Twenty years ago I got a part time job in a sewing and craft store coordinating their educational classes. I worked with the teachers to get samples made and displayed in the store to promote sign-ups for the classes. One day as I working a lady came up and without any introduction told me quite bluntly, "You need better samples!"

At that point I could have been appalled at her directness toward someone else's work, and been rude in responding. But for some reason that day I chose another path. I thanked her and asked if she had any ideas where I could get them...and wouldn't you know, that moment changed my life! It turned out that she owned the largest distributor of heirloom sewing supplies in the country. She was in town visiting her daughter during chemo treatments for her cancer.

That was the beginning of a wonderful relationship. She not only gave me better samples for the classes I was trying to organize, but she taught unbelievable classes and shared skills and tips from a lifetime of learning. None of us who knew her during that time have ever been the same. She taught me how to see tiny details and the difference they make. That lesson stays with me today, you can see her in all of the things I create. But the most important lesson I learned from her wasn't about sewing at all. She taught me to enjoy life while you have it, because there are no re-dos.

I started sewing for my dolls on a treadle sewing machine when I was 11 years old. Over the years I have done everything from wedding gowns to leather horse show shirts.

I found the most fun people to sew for are kids. Their eyes light up and they smile from ear to ear! One little boy's mother told me he went running through the house yelling, "My choo-choo train, my choo-choo train" when he received his shirt. To me there is nothing more gratifying than making a child happy!

After my daughter struggled with and beat cancer 10 years ago, birthdays seem a little more important. So far I have been privileged to be part of more than ten thousand birthdays, and it just keeps getting better!