 6 but she has more creativity in her little finger than an entire Hobby Lobby store! Really. I know you don’t believe me, you think it’s just the mom in me talking, but she blows me away. Someday she is going to really make something. I don’t know what yet, but you just wait and see.
{What 3 words best describe you?}
Dorky, creative, and stubborn. :)
{What could you not live without to get through each work day? Your phone/computer, sewing machine or your coffee?}
I know I should say computer because I am on it so much, way too much. But I have such an emotional tie to my sewing that I think I would die without a sewing machine. You’ll never catch me lovingly oiling and talking to my computer, but my sewing machine – all the time.
{What is the best part of your job as a designer?}
This is easy. Being a part of the online sewing/blogging community. All of the sewing, blogging moms and grandmas I have met have been so cool, so sharing, and so real.
{What advice would you offer to someone when it comes to living a creative life?}
Find what makes you happy. What makes the stress melt away. And what gives you a chance to share with others. Creative doesn’t have to be sewing or painting. It could be building robots.
{What can we expect to see from you in the coming year in terms of new projects and design?}
Funny, just today my sister said to me ‘the ideas you have next year will be completely different from the ideas you have today.” I hope that’s true. I don’t want to ever get stuck focusing on the same thing for too long. So, we’ll just have to see!
Thanks Caroline for a peek into your inspiring self! Be sure to visit Caroline at Sew Can She for great sewing ideas everyday.
Making gifts for others is one of my favorite things about sewing (one of the reasons I wrote an entire book on the subject of gift giving).
February is the month of LOVE and to celebrate, I designed this free tutorial to make the Hearts on Fire Hot Pads. You'll find all the details over on the Olfa website right here. The heart is actually a pocket for your hands and makes this more of an oven mitt.
Thanks to Dear Stella for providing the Kiss the Cook fabrics and The Warm Company for the Insulbright interfacing. As always, thank you to Bernina USA - I sew with a B580 and it makes sewing a breeze!