Once upon a time, I quit my job to stay home with my first child. I missed work and wanted something creative to do, so I dusted off the old sewing machine. Now, I had made blankets before and had been sewing for most of my life already, but when it occurred to me that I could make bags and purses, a whole new world opened up to me. Within a year or so, I had perfected the basics of bag making and figured out a few things about running a shop, and the rest is kind of SOMP history!

It's hard to nail down what my favorite part of the process is. I love fabric shopping--there are thousands of prints out there and it's very fun to sift through and find the perfect pairs for a season. There's nothing like dreaming up a new design, too, and finding that it is actually pretty awesome. Learning to incorporate a new piece of hardware or trick is pretty rewarding. Interacting with customers at live shows is exhilarating. So yes, I really like making stuff!

Since SOMP opened up, I earned my Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree, published a couple of books and a handful of poems, had another child, and re-joined the faculty at my favorite teaching job. I feel pretty fortunate that I can do all of these things AND occasionally make some things in the sewing workshop.