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Sew the Year: Spring Fabric with Style Maker Fabrics

I am so excited to have Michelle from Style Maker Fabrics joining me today.  As part of my Sew the Year series, Michelle is going to share some great spring fabric inspiration as well as some great patterns that work well with them.  Make sure to also check out her Spring Style Tour that is happening now.

Like all of you, I have been following along with Kimberly’s Sew the Year series admiring her planning and thought behind her wardrobe for this year. She has definitely inspired me to set more goals and plan out what I am going to sew. Now to just find the time!

New Year New Introductions

As my blog and business have grown over the last year and a half I have strived to share the real me both here on the blog and in social media.  But even those real life glimpses don’t tell everything about me and my life, and if you are new to SSD I thought it would be fun to start the new year with new introductions.

You have probably figured it out by now but I am Kimberly and I am the designer/owner/paper pattern assembler/sewist behind Straight Stitch Designs, it’s a one women show around here.  I love having something in my life that allows me to be creative and fill my closets with loads of custom clothes.

Running a Creative Business with Postpartum Depression

What if I told you that this first paragraph took me 10 minutes to write.  I am totally just sitting here unsure of how I even start a post that is so different from what you would normally find here, but something that is so much a part of me I wanted to share.

I have postpartum depression and it shapes the person I am today both in my home life and creative life, which in turn shapes my creative business.

Further Education

Back for another edition of Behind the Scenes.  If you want to catch up on the past posts in this series head over here.

As I have probably said on multiple occasions I had no idea what I was doing when I signed up for the Pattern Workshop course.  Other than a long established love of clothes I had no background in garment design and very little experience in garment construction.  So looking into additional courses and material to strengthen my knowlege has been so important.

Typical Work Day

As children are heading back to school whether it is older children gone all day or even the little ones headed back to preschool a few hours a week, like my kids, getting yourself back into a routine is essential. So for this months Behind the Scenes I am going to share with you what a typical work day for me looks like.

In my dream world I would wake up at 6:00 and sit down with a hot cup of coffee and get a good hours worth of work done before the kids get up.  The reality is that I sleep like the dead and usually don’t wake up until Benny is shoving me out of bed and putting my glasses on my face.

Photoshoot Locations

Last month I launched a new series on the blog, Behind the Scenes at Straight Stitch Designs, where I will be giving you a glimpse into my creative process, my family, my work space and why I do the things I do.  Make sure to check out my first post on paper patterns, I think you will be surprised at what goes into every paper pattern you purchase from me.

For this months Behind the Scenes post I am going to be talking to you about photoshoot locations and what the realities of the pictures you are seeing on the blog actually are.

Behind the Scenes

When I was writing the post last week on letting go of my insecurities and rocking a bikini this summer it really got me thinking about what I want this little corner of the internet to be.  I want you to look at my posts and pictures and see the real me.  The stay at home mom to 2 kids who is juggling preschool, dance, soccer, running a business and sometimes cleaning the house.  The person who drinks way too much coffee and has just as many sewing successes as flops.

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