Hello, Dear Readers, and welcome to Gwen's first-ever interview with a guest blogger.
After Dear Reader Annski gave every member of our book club one of these awesome totes...
...made from recycled pet food bags in March, I've been thinking it might be nice to get the back-story on these little beauties and their maker.
Annski generously agreed to visit Gwen's studio for a Q and A session in mid-April (um...nearly a month ago!) and I finally get to share our conversation with you.
So, without further ado, here we go!
Gwen: I've been really impressed by both the artistry and skill of your sewing, Annski. (I'm not sure whether I really said that, but I meant to). Just how long have you been sewing? (I did really say that.)
Annski: Hmmmm. For about 50 years. My mom started teaching me when I was about four or five years old. We made Barbie clothes on her Singer featherweight.
Gwen: Zowie! That is amazing! Barbie clothes at age five?! Did you continue to sew all through your life?
Annski: No, not continually. I got my first machine when I was thirteen or fourteen; mostly just to show my teachers I could sew better than they were teaching. I started sewing some of my own clothes then. Remember the skirts with multiple tiers we used to wear? I made some of those.
Gwen: I remember! And the peasant blouses...they've all made a comeback or two since then (though I don't know how this is possible since we're still so young). So, you made your own clothes?
Annski: I made some of my clothes at that time, but I didn't sew during my college years. I began doing a little sewing again when my son was young. I did some hand-smocking back in...83? Then my mother-in-law, who was a crafter, started giving me things to make and sell in gift shops. That put me in touch with Homespun Memories(etc)and I sewed collars and jumpers for them.
GwenGwen: I did that too! All those jumpers were sold at craft fairs...I wonder how many I made. My "jumper money" paid for my Bernina sewing machine. I've always been glad I did that.
Annski: Remember the watermelon collars?
Gwen: Yikes! I do remember! Although I can happily report that I never wore one, lol.
Annski: After the jumper/collar phase, I began making a line of coordinated accessories for a gift shop in Nichols Hills. There were all kinds of zipper bags and covers for things; including fabric phonebook covers! Guess there wouldn't be much call for those anymore.
Gwen: Aha! That's why the little zippered wallets you make look so professional. I was pretty well amazed at the one you gave to me. I'm still waiting for my matching phonebook cover..
Annski: Well, I pretty much gave up sewing when I discovered the computer.
Gwen: What do you mean?
Annski: I started making lists.
Gwen: Lists?
Annski: I'm an inventory freak. The first electronic list I made was an inventory of all our VHS tapes.
Gwen: Oh, I know a little bit about your inventory compulsion. Tell my Dear Readers about the fabric inventory you started keeping when you began sewing again recently.
Annski: I use a program for my iPad for that. I take a picture of each piece of fabric I buy and I make notes about the color, manufacturer, and where they were purchased, etc. That actually does keep me from repeating a purchase when I am collecting pieces for a quilt.
Gwen: Let me interrupt. You don't just take a picture. You set up a "jig" so that all the photos are taken from the same distance and include the same amount of fabric! You texted me a picture of it and said, "I set up this jig to take photos of my fabric. I imagine it's along the same lines as the way you photograph your inchies." I laughed for a long time on that one! I don't even know what a jig is! My poor inchies each get set on the same piece of paper for photographing, but that's where any consistency ends! Annski, do the letters OCD mean anything to you?
Annski: Well, yes. But in a fun way. My inventory lists are important because my general thinking is: "If I don't have it in a catalog, it doesn't exist."
Gwen: Lol! Okay, finish telling the Dear Readers about your fabric inventory.
Annski: Hmmm. When I first starting buying fat quarters (when I got hooked on quilting), I would enter the color by name...say, "light green" or "brown". But I quickly realized that there are so many shades and values to every color, that these words weren't going to be sufficient for my purposes. So I got out a color fan-deck, like the kind used in paint stores - and I began to assign each piece of fabric a color number, instead of a name. This way I know about the color value of the piece, rather than just that it's "brown" or "orange".
Gwen: Omigersh! You're kidding! Annski, do you have as much fun sewing as you do buying and keeping inventory of your supplies? It's hard to imagine...
Annski: Yes, I do now. Because I like completion now. I used to have all kinds of stuff, but not many truly finished projects. I had all 329 colors of floss when I did cross stitch; even baby-barf yellow, lol. Then I bought a lot of the colors Fimo clay came in, and a lot of beads for jewelry-making. The first time around with quilting (in 1995), I bought all the fabric to make these big quilts and wound up only doing enough to make throw pillows. I did the same thing with yarn and afghans. I just wasn't much of a finisher.
Gwen: So, now you're back into sewing and guilting and you are quite the finisher! What changed?
Annski: Well, I started reading your blog. Then we became friends. And the first time we went to the quilt store together you said, "Now hurry up and get that project done, because we can't go to the quilt store again until it's finished". Your blog just inspired me to complete things.
Gwen: I sure talk big! But, apparently, you missed the blog post about my eight or ten unfinished quilts...
Annski: Lol!
Gwen: From quilts to totes made with pet food bags, is quite a stretch. Can you tell my Dear Readers what inspired these bags?
Annski: At Ikea they have bags in the store to use while shopping, and they're made from the same "fabric" as the pet food bags. So I started looking at all my pet food bags...
Gwen: And?
Annski: I saved thirty empty bags before I actually made any totes. I do love an inventory. After I had about thirty empty bags stockpiled though, I caught my husband sneaking the bags off to the trash. I figured I'd better get busy.
Gwen: You made thirty tote bags? Do you have any left?
Annski: I gave them all away. I had to save another bag to make one for myself!
Gwen: I'm sure glad you gave one to me, but I know exactly how that goes! Are you saving pet food bags again, or is it "been there, done that" for you?
Annski: I got used to mass production. I'll probably be compelled to save them while I'm waiting for a new idea.
Gwen: What's up next for you?
Annski: Quilting is gonna get big. I want to make an OKC Thunder spread for my son. I keep thinking about concentrating on one medium. I have an intense paper inventory. I plan to thin the herd, pick the best of the rest, and then learn to sew paper. I'd also like to get back to Zentangle. And I did knit and crochet a bit...
Gwen: It's nice to know I'm not the only one who wants to do everything, lol. Back to the bags... You've been kind enough to post on your blog a step-by-step tutorial for making totes from recycled pet food bags. What level of sewing expertise is necessary to complete this project, and is there anything special we should know before starting?
Annski: I would say beginner to intermediate. I used nylon filament thread to sew mine, for durablity and because I didn't have to be concerned about color that way. I had to adjust the tension settings on my machine for the thread, so that's something to be aware of. Otherwise, I think the tutorial will see you through.
Gwen: Well, I think this wraps up our interview. Thank you so very much for sharing a bit of your life and this great tutorial with us. And if you ever run out of things to inventory, I've got this closet in my studio...
...and I no longer know what's in there.