Around the World blog hop!

A massive Yorkshire thank you to Kat at Made With Love and Ladybugs for inviting me to take part in the Round the World blog hop - I'm late with my post so also major apologies!! However I'm not going to be the one to break the chain - it's amazing just how many crafty people around the world have linked up to talk about the things they love. So here goes!
 (Pop back and see Kat - her quilts are amazing)

I met Kat a few years ago through  the blogging world - it feels like yesterday but it was before our holiday to Florida in 2012 - where Kat lives in seemingly constant  and glorious sunshine! (I am very jealous, does it show?) Unfortunately we were like literal ships that passed in the night that October fortnight and didn't manage to meet up -  but some day soon (children and their continuing education allowing), we are going to go back to sunny Florida, and then I'm going to see exactly just how much wine Kat can actually drink, after a five mile run. Or before. Or both!
You know, she probably won't speak to me again after this.
 I clicked with Kat straight away, she's me on the other side of the Atlantic - a crafter, an amazing runner, with two very talented children, and a husband in the same business as my husband. A complete, all round nutter, just like me. Oh, and she's partial to a glass of wine or two!!

Now to the questions..

What am I working on?

I have just opened a shop on Folksy, which is a website like Etsy that supports crafters to sell their hand made items. I love making things and don't ever want to feel like I have to churn projects out, so I have adopted a very relaxed approach - make it with care and love, and then (if I can stand to let it go) sell it on Folksy for a fair price. I've been donating items to charity auctions for a while now and they have always done very well, people had started asking me why on earth I wasn't selling what I was making, and I just didn't have an answer. So I'm having a go! Currently I'm making a bag, with a  detailed embroidery of an owl. It should be ready to go in to my shop next week. Although it would look great with my new coat.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don't know the answer to that one, other than to say that I don't feel I adhere to a particular genre! I love to sew, to create, and although I have made rather a lot of bags over the years, and quilts, I have also been inspired to make fabric art, and lately zentangle sketches. This sewn picture, for example, was inspired by a photograph my friend had taken out on a walk - the sunset was amazing. When I am sewing, my inspiration comes from the fabric - and the form quite often comes after.

Why do I create what I do?

You may as well ask me why I breathe!! I always, always have the urge to be creative. It's just who I am, I can't stop it or control it. I love pattern, colour and texture - and working with fabrics allows me to explore all of those.

How does my creative process work?

Sometimes it starts with an idea - an image - for instance the owl above. I had doodled the owl, and then thought how fun it would be to translate it in to fabrics.
 Sometimes though it is just a new fabric, that I have to form a  project round. If I truly break it down, then I guess it starts with an itch - got to get back in to my sewing room and make something new!!

Next week I'm going to invite two lovely ladies from the UK, whose blogs I've haunted for quite a while now-

Lisa blogs at It's Just Peri - she also sells the most gorgeous knitted animals on etsy - I'd so love to be able to knit like her! I've known Lisa for several years now, and her photography always, always blows me away. The way she sees the world is both inspirational and humbling. Go see!!

I'm also inviting Elsy at Filling the Space, just because her quilts and the most beautiful I've ever seen! She often uses Kaffe Fassett fabrics and her work is saturated with the most glorious colour. I am always, always envious of the quilts she makes. Don't get me started on her embroidery!!

Thank you Kat for the nomination!!