I've always dreamed of having a store. When I was little I use to fold my shirts on cardboard, like I saw the employees at Gap do, during an outing into the city on our family road trip from Alaska down south. My childhood memories are dotted by sewing projects that took over the dining room table. My dad would sew new upholstery for his airplane's and my mom would rotate between mending or costume making. I grew up in Alaska, so hand sewing, quilting & a naturally thriftiness for reusing everything & anything are just a part of how I learned to do things.

But I left the Alaska for college, meet a boy from California & somehow got tied up in advertising. Making TV commercials & print ads became my daily grind and it wasn't until I was 7 months pregnant when walked into a fabric boutique and my heart re-connected with my hands. I had the most intense desire to begin creating things again. I'd always been a crafty kid, my best girl friend is still annoyed that shopping with me sounds like this "don't buy it i'll help you make it."

There I was, super pregnant and all I could think is - I NEED TO SEW - something, anything. So I bought fabric, came home and designed my first quilt pattern, in excel. I know, there is surely an easier way, but I was too intimidated to ask. The quilt, although I stitched it with an 1/8" sew and no top quilting, I know ridiculous, right? But this little quilt is still on my daughter's bed.

Most of my sewing has been just like this - I want to make something so I try it. I am a self-taught sewista, mistakes are my best teachers & I've found that sewing with kids around is a great way to quickly become more forgiving - it's hard to be a perfectionist when you only have a few minutes to focus - I call this combat sewing.

About 3 years ago I became a certified life coach, which led me to have the confidence to sew more, which led me to see that sewing is more than an art form, it's a way of life.

I began sketching my business plan and ordering my first fabrics in Oct. 2011. I select fabrics that inspire me. I believe that each of us has a gift. My hope is that I can inspire someone to believe more deeply in themselves and their own ability to create something beautiful.

The mission of SEW INSPIRED is to support creative individuals who crave creating colorful stories one stitch at a time.