My name is Sarah Jean, but you can just call me SJ. I learned to sew in a home economics class that I took in middle school. In high school, my mom gave me my sewing machine for Christmas and it instantly became my prized possession.
Speaking of high school, that's also when I learned that I love to paint. I took 4 years of art classes where I made things like this...
and this...
When I moved to Asheville, NC to attend the University of North Carolina at Asheville, my sewing machine and paint brushes came with me. While living in that gorgeous mountain town, I met some amazing friends that inspired me to make crafty, college-themed gifts. So when I wasn't in class (and even sometimes when I was supposed to be, oops!), I started sewing things like this...
and painting things like this...
Now I am back home in Ashland, VA working, going to school part-time, and sewing, painting or crafting any chance I get!
-ABOUT MY BLOG-
The inspiration for this blog actually came from an unlikely source. One day I found myself reading Tucker Max's blog, specifically the posts where he was describing the process he used to find a research assistant, and something he said struck a chord with me. He asked the applicants "What things online do you think best show your work ethic, intelligence, and ability?" I had been taking and posting pictures of my projects on my personal Facebook for a while, but other than that there was nothing online that I could point to and say, "Hey, I did THAT. THIS is what I'm capable of." In fact, there was nothing that existed anywhere--no scrapbooks, no journals, no sketchbooks (besides the one I was required to have in high school, which was more years ago than I can believe)! I decided to change that, so here I am.
I have made most of my recent projects for friends (and have therefore given them away), so my intention for this blog is really just to document my craft, sewing, and paint projects and to have something to show people when they ask "What kinds of things do you like to (sew/paint/make)? It would also be great if other people find inspiration and ideas from my work, but if that doesn't happen, I won't be disappointed. I sew and paint because I love to, and I give the things I create to my friends because, well, they are my friends! I know they appreciate the love and hard work that I put into these things, and if they think of me every time they look at that painting or see that pillow, then I will be satisfied.