Something you may not know about me.

This is common knowlege to my family and oldest friends, but recent additions to my life don't know that I once lived as a street artist making jewelry. For years. Until someone broke into my car after a show and took everything of value and left me with a few earrings that I didn't really like anyway and a shattered feeling inside because I had just started a new line and they took all the beautiful custom pieces I had just made.

So why fabric? At what point did I turn around and say "okay, no more metal. Bag the garnets. Shelve the pearls. Box up the amber, tourmaline, onyx and whatnot. I'm calling it a day and moving on to something soft and fluffy." Um, I have no idea, but I blame my mother. She's been a quilter since I was 8 and a crafter long before that. The first quilt she made was a whole cloth piece with a dragon and a fat old man on it, from the story I absolutely adored (and still do), Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like. I was so proud when it was hung in the school library. I figured out at an early age that making things with your hands, especially things that look and feel good, will make people smile.

Japan is home to some of the finest fabrics on earth. Like Germany makes tools, Japan makes silk. That is to say, they don't mess around with quality, and my mother raised me in enough fabric stores, quilt shows and museums to understand the importance of quality fabrics. The bf has a thing for good linen and he loves a bit of silk on his skin, but even he is more than a little overwhelmed by my ever-growing collection of kimono silk bolts. My computer is crammed in the corner of the "studio" (aka the livingroom), but my cutting table, sewing machine and shelves of fabric take over one whole wall, including a bay window from which I can see the Cascade Mountains and glorious sunsets.

Does that answer my own question? Not really, but at least now you know me a little better. And you can always ask.