The Wednesday Showcase

It just occurred to me that I have an anniversary coming up...my very first ever blog post was written on October 20, 2009. Wow, 8 years ago! Eight...years...ago, it's rather sweet to think back about that day. I've told the story before, but it was my acupuncturist who encouraged me to begin doing something to share what I do. She was/is always so taken with whatever I wear to my appointments. I had met a woman from Austin at a knitting retreat who talked about her blog. Curious, I checked it out and decided to give it a try. Scared half to death, I had no idea what I was doing, or what I should say. 

The first rule of writing is to write what you know. That first post was about flying, not a word about sewing, or making. It felt safe. 

In 2010, I wrote a whopping 13 blog posts. But, good things happened that year, I was published in Threads magazine, and featured in a magazine published by Threads entitled, Teach Yourself To Sew. 

The best part of it all, connecting with so many of you :) From time to time I receive some of the most inspiring emails telling me how I have touched your life, inspired you, or just to encourage me to keep going. From the very bottom of my heart, 

THANK YOU! 

Someone who has been a part of my sewing/creative journey is Becky of Trial Balloons. A wonderfully creative woman, I initially met her when I decided to take the plunge and participate in the Passion For Fashion competition at the American Sewing Expo. The contest was set up like a mini Project Runway Competition. We received our challenge on Saturday morning, and given $100 for materials. We then had until 7 that evening to work on our designs. The next day, we worked until 3 when our models returned for fittings. We had just an hour to make changes and then the judging would begin. Becky was our mentor, a.k.a., our Tim Gunn :) She has an incredible talent of being able to pull creativity out of a person who is under pressure.

As I drove to Kalamazoo last week to do the presentation and class for the American Sewing Guild group, Becky crossed my mind. You know how your mind wanders when you are driving and alone. I thought of the competition, Becky, and wondered how she was doing. And then, to my very pleasant surprise, she walked into the evening meeting! And even better, I found out that she would be taking the bag class the following day. It was during the class that I found out that she has a blog, Trial Balloons. Lucky me, lucky you! Be sure to check out her "About Me" profile for an explanation of the title of her blog.

So, here's Becky and me with her fabulous bag.

Becky pays such close attention to detail, like the bias trim on the inside of her vest below.

You'll find a wonderful tutorial about how to make a button band HERE. 

Check out this fabulous t-shirt. The inset is not a stripe. She actually pieced the design! 

Becky is a very prolific knitter. I have never seen anyone who can get something out of 1 skein of yarn better than she can. Be sure to scroll through the blog and check out all of her lovely knits.

As I scrolled through her blog, I came upon this dress that she did while on retreat at Design Outside the Lines. I loved the piece and then I read her story. It is so heartfelt, and something that many, if not all can relate to. You can find her story HERE.     

Becky loves to walk along the shores of Lake Michigan and collect stones. Love what she does with them.

I competed 3 times in the Passion For Fashion contest. Never won. The best I did was to win the People's Choice award for the piece below,

And 3rd Place for the Kiss inspired piece below. Look closely and you can see Becky in the background holding up the poster that was my inspiration.

But all in all, the best gift I was given was this small little stone from Becky.

The last time I participated in the contest, Becky had a stone for each of us, and she shared a story about expectations that has remained with me. The stone reminds me to pause and just enjoy the moment rather than being disappointed when things don't turn out as I had hoped. 

I'll leave you with this today;