From casual blogger to small business owner it seems like the Sometimes Crafter brand has come a long way in the ten years it’s been around. A few years ago there was a popular movement to pick a word/phrase for the year that you would use to live by. I think I picked ‘breathe’, because it was a time in my life where I needed to remind myself to take a deep breath. I’ve thought a lot about that concept of picking a word to live by and I think if you were to ask me what my word is today it would be ‘mindful’. It seems like a buzzword these days, but it is really how I try to live my life and operate my business. Another good phrase is ‘with purpose’.
Whether it’s designing quilting patterns or quilting a client’s quilt, everything is done mindfully and with purpose. No shortcuts are taken, or detail left out, everything is created with the utmost care and consideration.
Whether it’s designing quilting patterns or quilting a client’s quilt, everything is done mindfully and with purpose. No shortcuts are taken, or detail left out, everything is created with the utmost care and consideration. I have been sewing for 30 years, taught by my mother who was a seamstress, and because of such have learned a great deal about the ins and outs of garment sewing. Although today my love of sewing is geared towards quilting, the same lessons still apply. Twelve years ago I took my quilting a step further and began using a longarm. It allowed me to be creative in a whole new way. I love those moments when the quilting really makes the quilt. When I am working on a client quilt I am always mindful of the amount of time they put into it and take the utmost care with their beautiful piece. Every quilt is treated as if it will go on to be a cherished heirloom. From pressing, to squaring to working with awkward pieces, all quilts are treated as though they are precious.
For too many years I watched beginning quilters struggle to get through patterns and spent a lot of time rewriting instructions for others to follow. That’s when Sometimes Crafter Patterns was born, out of a desire to create easy to follow patterns with beautiful design.
The same mindfulness goes into creating patterns. For too many years I watched beginning quilters struggle to get through patterns and spent a lot of time rewriting instructions for others to follow. That’s when Sometimes Crafter Patterns was born, out of a desire to create easy to follow patterns with beautiful design. I pride myself on creating instructions that are thorough, yet to the point, so that every step is understood without getting bogged down in too much detail. Diagrams are clear and concise, as well as plentiful. My patterns also come with unlimited email support – I never want a pattern to go unmade because instructions don’t make sense, or a miscut was made along the way. I’m always ready to help.
I can’t imagine a year without a visit to Moab, Utah. I not-so-secretly hope to convince my husband to move there one day.
Writing patterns and quilting client quilts does take up a good portion of my days, but i’m more than just the business. I live on a few acres in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and our son. I homeschool my son, and we’re pretty casual about it, although math is priority one every day. Until recently we had a couple of sheep, but for now we are down to our ducks and goose, who keep us very entertained. We also added honeybees, which always have us on our toes. I love geology (and in fact went to school to be a hydrogeologist), road trips and hiking our nation’s beautiful geology. I can’t imagine a year without a visit to Moab, Utah. I not-so-secretly hope to convince my husband to move there one day.
Subscribe to my newsletter to get blog updates in your inbox each time I post (below or in the sidebar). I don’t post frequently, but when I do it’s usually full of beautiful photography or wonderful stories. For more of the day-to-day going on’s follow me on Instagram. Besides quilting I love to share the antics of our flock of birds and photos of our snuggly kitties. Looking for a great pattern? Checking out my store. In need of some quilting? Read all about my pricing and see examples of my work under Quilting in the navigation menu.
Updated