Next up are the fantastic Jeni Baker of In Color Order and Anna Graham of Noodlehead.
We had to wait a little bit to interview these two as they were driving in all the way from Wisconsin!
I know you will enjoy getting to know these talented young women as much as I did so here we go.
First up Jeni Baker
Question 1: Pattern designer, fabric designer what's next on your to do list?
Who inspired you to begin designing?
Jeni told me she would like to write a book.
She is having so much fun designing fabric right now too that the book may be on hold for a bit.
She is one busy woman!
She began working with Art Gallery fabric on her blog and was surprised and thrilled when they approached her about designing fabric for them.
Jeni could not point to a specific person for inspiration but
credited the online community for inspiration and support.
She also has a huge love of vintage quilts.
She finds inspiration in many of the vintage quilts and fabrics she sees and
is always on the look out for new to her vintage quilts!
Question 2: What about designing do you find the easiest and what do you struggle with?
No surprise here the easiest thing for Jeni is COLOR!
She is very good at that as we all know.
Something she struggles with is naming things, like her fabrics and her patterns.
Her gleeful confession was that she is the world's worst namer!
Some of her original names were things like "pink floral" and "geometric print".
She is taking suggestions!
Now for the thing I was most curious about, how did you come to own George?
Tell us about him.
Jenni decided when she graduated that she was not going to get a roommate she was going to get a bunny!
She chose George, who is a Netherland Dwarf rabbit.
He is litter trained but not much
of a snuggle bunny.
She went to the county fair in Ohio and bought him for $20.
His favorite foods include bananas and carrots.
He is now 4 years old now and Jeni wishes him to live forever!.
Jeni has more costumes and photo shoots planned for him.
His new pillow panel is adorable, maybe she can incorporate him into an upcoming fabric line!
Jeni's random fact is that she and Brenda grew up only 15 minutes away from each other!
It really is a small world.
Not the best photo (iphone, sorry) but here are Anna, Brenda and Jeni. Thanks for posing ladies!!
On to Anna Graham of Noodlehead.
Question 1: You are the queen of bags!
How do your ideas for new bag designs come to you?
Anna likes useful items.
She designs bags that she would like to use or that she thinks others would like to use.
She incorporates ideas from garments in some of the things she puts in her bag designs.
I asked her how she got started and she was telling me that when her girls were little and
she finally got out of the house she went to Barnes and Noble to look around.
She found the books Sew Darn Cute by Jenny Ryan and took her cue from that book.
Some of the others that inspire her are Made By Rae and Dana of Made.
Question 2: How do you find the time for designing along with managing family and your home?
I did not realize but Anna has a full time job in marketing for a contractor.
So I guess she really is the busy bee.
She shared that sometimes her life is a little stressful. (I bet it is).
She finds that having small amounts of design time make her more efficeint
when she does find the time to do it.
Although she did confess to sketching and daydreaming at work sometimes, but shhhhh don't tell her boss!
Question 3: Your bags are amazing,, do you enjoy making them for others as much as designing new patterns for us to make?
Do you have a favorite pattern?
Anna likes to make for others.
She finds it easiest to design for someone specific.
She likes to know that what she makes will make others happy too.
Of course she has made bags for her girls!
Her favoirte is the "Go Anywhere bag" .
She loves that it has lots of pockets on the outside and no zippers!
Anna's random fact is that when she was 4/5 she was Little Miss Apple of La Crescent, MN.
They drew her name out of a fish bowl.
Her mom reminds her that when it was time to give the crown back she threw a crying fit!
At 4/5 none of us would have wanted to give up that crown!
LOL
Thank you Jeni and Anna for letting us have a peek into your lives!
Have fun at Camp Stitchalot!