INTRODUCING: NATALIE SMITH

Natalie is one of my favorite people EVER! (it's true) And I am so excited that she has joined me over here at "Crazy Old Ladies". I had her write up a little something so you can get to know her. 

Hi! My name is Natalie Smith, and I’m a stay-at-home-mom. Designing quilt patterns is my side gig –and it’s a dream come true! I come from a long line of homemakers that do a little of everything. My Mom raised her girls to be ladies (ankles crossed!), and to her that included teaching us to do all sorts of crafty things. I can cook and clean and play piano and crochet – and lately quilting has become my favorite way to pass the time.

 

I started hand quilting when I was about 6. My Mom would always include me whenever her family had a quilt on, or when the little old church ladies were quilting on the old church quilt frames, and I learned the most INTERESTING things from those ladies! They were just sewing & chatting, and my ears were wide open – I wanted to hear everything! I felt pretty grown-up to be considered one of the quilting ladies.

My first quilt as an adult was started as a way to pass the time creatively. I was a receptionist at Sento Corporation, where I met my husband, and for the first few months I was there the HR department would give me files to sort through. Due to a restructure, my job description changed, and soon I found myself with a LOT of time on my hands –and there’s only so much surfing on the internet I could do. I decided it wouldn’t be inappropriate to bring some sort of a project with me, and my cousin had just found out she was having her first baby, so I thought a baby quilt would be a nice present to give her. Since I was at the front desk of the company, though, I couldn’t do anything by machine, so I hand-pieced everything. After the first block, I decided my cousin could make do with a pillow! But I kept on working on my little quilt in hopes that someday soon I would bring home a little one.

Five little ones later, I need a creative outlet more than ever! These days, I REALLY love quilting, and my husband knows that a day that’s too busy to sew a little is usually not a great day in my world. I try to balance it all out by not “working” on Sundays – unless it’s a gift :). I love my family so much, and they are definitely first in my life – but I think it’s healthy for a Mama to do something just for her, and for me it’s quilting!

Earlier this year, I went to my first-ever quilt retreat. Since I’ve known Emily for quite a while, of course it was her “Cabin Fever” retreat! I wanted to be really productive at the retreat, so I knew I had to have a plan in mind before I went, because I didn’t want to waste all my kid-free time planning things out. For about a week beforehand, I made a plan and wrote it all down – and in the process, I realized that I was writing a pattern for myself. I’d never thought about it in those terms before, but I do it for almost every quilt I make – I just have to be able to see things on paper before I can bring myself to cut into that expensive fabric!

With that realization came the idea to market patterns. I knew Emily had done it for years – in fact, we traded piano lessons for her son with patterns a few times! So, I asked her about her company and to talk about patterns, and one thing led to another… and here I am, with published patterns as a CRAZY OLD LADY! I love seeing them in print – I hope that feeling never goes away, because I plan on designing patterns for a good long time!

For a little more information on my inspiration for these quilts, and for more about my finished projects, etc., please visit my blog at natalie-ever-after.blogspot.com or check me out on Instagram under the name smileynannn – I’d love to have you come visit!

Thanks Natalie! I'm so glad you're here.   

HAPPY SEWING!