Hi! My name is Krista. Welcome to my blog! You will learn a little about me and maybe pick up a tip or two every time we get together. I’m not an expert, but I've been teaching quilting classes for a couple of decades now, and I’m itching to pass on all the tricks I've learned over the years. I hope this will become an extension of your quilting community.
I have loved to sew as long as I can remember. My parents enrolled me in sewing lessons at eight years old, after they discovered I’d been sneaking off to the sewing machine while everyone else was sleeping. My mom was convinced I would sew through my hand, and she did not want to be there when it happened. I floated out of that first sewing class thinking the heavens had parted and my whole life made sense.
I am dyslexic and even at eight years old stumbling through school books day after day made me feel foolish. The drive to create sent me into the uncharted waters of success on a little boat called “I can do anything”. I couldn't read pattern directions so I never used them. This helped develop my young mind to figure out better and faster ways to do almost anything with a sewing machine. My dad would proudly wear the horrendous shirts I sewed for him, telling those who commented, "my daughter made it special for me." I really owe him for supporting my creative journey.
After teaching for so many years, I get asked many of the same questions. Some are simply answered and others require more explanation. I am notorious among friends for hating to write (remember the whole dyslexia thing), but I figured I could really help a lot of quilters if I just started somewhere. I love to teach, I always have. I taught my first kid's sewing class when I was 12! The lightbulb moments are the best when you see a student grasp a concept and proceed with the confidence they didn't have ten minutes ago. That’s what I hope to do here. I want to show you everything I’ve learned over the years and maybe even tackle new questions and I can learn something new too. I’ve done everything from wedding dresses to upholstery and all manner of quilting techniques. Believe me, there are many techniques in the sewing world which are a great addition to any quilter's tool belt.
I will tackle challenging techniques with tutorials including step-by-step directions. And, I've even started to write out directions for some of my patterns. If the demand is there, I may break out my video camera. I will also post what I've been working on lately, though I have more ideas than time. If you would like to join my creative journey, I will share with you what I am learning. As I teach, I see faces light up with excitement as they discover talents they didn't know they had. I believe we can do that with this blog, and you can take that first step as a new quilter or start that project you've always been too intimidated to tackle.
Please ask me your questions and let me help you. Don’t hesitate to jump right in, send me your questions. Recently, I walked a new mom though the process of making her first quilt, and how to clean it :) ...that’ll be necessary soon. What a joy it was to help her realize that small dream!
I may not be teaching in your area, but don’t let a little thing like that get in the way! Subscribe, bookmark, follow, favorite or whatever else you do to stay in touch. I’d love to hear from you.
So join me. I can always use another quilting friend, and I bet you can too!
Cheers!
Krista
My First Quilt (don't look too close!)
