Self-Taught Sewer Spotlight: Shanea from The Jackpot

I've spotted another self-taught sewer and I'm so glad that Shanea 

over at the jackpot agreed to do this interview with me.  Shanea started sewing 

a little over a year ago and she's already quite impressive with

the sewing projects she's completed.  I can't wait to see her skills and

 talents develop over the years! : )  Check out my interview with her below...

 How long have you been sewing? And what sparked an interest in wanting to learn    how to sew?

 I consider myself a creative and I really enjoy most outlets that allow me to make things for the people who I love. After making my son’s birthday banner with my mom, which was more like me picking the fabric and doing the ironing while she did the sewing- I knew sewing was something I wanted to try myself. I bought my machine a few months later and I have been sewing since May of 2010.

How did you teach yourself how to sew and do you have any resources to recommend for those who want to learn?

I consider myself a fearless sewer.  If I see something on a blog or Pinterest and if I like it, I am usually willing to give it a try.  I figure the worse thing that can happen is I will have to use my seam ripper and well I use it a lot and I am ok with that. My mom is great resource too, she is always available to troubleshoot. I also have a very good friend who I turn to for advice. 

My favorite book has been One Yard Wonders, since the projects are pretty straightforward and only require a minimal amount of fabric.

I find so many blogs helpful and I really encourage people to use the tutorials that are on blogs; those picture tutorials are the best. Even if I am not making something, I like to look at the steps involved in the process because it makes sewing less of a mystery. 

What are some of your favorite things to make?  Is there anything you stay away from?

I have just started quilting and I really love it. The fabrics are amazing and it makes me feel very connected to the past. My mom has quilts that my grandmother did by hand using old clothing. That just blows me away.  Quilting also feels like a challenge that I am chipping away at and eventually I would be honored to consider myself a quilter.

I am not really interested in sewing clothing, maybe one day that will change but clothing and patterns are not really my thing  :)

You started a sewing club at your high school how do the kids like it? And what would you like to accomplish with that?

The sewing club was really born out of my love for sewing and the desire to make it accessible. I never learned how to sew when I was in school so I wanted kids who were interested to know that it is cool to sew. I hope that the kids embrace the charitable events that we have planned (pillowcase dresses for Africa and Project Linnus) as much as they enjoy making things for themselves. So far the girls are super excited, there are varying ability levels but all of them are students of the process so we feed off of each other. 

Do you have any personal goals that you would like to accomplish with sewing? i.e. sell your creations, hosting more sewing parties?

What I would like to do is to teach my son to sew, have annual pillowcase sewing parties, and give a quilt to all of the people who mean the world to me. I just want my sewing to be a vehicle to show my love and service. 

Thanks again Shanea for participating in this interview : )  And make sure you guys check out her blog to see what she's made so far!


-Be Inspired