Interview with a Crafty Mama

Yes you read it right today i am interviewing a crafty mama

Crafty Mamas are women who inspire me everyday, so much so that i have created a link for them here. In order to get to know them better and introduce thier craftiness to this part of the bloggy world i decided to interview these crafty women :)

It should come as no surpirse that my first interview would be with the one and only

Ashley

 from

I have used several of her tutorials for Sew it, i am sure you remember the Tissue Box Cover and the Apron

I was really excited when she accepted to be interviewed for Sew Chic and Unique. Ashley owns her own etsy shop called Make it and Love it of course  and is a mother to two adoreable kids

Her  tutorials can be found all over the web, she is one busy MAMA and i am sure you are dying to know more about her so lets get started

Up Close & Personal

Her name is Ashley Johnston

Job/Profession Stay at home mom and part-time blogger.  Is blogging considered a profession? 

Married  Yes

Kids if Yes how many? ages?  I have two little kiddos.  A boy who’s 1 and a girl who’s 2 1/2.

SCU: How did you get into the world of blogging? 

Ashley: Hmmm……it all started with a little hairbow blog that I have since retired.  Then I decided to create a blog to log all of my crafting ideas and adventures.  Crazy how much it’s changed since then.

 
SCU: Make it and Love it is such a great name how did you come up with it? is there a story behind it? do you love everthing you make?

Ashley: LOL  Well, I knew what the concept of the blog would be…I just wasn’t sure what I would name it.  I sat down with a piece of paper and listed out about 10 different ideas and this one just stuck.  The thing that drives me to keep this blog going is the satisfaction that I get from creating things.  It really is fun to come up with ideas and create my own stuff, so the name says it all.  And I don’t necessarily LOVE everything I make but I sure do get a thrill from just creating in general.  Love that.

 
SCU: Your blog is filled with great tutorials how do you come up with such great tuts? What is your inspiration? 

Ashley: You know, it mostly stems from, “hey, I could make that.”  And then other times I come up with things that I think would make my life easier…..and it just turns into a new tutorial.  Works perfectly.

 
SCU: Has sewing always been a part of your life? When did you start sewing? 

Ashley: I started sewing with my mom when I was a little girl……maybe 9 or 10 years old.  I remember being so impressed that she could floor the foot pedal and sew at full speed.  I wanted to be just like her.

 
SCU: Did you learn how to sew by attending sewing classes etc or are you self taught? 

Ashley: Mostly I learned the basics from my mom and then I took a very basic sewing class in college.  Other than that, I just experiment.  I figure it really is okay to mess up……and then there’s not so much pressure.

 
SCU: You must posses excellent time management because you are a mother, a wife, a talented sewist and own an etsy shop  how do you cope with everything? What is YOUR secret? 

Ashley: I try to do all of my sewing/blogging during my kid’s nap time and after they go to bed.  And as for the house?  I have dirty baseboards and full laudry baskets.  That’s okay though, laundry is no fun anyway! 

 
SCU: Congrats on your etsy shop makeitandloveit what are your future plans for it? What can we expect you to sell? 

Ashley: I have so many dreams for my shop.  I would love to have my own site and do everything on my own but that would take even more time to manage…so that is just a dream for now.  I do have several more patterns in mind to add to my shop and more children’s clothing.  Everything depends on what’s going on in our family life though…my sweet little kiddos and my incredibly supportive husband come first.

 
SCU: You design your own patterns, how did that start? what tips would you give someone wanting to go down that path? 

 Ashley: I started really basic.  I designed a very simple 2 or 3 piece pattern with very specific instructions, including lots of pictures.  If someone is looking to do the same, I would recommend looking at a store bought pattern to see the format and to be able to use sewing lingo.  But then, keep it very simple so that people of all sewing levels can use it.

 
Sew FUN Favorites
 
SCU: What is your favorite sewing tool? 

My seam ripper, gosh I use that thing a lot.

SCU: Who is your favorite fabric designer? 

Oooh, Amy Butler or Moda……but I love a lot of Michael Miller designs too.

Your favorite colour? 

I really love red.  But I like greens and blues too.  Do I really have to pick a favorite?  I just really like a lot of color.

Your 3 favorite sewing/crafty websites? 

I love reading up on http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/  

And I also really love http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/ 

Ooooh, and I am so inspired by http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/

Thank you Ashley for allowing us to get to now you a little bit better and get an insight into your crafty world. I really enjoyed this interview and i am rearing up to go and be crafty

 Regards