I have been creating for as long as I can remember. It started with painting, ceramics, drawing, and hand sewing when I was very young. I watched my mom create things from fabric, yarn, and fibers, and I watched my dad carry his 35mm camera everywhere, photographing everything in his path. I also saw many other art forms expressed in my hometown community, a place where creativity and the arts flourish, despite its tiny size. The arts were always all around me, and this made a great impression on my life.

Having watched my mom sew garments, around the age of 10, I asked her to teach me to use a sewing machine. I dabbled with sewing during high school, but it wasn't until I left home and got a job at a local fabric store that it really took hold of me. I purchased my first serger, and I was hooked. As an undergraduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I was able to explore every creative avenue my mind took me, from painting, and ceramics, to welding, and beyond. My main focus in school was making 16mm films, but all the while, I was still sewing most of my clothing.

I began selling my handmade garments, and before I knew it, I had stores all over the world selling the pieces I was making in my little sewing studio. Fate was incredibly kind to me, when a series of events happened: a friend introduced me to someone at a party, who then asked me to write an article for their new magazine, which an editor at Random House saw, and next thing I knew, I was signing a deal for my first book at the Random House offices in New York City. More good luck was yet to come, when a friend opened a craft shop, and asked me to be her sewing teacher. The next natural progression was to launch my own sewing patterns, which soon followed.

All of these turn of events led me from selling people finished garments, to teaching them the joy of hand crafting items for themselves. Along the way I've had creatively fulfilling day jobs (Communications Coordinator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; Store Manager at Sew LA; and Store Manager at Purl Soho in New York City), but regardless of what I did by day, the most fulfilling part of my professional life has been sharing the joy of making things.

I now design sewing patterns and teach full time, and it is the greatest job I could ever ask for. Up there at the top, if you don't know me, that's me on the left, and beside me on the right is a photo of my studio where everything is made. I design the patterns myself, draw all the illustrations, write all the text, sew the samples, and photograph the models too. But the absolute best part of my job are my students. Whether you learn from me at an in-person class, a virtual workshop, at a conference, on one of my video workshops, or even just from my patterns and blog, I am deeply honored you give your time to learn from me!

Which leads me to why we're all here: VIDEO SEWING CLASSES! What a world we live in where I can film each and every step of how to sew a particular project, and you can watch that video in the comfort of your home whenever the time suits you best. That is pretty terrific, and that is what I have to offer you here! In my video classes, I strive to give you all the same things I give you when I'm teaching in real life: patience, calm clear instruction, and hopefully a bit of fun too!

My video classes might be new, but I am absolutely not new to teaching. Between in-person classes, online workshops, sewing patterns, books, and commissioned magazine articles and blog posts, I have been teaching in a multitude of formats for almost 15 years. One of the greatest things about sewing is there are dozens of correct approaches to every task, and therefore, there's always something new to learn along the way. So no matter how long you've been sewing, I hope you learn something new!

In addition to learning something new, I also hope the act of making brings joy to your life. I find tremendous pleasure in the act of making and creating. Using my hands calms and centers my mind, and slows me down to make conscious choices for a more thoughtful wardrobe. Creating things for yourself puts you in control of every single aspect of the item, from the fit, to the fabric, and every element in between. Sewing might seem like a traditional craft, but there's nothing more radical than freeing yourself from big box stores and mainstream consumerism.

Join me in class today!