Australian Homespun — February 2018

Join the ends by matching the fold line and the drawn line and sewing them together.

Trim the seam, press it open and refold the binding, then finish sewing it to the quilt.

Mitring corners

40cm (16in)

Rule a line along the

45-degree fold

Binding diagrams

KRISTIN ESSER

Where do you live and work?I live in

Southern California. My sewing space is our

formal dining room. I sew on the dining-room

table and I need to clear off my sewing

machine and cutting mat three or four times

a year, when we eat in that room. I’ve slowly

taken over more and more space there, adding

a couple of bookshelves to hold my fabric and

thread and starting a mini quilt gallery on the

wall. It’s far from an ideal space, but it has

good lighting, and I’m grateful for a space

where I can leave my projects out and just sit

down and sew when I have a few minutes.

What’s your family structure? I’m married,

with three children, ages 19, 18, 15 (though the

oldest is at college now). I also have a dog,

Teddy, who gets me out from behind the

sewing machine for a walk now and then, and

a cat, named Tiger, who likes to sit right on top

of whatever it is I’m trying to sew. I love being

a mother of teens. I taught all three kids (a girl

and two boys) to knit when they were little, and

all three have sewn a few projects, but none of

them has caught the sewing bug (yet).

Why this particular craft? There are so many

reasons!Quilting offers so many opportunities

for personal expression – from choosing

fabrics and designs to how we interact within

the sewing community. I love every part of the

process: picking (or designing) the pattern;

choosing the fabrics; cutting; piecing; quilting;

binding. I love it all. And, frankly, I love the

result. I like seeing the results in use – quilts

on beds and piled into a basket in the family

room for anyone to grab while watching TV

or reading a book. I find it all so satisfying.

Have you tried plenty of others? Oh, yes!

I dabbled in garment sewing growing up, and

sewed up many a puff y valance and toaster

covers in my early 20s when I was outfitting

a new apartment. I did a bit of embroidery

and, when my kids were small and when I was

looking for a way to regain a bit of ‘me’ time,

went back to it briefly. But I didn’t know what

I’d actually do with a lot of embroidered items

in my home. So I turned to knitting, and

knitted somewhat seriously for a while. But

in Southern California, there is not much call

for knitted hats, scarves, and mittens. And no

one really seems to want to wear my knitted

socks. So, luckily, I discovered quilting –

because everyone wants a quilt!

If you weren’t doing this, what would occupy

your time? I recently discovered a love for

photography, so probably more of that. And

I’ve always wanted to take a ceramics class,

but that’s not nearly as convenient as sewing.

Who taught you your crafting skills? I think

the love of sewing was built into my genes. My

mother was a wonderful seamstress, making

all my clothes when I was little. She sewed

my Halloween costumes growing up and even

made my Prom dress. She didn’t really teach

me to sew, but I watched her. I first picked up

the skills in 8th grade Home Ec class, and my

mom was always there to answer questions.

However, when I picked up quilting, about

seven years ago, I relied mostly on the internet

to teach me what I needed to know. There are

so many wonderful resources out there to walk

you through every aspect of the quiltmaking

process. I’ve taken a handful of in-person

classes, as well, but I learned most of what

I know from blogs and classes from Craftsy.

Is it hard to find time to do your stitching

or is it a profession? Life is so busy, isn’t it?

I work part time in marketing for a tech

company, so I have to be very intentional

about carving out time to sew and create.

I try to get into my sewing space for a least a

little while every day, often right after dinner.

I make space on my days off to put in much

longer stretches of time, which I really love.

When I create my ‘to do’ list in the morning

(I am a list maker!), I actually write ‘quilt’ on

it every day. That way, when I’m reviewing the

list to see what else I should be doing, I’m

reminded to sit down and sew – and not feel

guilty about it.

Do you ever see yourself stopping or

diversifying? I hope I never stop sewing –

there are so many things in my head that

I still want to create. The thing about sewing

is that it’s easy to fit it into the corners of

your life. Sew a few seams before work in the

morning, settle in after dinner and sew away a

weekend afternoon. I’ve recently got interested

in hand piecing and hand quilting. I started

a year-long project of hand piecing an entire

quilt, creating six blocks a month. That has

been a fun challenge. I hope to continue to

design quilts and other small projects, but you

never know where life will take you. Ten years

ago, I never imagined I’d be making quilts or

have co-written a sewing book (Sew Illustrated,

with Minki Kim). Life’s full of surprises.

What is your advice for beginners? Find fabric

that makes you happy and sew every day. Don’t

get hung up on perfection and don’t worry

about ‘wasting’ fabric – it’s never a waste! Make

use of the resources you have at your fingertips.

There has never been a better time to learn to

sew. Between blogs, YouTube, Instagram and

online platforms like Craftsy, there’s a wealth of

knowledge out there. But nothing replaces the

time that you spend at your sewing machine.

Gett ing to know ...

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