I started sewing when I was 5. My mom folded a piece of felt in half, and taught me how to slip stitch it closed to make a sleeping bag for my baby doll. I was hooked. As I got older, I would try almost anything my mom did. Once she drew my name in pencil "x"es, and taught me my first embroidery moves, and then helped me to make it into a pillow for my bed. By the time I was twelve, although I was too big to "play" with my baby dolls, I still made them impressive wardrobes.
I took a home ecc class in high school, where I got some tips on reading patterns, and fell in love with Bernina sewing machines. I still watched what my mom was up to, and would try anything new. Also during this time I've dabbled in drawing and painting, my favorite mediums being colored pencils, pen and ink, and watercolors. I started quilting about 6 years ago, but found it was hard for me to keep to the rigid rules that are essential to nice and neat rows.
As I got more confident, I found I could look at things and figure out how they were put together. Since then, I find myself using my kid's clothes as guides, and designing my own patterns. This summer, I began refashioning some of my old shirts into blouses for my older daughter.
Each of these efforts have been expressions of exploring and honing the talents I feel God has given me. I believe we are here on earth to learn and grow in families. The things we learn and understand, our creative minds, are what we bring with us in the next life. If I can help my children embrace the talents they have been given, while improving on my own, we all benefit.
One of my all time favorite quotes is from a very wise man.
"Do you want a spirit of love to grow in the world? Then begin within the walls of your own home. Behold your little ones, and see within them the wonders of God, from whose presence they have so recently come."
Gordon B. Hinckley
Here is a more recent quote from another wise man specifically about creating:
"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before...Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty...Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter...The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
It is my hope that sharing my adventures in sewing and creating will spark your own journey to create and express your divinely given talents.
I took a home ecc class in high school, where I got some tips on reading patterns, and fell in love with Bernina sewing machines. I still watched what my mom was up to, and would try anything new. Also during this time I've dabbled in drawing and painting, my favorite mediums being colored pencils, pen and ink, and watercolors. I started quilting about 6 years ago, but found it was hard for me to keep to the rigid rules that are essential to nice and neat rows.
As I got more confident, I found I could look at things and figure out how they were put together. Since then, I find myself using my kid's clothes as guides, and designing my own patterns. This summer, I began refashioning some of my old shirts into blouses for my older daughter.
Each of these efforts have been expressions of exploring and honing the talents I feel God has given me. I believe we are here on earth to learn and grow in families. The things we learn and understand, our creative minds, are what we bring with us in the next life. If I can help my children embrace the talents they have been given, while improving on my own, we all benefit.
One of my all time favorite quotes is from a very wise man.
"Do you want a spirit of love to grow in the world? Then begin within the walls of your own home. Behold your little ones, and see within them the wonders of God, from whose presence they have so recently come."
Gordon B. Hinckley
Here is a more recent quote from another wise man specifically about creating:
"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before...Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty...Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter...The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
It is my hope that sharing my adventures in sewing and creating will spark your own journey to create and express your divinely given talents.
