Do you have one, or more, of those people in your lives that like to challenge your creativity capability? Of course we all have friends that are our biggest fans and think the things we make are the best because, well, they have to lol, but I’m not talking about them…I’m talking about an acquaintance or customer that gently pushes you to try projects that you wouldn’t normally think of doing on your own!
Barb is my person that likes to kick me out of my comfort zone, gently but firmly lol! She is a Professional Photographer so obviously a very creative person in a way I can’t even imagine! Her set designs are always amazing and I’m always left wondering how she comes up with the concepts!
I’ll be honest, between you and me, whenever I see that she’s messaged me, I instinctively break out into a cold sweat and hesitate actually reading the message for just a second! I know she’s probably going to ask me to make something….but what?!? Then I dive in and read her request and 99% of the time agree to make whatever it is that she needs! She has a confidence in me that I certainly don’t have in myself but by the time we’re done talking about what she needs, I “almost” believe I can do it lol!
Her latest request was to make some Graduation stoles and as soon as I googled what the heck that was, I agreed thinking this was a fairly easy request! I did warn her that I wouldn’t be able to make it in the customary silk you see them in and she was more than ok with that as silk isn’t always the easiest to photograph! Kona Cottons served my needs perfectly, and since there’s such a wide variety of colours, I knew I could find the exact colours she wanted!
I *might* have previously mentioned that I’m not one to come up with my own pattern but I was pretty sure I could figure this one out and I did just that… eventually lol! It took some thought on how to get the 2 colours together and even more thought and a couple of trials to get the right “v” shape but once that was worked out, the actual sewing was a cinch!
This is one of the stoles I made in “action” and I think it looks great!
What is something that you’ve been challenged to create? Was it a success? I’d love to hear all about it!
Have a great week and Happy Sewing!
Shawna
funkymonkeyfabrics.home.blog 
friend from work has a daughter that travels to Boston quite frequently because her boyfriend lives there. The wanted me to make a duffel bag that she could use to carry everything. She said a lot of times there’s no room in the overhead, and if it doesn’t fit under her seat, she has to check it, which means it takes her an extra hour at the airport to retrieve her luggage. She asked if I could please make one for her. I purchased a bag pattern, but it had no pockets, so I added pockets. I’ve never made a bag like this, and didn’t know if I could. I had my doubts, but every once in a while I get pushed out of my comfort zone, and , well, I have to say I was surprised with myself.
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Good for you!! Sometimes we need that push, and as a result we can sometimes find a new passion….or realize we’ll never make that again lol!! Thanks so much for your reading my story!
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Your stoles look fabulous! I’m still building confidence so I might be intimidated by requests from others. I do challenge myself though, most recently with your Natural Cork Fabric with Gold Flecks and I was pleasantly surprised.
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Thank you so much!! They were honestly quite easy and when she sent me the pic I was so happy, they look so professional…and I made them lol!! What did you make with the cork fabric? That’s great that you challenge yourself to try new things!
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I made a lip balm holder and a couple of easy ‘nickel wallets’ with a regular foot. https://www.nosypepperpatterns.com/products/nickel-wallet
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That’s awesome, love those “useful” projects!!
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My 7 year old daughter sometimes comes up with some “unique” requests for me. I love that she thinks I can make anything, but it can be a little daunting at times trying to live up to.
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Ah yes, those requests are sometimes nearly impossible aren’t they…and how do you explain to them that you can’t in fact make it!! Best of luck lol!!
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I think my biggest project challenge so far has to be a flower girl dress for my daughter. My friend who was getting married basically gave me free range as long as it was the right colour. When I started looking at dresses, many of them were upwards of $200! (Which I thought was crazy for a 5 year old to wear for an hour!) So I looked into making one. It really became much easier than I expected, even though I was working fabrics that were definitely out of my comfort zone and following a pattern (ugh…)But it turned out beautifully!! And ended up costing about $60 including the pattern. She wore that dress to every occasion until she couldn’t fit in it anymore. I eventually made her a doll sized one to match with the scraps. Great memories came from it for sure!
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Oh Linette, what an amazing story, thank you so much for sharing! You nudged yourself out of that comfort zone and it sounds like it paid off huge, not only in the financial savings but for her to wear that dress as much as she could, she obviously loved it! Great work Linette!
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