I was tagged in the Around the World Blog Hop last week by Jennifer of Never Just Jennifer whom I met through the New Quilt Blogger Hop hosted by Beth at Plum and June. Jennifer's blog hop post can be found here - she's got a bunch of fun stuff going on on her site, including a new series called Mosaic Tuesday. It's great that she shares her design process by including photos of sketches in her posts. It's funny that one of the other people Jennifer tagged grew up in the house my husband, kids and I lived in until two years ago. Sometimes the bloggy world seems like a huge one and other times it seems small; it's fun meeting people far away as well as those down the street.
1. What am I working on?
Yikes. Well, in the past two days I've packed up a Halloween quilt that I designed for Sizzix and sent it off to be quilted, nearly finished the binding on my Fruit Ninja quilt (above), made two blocks for do. Good Stitches, and put a new 50 mm lens on my Canon. I also purchased a new skirt pattern, went to a Modern Quilt Guild meeting where we planned our QuiltCon Charity Quilt Challenge quilt, and made a pirate ship with my daughter out of materials from our recycling bin. Since I just finished up my August deadlines, I also made my schedule for the month of September and early October. I nearly always have a project going for Sizzix, and am also involved in the Supernova Friendship Swap and Modern Instabee.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hm. My work is varied. I love to create, so I tend to mix it up. For example, I might hand print fabric to use in a sewing project. I'll sew paper. I also have plans to incorporate more appliqué in my tutorials. Annabel's chicken costume, above, came together after a quick sketch. I never worry about whether my work is 'modern'. I have a degree in Modern Art History and I simply make what I like and what makes me happy. I love juxtapositions of saturated color, can find design inspiration in all sorts of places, and am content with the realization that still so much to learn. I tend to come up with my own designs and not work from patterns, but realize that there's much to be learned by following well-written patterns and tutorials, such as the string circle block that I did for the Modern Instabee Hive that I'm in. I'm not sure that entirely answered the question, but it's a surprisingly hard one!
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
For me, and for these two. I have always been driven to create and make things, and it's nearly as important to me as food. As a stay at home mom who had a career before kids, I also want Annabel and Colton to see me as a person who works and goes through the ups and downs of having responsibilities outside the home. They love coming into my studio to help me with something I'm passionate about. Blogging is great as it allows me to document what I make, share it with others, maintain friendships with other bloggers and propel my creativity forward in a way that wouldn't happen otherwise.
4. How does my writing/creating process work?
I go back and forth between working on the laptop to write and design and the more luddite methods of graph paper, colored pencils and my favorite pen of the moment. I like to color. Sometimes I pull fabric first, other times I have a pattern in my head and will design a quilt before I audition fabric. I always take photos before I write up tutorials and blog posts. Unless I'm on a deadline, I don't do one project from start to finish. Like many quilters, my studio is a zone of WIPs and project piles.
But enough about me! I have tagged two talented women with lovely blogs:
Marni Weaver of Haberdashery Fun was one of my first blog friends. We kept popping up in many of the same places — we joined the Pellon Projects design team the same week, do Riley Blake blog hops, and so forth. Marni is Canadian but moved to the States after getting a degree in fashion design. Her first job was working for Zac Posen in New York (think Project Runway), and I love that she has no fear of interfacing, zippers, bindings or vinyl. Her fun sewing projects and tutorials are often based on things she makes for her son and family. I encourage you to check out her blog if you haven't already!
Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft is one of the newest members of the Sizzix Design Team and it's always fun to see what she comes up with. Her tutorials are bright and cheery, and I enjoy her eye-catching color combos. She also has a small son who 'assists'; she shares his daily antics on Instagram. Apparently I tend to relate to people with small kids. All moms need camaraderie!
Thanks again to Jennifer for tagging me in this fun hop. I look forward to seeing how Marni and Nicole tackle these questions next Monday!
