I Have Given A Little Piece of Myself

"I love working with fabric and have recently began exploring the possiblities that previously loved clothing has to offer. I get excited about taking previously loved clothing and piecing it together to make something new". Enjoy a visit to Misti's lovely Etsy shop http://prairiewinddesigns.etsy.com/.

by prairiewinddesigns

My name is Misti and I live in Frenchtown, MT with my husband and two adorable kids, ages 6 and 3 and our golden retiever, Prairie. Growing up on a farm in Southwest Kansas, I learned the value of making something with my hands. My grandmother was the master of making something out of nothing - using whatever scraps she had to make needed items.

While I didn't take to sewing as a teenager, I found comfort in sitting at my machine those lonely nights while my husband was deployed. I learned to quilt while expecting our first child, and have been hooked on creating with fabric ever since!

I'm a stay at home mom and with that comes many sewing opportunities for little ones. I want to teach my children strong values and a good work ethic, so I started selling my wares at the local farmer's market where my son would make and sell pretzel sticks. He quickly learned how much work it was to make a dollar. Once winter hit and the farmer's markets were done for the season, I put my focus on my Etsy shop. I still involve my kids every chance I get. I bought a wall map and my son helps me mark the places where my items have been shipped. It serves as a great geography lesson for him and it serves as a reminder of my success and gives me inspiration to keep creating.

I have a variety of items in my shop, all things I have created with fabric. I have a range of items from purses and diaper bags to barnyard coloring wallets for the little ones. I have many ecofriendly and upcycled items from reusable sandwich and snack bags, reusable grocery bags and toddler dresses that I upcycle from previously loved men's shirts.

PWD Janome:

My Janome sewing machine. My husband bought this for me for Mother's Day soon after he returned from Iraq. It was quite an upgrade as I had learned to sew on (and still have and cherish) my great-grandmother's featherweight sewing machine. Many of you quilter's out there know this is machine is a quilter's dream. You will also notice my thread cabinet my hubby built for me. If you like it you can get the pattern from another Montana artist, Thomas Weightman at http://www.sewhappyquilts.com/.

PWD Fabric Stash:

My beloved fabric stash. I recently got the system to organize my closet. The drawers are perfect for storing fat quarters. I like to store my fabric by project in plastic tubs. A must have: Polar Notions. These are acid free reusable fabric storage sheets. They are a safe, space saving way to store your fabric. http://www.polarnotions.com/

I love creating something with my hands for someone else. I enjoying thinking about that person as I am creating each piece and when it is complete, I feel like I have given a piece of myself.