Day #116 - #1 "Crafty Corner" Interview!!

Good morning!
I know you've been waiting with bated breath to see who came up with the name with the most votes AND who I interviewed!  All shall be revealed...

I would like to thanks everyone who tossed their ideas into the ring - you are a creative group!  I am definitely going to hang on to the ideas that didn't win and see if I can use them "down the road".  So....keep an eye out!  You may win fabric yet, if you didn't today!

So, who garnered the most votes?  It was "Crafty Corner" - an idea sent in by Cresendo Gal!  Congrats!  Message me and we'll figure out whether you'd like the GC or headers!  :o)

Let's get rolling with the interview, shall we? 

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Our first interview is with Elaine, from NH.  I met Elaine via Facebook.  She was a friend of a friend and jump on board with the fun and games I was running on my blog and my Facebook  page.  From there we’ve become friends and partners in fabric buying crime!  Her excitement with creating and for life in general is infectious and I was thrilled (and not the least bit surprised!) when she offered to jump on for one of the first interviews for Crafty Corner.

As I was typing up this interview, I kept wanting to add asides and comments to all she had to say!  I think you will enjoy meeting our first Crafty Corner interviewee as well, so, read on!

Tell us about what you make and how you got started.    Now I only make quilts, cloth dolls and quilted bags.

How long have you been in business?   20 years

How do you get your ideas? Do you start with a fabric, yarn, or fabrics or a concept in mind first?  The project seems to be born in my head and then I figure out how I'm going to make it. The dolls make themselves, when I start sculpting the face the whole doll is born and the craziness begins!

One of Elaine's dolls

Describe your crafting/studio space to us:  It is small, over run with fabric but I have gotten it better organized so it doesn't look like a craft store exploded in it!

How did you start your business in the first place?   In 1991 I started by making beaded jewelry and called my business True North.   My husband and I started to become involved in our Native American  heritage and I expanded to doing native beading and crafts.  That led to quilting and cross stitch when I saw some of the beautiful quilts and cross stitch items other venders at Pow Wows were selling and I thought "I can do that!"

How did you come up with your company name and what does it mean to you?    I really have two companies when I branched out into cloth dolls. I call the doll company Off the Deep End Dolls. If you look at my dolls you can see why with creations like the “Woman Who Loved Chickens Too Much” or the “Butterfly Madam”!

I settled on Quiet Eagle Quilts because it is one of my Native American names and thought it sounded nice.

A beautiful, patriotic quilt - perfect timing for the beginning of July!

How has what you create  changed over time?    Now, I give myself no limits and am willing to try anything crafty.  I just started to make quilted bags which I have found a challenge and lots of fun as I am trying my hand at design as well.

 What's the most difficult decision you've made in the last two years and how did you come to that decision?   I decided recently to begin to limit what I will concentrate on and then sell or give away craft items and supplies for the things I don't do very much anymore.  That way I can concentrate on just a couple of things and improve my techniques and try my hand at selling online.

What other type of crafting to do you?   Pretty much just cloth related items now, quilting, bags, and cloth dolls.

What a sweet bear!

What is something that makes you laugh out loud?   My best friend Colleen and I chat and when tend to have that effect on each other! We call them our: “Depends moments".

What is absolutely the best cookie you’ve ever had?   A lemonade cookie I make.

What is your best “stress buster”?    Playing games on my Ipod, or going outside and playing with my dogs.

What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?    I would hope they would say friendly, happy, smart.

If we looked inside your frig, what would we find?  According to my hubby, "too much stuff" but no junk food or soda and lots of leftovers and bottled water.

 What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?   Meatloaf, because I never make it the same twice. It's always an "in process" experiment to create it better than the last one.

If you could meet anyone, who would it be, why?   John Wayne or Katherine Hepburn - I admire the way they led their lives and it reflected in their work.

What is your favorite memory from childhood?   Baking with my mother or hunting with my dad.

What are your lifelong dreams?    Walk a good path, live a life that reflects my spirituality and hoping I influence people who meet me to be kind to others and treat everyone and everything with love and respect. 

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Thanks for sharing your creative world with us, Elaine!  We can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Quilty hugs,

Carrie