Design Challenge: May's Featured Blogger

It's time for the next installment of our Design Challenge!  This is the second month of our Design Challenge Series, in which we ask a blogger to come up with a tutorial using 6 FQs.  Check out the previous posts here. 


This month, we invited Anita of The Other Side of Me to play along ... here's her interview. :-)


Anita, tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Anita and everyone claims I inherited the crafty gene from my Mom’s side of the family.  Sewing is one of my passions and definitely the one thing I’ve done longer than anything else.  I can still remember the jumper my Mother helped me sew in 7^th grade, to wear to school.  I think my crafting took off after that.  I experimented with fabric, paint, hot glue, or anything else I could get my hands on.  Most of my creations were gifted or donated to our local church bazaars.    I still enjoy giving handmade items and there's nothing better than surprising someone with a gift that you made, thinking of them all the while.

Over the years I’ve moved from sewing clothing, to making handbags, and most recently, quilting.  All of the previous experience prepared me for the next step and since some items incorporate a variety of techniques, I'm glad to have grown in experience over the years.  However, with that said, I’m just a novice when it comes to quilting.  I have only been 'quilting' quilting, for a couple of years.  My guild friends are very encouraging and complimentary, however, I tend to shy away from anything that looks overly challenging. =)

I started a blog, The Other Side of Me, when I owned a shop on Etsy.  Since then it has become a place where I can share just about anything I like, whenever time permits; including family, activities, and my own creative passions.  Feel free to stop by and take a look through the tabs at some of my past creations.  They’re just a small sample – especially in the Handbag category.  I started taking photos years ago, because you spend so much time creating, it's nice to be able to look back and know that you've not wasted away the hours.

What is your favorite sewing tool or notion?

One of the things I couldn’t live without in my sewing room is my rotary cutter.  I love the fact that I can make a straight line through layers of fabric, without having to wield scissors.  I should probably google the invention and find out more about it one of these days.

What kind of sewing machine do you use?

Just this past March, my husband blessed me with a new sewing machine, a Bernina 350PE.  After a month long fiasco with my old machine, we bit the bullet and upgraded.  I love the quality of the stitches my Bernina makes.  I was so thankful to find a great price on it and so far, I’m loving her!

Anita's Bernina with awesome accessories!  

Photo by Anita Kropf. 

Where do you find inspiration for your sewing/quilting projects?

Inspiration comes in various forms for me.  Whether I’m looking at blogs, magazines, books, guild meeting Show & Tell, or shopping in a store, many things inspire me.  I will usually attempt to make things without a pattern, because I think I can.  I’ve found that this works sometimes, but not always.  I absolutely LOVE finding tutorials online, with great instructions and pictures.  I love pictures.  The online community has really helped me to grow in my quilty endeavors.

Thanks so much for joining us this month, Anita!  :-) 

For this month's challenge, Anita chose to work with Summer Breeze II.  Check out the pretty bundle she selected!

Come by tomorrow for Anita's tutorial ... she has a fabulous bag project to share with you!  See you then! :-)

Happy Sewing! :-)