Hello!
We have a guest today!
I am pleased to have Brooke @ AprilTwoEighty here on my blog today.
Brooke's blog is full of inspiration and color! I do love her modern take on quilting, as it pulls from quilting's traditional roots. Many of her projects are classic layouts, updated with amazing fabric choices. A few of Brooke's photos are used here with permission, but I definitely encourage you to head over to her blog and spend a bit of time there. You won't be disappointed!
May I say that another thing I like about Brooke is her style. She isn't shy with haircolor and she recently got an amazing tattoo. What a girl!
Randi: What inspires your work? Your "look" is so unique.
Brooke: I'm inspired by so much around me - I gather a lot of inspiration from music and arts. I'm very visual, so a lot of times when inspiration hits me for a quilt project, its because of a photo or video or place that I've seen. I'm often trying to turn those things into quilt blocks based on fabrics or colors or designs that I think "fit". I did that with my Caribbean inspired quilt (which I still need to work on!), and my Lady-like Hayley inspired quilt!
Sometimes I'm just inspired by the fabrics themselves - there are so many incredible designers out there making unique fabrics - I love a mix of modern with some vintage to keep it eclectic. I love Anna Maria Horner, I think her style is my favorite - I love the colors, prints, designs, the way the fabrics in her collections fit together. And she is one crafty lady!
I'm also constantly inspired by the amazing community of online quilters that I've been lucky to get to know via flickr, Pinterest, their blogs, and my blog!
Lastly, I'm super inspired by my friends and family who are constantly supporting my efforts and endeavors (like our latest venture is a local sewing lounge that a friend and I are opening next month! We'll be teaching classes, and selling fabrics & notions!). I am very lucky and blessed to have such a great support system near and far who are always pushing for me to create! Its always inspiring and a big self-esteem booster to hear them praise my jobs well done!
Randi: How do you find the time to sew/quilt/craft?
Haha, good question! I'm finding less and less time to sew/quilt/craft these days, although the to-do list is growing! Since I work a dayjob 9-5 Monday through Friday every week, have a busy home life taking care of our cats, and balancing my blog and housework; I tend to save my sewing projects for the weekends (with the occasional craft night during the week sometimes). I make a list every week of what I'd like to accomplish (errands, chores, and sewing!). I know that most times I won't be able to sit down and work on a project start to finish, so I just do a little bit at a time. I'm often easily distracted by, well, pretty much everything.. ;)
Randi: Tell us a little about setting goals to acheive your dreams.
I have to admit, I'm always setting goals for myself that are hard for me to keep up with, either from lack of time, funds, supplies, or motivation. But lately I've been trying to set goals seasonally. So far, this winter I've failed miserably at the goals for projects I wanted to finish this winter! I think its more reasonable for me to set smaller goals for myself, weekly or monthly, project by project. Its important for me to see the project as a whole, and remember that not everything has be finished quickly - sometimes not even at all! - Quilting for me is a process, and not to be rushed! Some of the time I'm working on projects for the fun of it, and not for the profit of it, so I'm not on a strict timeline.
As far as achieving my dreams - its all about hard work and determination. I think setting reasonable goals and realizing that not everything works out as planned is important. I have been very fortunate to fall upon our sewing lounge/shop in its beginning stages, as a partner, and while it isn't my own shop (I share it!), I realize it is an amazing step towards my larger dream. Its all about learning along the way and keeping your eye on the (future) prize!
Randi: When it comes to teaching others to sew--any advice?
Brooke: Teaching others to sew is such a wonderful thing - I was taught by my mother at a fairly young age. It is such a valuable skill to have and be able to pass along. The important thing to remember when teaching is that you have to know what you're talking about! Make sure you've practiced and made each project before you try to show someone else how to do it. Remember that there may be a learning curve amongst students, and be patient - not everyone catches on as quickly as others! Everyone learns differently, and everyone is creatively different, so its important to cater to each student. The absolute most basic thing to remember when teaching, though, is to have fun with it! Crafting and creating is a fun process!!
Thank you, Brooke!
Please feel free to leave comments for Brooke here in this post.
Have a great day!
