About Me
I grew up sewing from the age of about 6. My mother took it upon herself to teach me, but really I didn't have a choice. I was born into it, its in my blood. My mother and grandmother ran Country Fabrics and Interiors located in my hometown of Brainerd, MN. I remember taking my first sewing class in the small store basement, with low stucco ceilings, pipes showing and the slight smell of 'old' lingering in the air. We crammed down in that small space to sew hamburgers. Yes, hamburgers. We had to trace, cut out, and sew all parts of the hamburger, which ultimately taught me all the basic sewing skills.
There was the bun, both top and bottom, which had to be sewn, turned, stuffed, and hand sewn shut, being sure to correctly tie a french knot. Then there was the lettuce. My green fabric had to be sewn, turned, and then top stitched following a curvy line around the lettuce. Making sure to echo the line 3 times on the fabric. We had to put together the onion the same way, but followed a spiral line from the small center to the outside for a quilting path. The meat was used to teach us to use interfacing and top stitch 1/8" from the edge. (I highly doubt I stayed that close. I liked to sew fast to get it done, and my work was a direct result of that!) Last but not least we had to do the cheese, and well you can image what we had to do. During all this I learned how to thread my machine, wind a bobbin, the difference between paper scissors and fabric scissors (learned that one the hard way), how to carefully rotary cut, and just about everything else you need to know.
My first quilt was a rail fence, which I completed in 3rd grade. I chose this awesome zoo animal print for the border, with bright tone on tones for the rails. You can see where I went too fast and missed seams. It was a flip, turn and then quilt method in which I sewed buttons on at block intersections.
In 5th grade I made my second quilt, which is a alternating 9-patch. Nothing too fancy, but this one has meaning. This quilt has gone on just about every trip with me, lasted through high school sport bus trips, through college dorms, houses, and just about every apartment I have lived in. It's even more worn in than ever, but the feel is just perfect. Slight wear to the fabric has caused thinning, but the colors remain vibrant.
After I graduated elementary school, I found sports, school and other parts of life. All the after school hours of folding fat quarters, labeling newsletters, and other odd store jobs drove me into other parts of my life. I was always grateful for the knowledge I gained and the skills I had and used them for small mending jobs and the occasional purse/tote for school. I spent the majority of my youth actively showing arabian horses around the US, busy being a 3 season high school athlete and concentrating on school, college and life. I never thought I would end up working for my mother and loving it as much as I do. I went to college at Arizona State University where I studied civil engineering before switching to design. I studied all aspects of Design, graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Design, with a business/marketing management emphasis.
I joined my mother in June 2009, with the intention of getting her online webpage/store going, doing marketing, promotions, and teaching. I took a liking again to sewing and ran with it. The first few days I brought purses and bags down to show my mother in the morning she was in shock, stating, " I didn't even know you knew how to sew!" Well, I was listening all those years, I just didn't act on that knowledge until now. Until the fabrics were fun enough to attract my eye. Until Amy Butler, Anna Maria, Heather Bailey, Joel Dewberry and others. Since these fabrics were just in the back corner of the store, there weren't enough. I wanted all the designers prints, the fabrics drew my eye, inspired me to create and design. I talked my mother into converting the upper level of her store from antiques to contemporary fabrics. All my new favorites would be there. Unlimited fabrics to choose from the create! I just couldn't help myself.
Now after months of work, the upper level of the store is done and it is contemporary heaven. Bright, fun, inspiration, and just the right dose of color. It's up there were I help run the store, design, create, and collaborate with customers to help them love their projects. It's almost like my very own fabric boutique, which urges me to design, create, and sew.
Contact me: sk.burton@hotmail.com
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