A: I have one specific memory of hand stitching some barbie clothing that I had made to my barbie's body when I was a little girl. Another memory is from sometime during elementary or junior high when I raided my Meemaw's vintage fabric stash to make a simple patchwork doll quilt. I can't remember at what point in between those two memories I first started sewing on a machine but the crafty influence from my mom is undeniably the reason I started. She used to make my dresses for church, Halloween costumes, Christmas presents, and fancy pillows for our home.
My Meemaw gave me a Sears Kenmoore sewing machine as a wedding gift eight years ago and I've since sewn for myself and designed and sold product for Red Velvet's shop and online craft classes.
Q: Why do you love to sew?
A: I love being resourceful and using my creativity to personalize my own home. Sewing has been a way for me to make things that I love when I can't find anything in stores (or in my budget) as well as a way to pass on keepsakes in the form of quilts, clothing to my children. It's also provided me with the means to contribute to our family finances while staying at home with our young children. I love the way it ties me to so many generations of women and satisfies that strong creative urge to make things.
Q: What is your favorite thing you've ever made?
A: Easily my first large patchwork quilt. I was inspired by the colors of a vintage crazy quilt my SIL owned and gathered vintage and new fabrics for weeks before spending a good chunk of my Fall break cutting and sewing blocks together. It was the same weekend that we found out I was pregnant with our first child (Sebastian) so I like to attribute my desire to take on such a big project to hormonal changes! I still love the colors in my first big quilt and the uneven rows are charming. My daughter Ruby is shown on the quilt below...
Q: What is your favorite technique?
A: I'm really bad with following patterns and technical directions and I'm all over the short cuts when they present themselves! Is that a technique? Taking short cuts? I think it must be ;)
Q: What excites you about Home Ec?
A: I think I'm most excited that people will take their machines out of the closet for the first time in awhile and overcome their frustration/intimidation/insecurities with making it work for them... and have suddenly realized their reason to live. Or at least realized they can do it, too! I love feeling like we've introduced someone to their new favorite thing.
If you've always wanted to learn how to use that sewing machine you found at a garage sale or could use a few tips on how to get your button holes to turn out like they should, you should join us for Home Ec, a class designed to teach you how to enter the land of back stitching and squaring up with confidence. You'll get the skills you've always wanted and resources to become quite the innovative crafter/homemaker/business person/best Christmas present maker ever.
xoxo, Rachel
Blog: Smile and Wave
