When did you first start sewing and how did you learn?
I sewed a little when I was younger, but started to sew regularly in college. I studied apparel merchandising and fashion design and sewing was all part of it.
Can you remember the first thing you made?
A skirt. It was a Calvin Klein pattern, and as I usually do, I had to buy the most expensive wool and lining fabrics, even though I'd never sewn a piece of clothing in my life. It was a disaster.
Do you have any favourite pattern designers or celebrity sewers?
My favorite quiltmaker is Denyse Schmidt, Anna Maria Horner is an amazing designer. I love really improvisational sewers- those who work with color, fabric, and ideas as it hits them and just goes with it. Not easy to do!
What's your sewing room like and how do you organize your stash?
My studio is in our basement. A few years ago we cleared it out, painted it white, and I moved down there to spread out. I love it down there, it gets used every day. It's a well-loved room and it shows. In fact, it's going to be getting a bit of an overhaul soon... new paint and desk/work table configurations.
What music/podcasts/TV shows do you love to stitch along to?
I often relisten to This American Life episodes, I also listen to my friend Abby Glassenberg's While She Naps podcast. I also rewatch lots of movies and TV series.
Do you do any other crafts and what are your hobbies?
I do a little of everything. My first love it quilt making and up cycling fabrics into new quilts (like this one, made from men's dress shirts), but I also love remaking thrift shop finds of all kinds. I crochet, knit, and seem to always have something in my hands. Lately I'm practicing needle turned appliqué.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
My book, Wise Craft: Turning Thrift Shop Finds, Fabric Scraps, and Natural Objects into Stuff You Love is out and available at bookstores now. You can read more about it and see some of the projects behind it here and on my blog.
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