My name is Katherine...but everyone calls me Kathy. I'm a MidWest girl...born in Illinois...and since the age of 2, I've lived in a pretty little college town in northern Indiana.
Simply put, I like to make things. Whether it's a tote bag or a pencil skirt...a stepping stone for the garden or a seafood lasagna...I'm happiest when I'm in the midst of creating something. Wait...I'm happiest when it's DONE! And I can stand back and say, "I made that!"
In 1996, I married my sweetheart and soulmate...affectionately known here as "The Mailman"...and we share our home with two little Dachshunds, Bonnie and Clyde. I enjoy traveling, gardening, cooking...and Jazzercise! I have a degree in Biology, I'm CRAZY for "Dancing with the Stars" and I don't own a cell phone.
But most of all, I love to sew. I'm a Mom-taught sewist...and when I was little, we would sit down at her old 1940's Singer and make Barbie clothes...and pretty dresses. I can still remember the very first outfit I made for myself, by myself. It was a shorts-and-top set...aqua-blue, with hot pink-centered daisies...and I wore it with a hot pink stretchy headband and white Keds! As I grew older...and taller (I'm 5'10")...I found that ready-made clothes were geared toward the more petite types. So, I began to make most of my own clothes...and the more complicated, the better! I loved wool tweed, handkerchief linen, pin-tucks and fine lace...what I like to refer to as my "Ralph Lauren" period.
After college, work became a priority and sewing took a back seat. Happily, by this time tall sizes were everywhere...so I always had something to wear. During this time I discovered needlework...cross-stitch and embroidery...small projects that I could work on when I had the time...and set aside when I didn't. Then, I married my sweetie and began decorating our home...drapes and pillows and duvet covers...what fun! But, a house only has so many windows to dress and I needed another outlet. Thus, I discovered a new passion...Tote Bags and Purses.
I began offering my creations online...first on eBay...and then on the FABULOUS site for hand-mades, Etsy. I don't use patterns, preferring instead to design on a whim and let my creative self run free. I'm inspired by all sorts of things...the flowers in my garden, the changing seasons, old patchwork and applique...and I love color and pattern.Now, I find myself coming full circle...drawn again to my first love, garment sewing. We've spent many years apart...and yet a perfectly eased shoulder cap still intrigues me. I'm fascinated by a bound buttonhole...and enraptured by a smooth and even hemline. I feel faint in a fabric store...overwhelmed with the possibilities...my fluttering heart and trembling hands betraying me.
I love to sew.
