I've been sewing and crafting for as long as I can remember. But how did I get here on Etsy? How did I start this venture: From the Homestead?
Lets go back a few years, to 2008. I was unemployed and looking for ways to occupy my time. I made my husband a pair of bicycle shorts. Then I took apart his favorite work shirt, made a pattern out of it, and made two new shirts for him. Yes, I was pretty impressed with myself.
A friend was impressed too and she started telling people I could really sew!
I started doing some alterations and repair work and at the same time I started making things for my family for Christmas presents: pillows, pajama pants, pot holders, tea cozies. I thought some of these things turned out well and I decided to try making them to sell.
My first tea cozies were so boring! This whole business has been a learning experience as I taught myself how to make new things and how to make things much more interesting. My sister-in-law taught me how to make the tote bags I make. I pick up ideas for quilts all over the place. I saw a cute mouse pot holder in a friends kitchen and HAD to start making those!
Basically I tell people that I have sewing ADD - I'm always seeing new things I want to try and make. My booth at craft shows is packed with a dozen or so different kinds of things.
My business had a bit of delay in 2009 as we bought a run-down house and did a lot of work fixing it up. But first thing in 2010 I got back to work and opened up my Etsy shop. Then we bought a farm in 2016 and have been quite busy with that!

I love to use recycled fabrics when I can and I love it when I can start with a large piece of fabric and keep finding uses for it as it gets smaller and smaller. The same piece of fabric can show up in half a dozen projects and I can usually remember all the places it shows up.