Beth: Inquiring minds want to know, what have you been up to since selling IHAN?
Kelly:
The last 6 months feel like a blur and for that matter the last year
feels like a blur too. So let me think...what have I been doing with
myself since selling IHAN?
Being
a mother is more than a full time job so that has kept me busy. The
previous IHAN elves are now teenagers and Aaron is actually 6 feet tall
now....which is freaky...how did that happen? LOL
Previously known as the IHAN shipping Elves sporting their new metal mouths...LOL
I
have been to CA twice to spend time with our oldest daughter, her
husband and our new grandson. Having a new life
in our family has brought tremendous joy. To see someone you dearly
love hold their child and then begin to know that is how much you love
them....it is a meeting of the souls in a way.
I cried so much having to leave them that my eyes are swollen.
My first grandson....he is pure magic. Expecting another grand child in June, our youngest daughter is now pregnant. I can hardly wait.
Yes
I continue to sew and quilt but in a much more relaxed and messy
fashion. I have several projects in progress and most are pinned to my
design wall, one on top of the other. A bit messy but this allows me to
follow my energy and work on things that feel good instead of
pressuring myself to have a deadline. My creative process is not linear
and I am most comfortable and happy when I do the next indicated
pleasurable thing and when I hit a part that I don't want to do at the
time...I set it aside until I'm feeling more up to the challenge. An
organic sort of creating focusing more on the pleasure and less on the
deadlines.
Here are some quilts that are in full swing at this time:
These are my tiny hexies quilt.
This wild mess is what I call sewing one scrap to the next, cutting and re-sewing. It will be finished in 2018.
A small wall hanging I started for fun. It still needs to be quilted.
Waldo inspired me to make this quilt for charity. I was in the throws of darkness and she said I had to help her sew some charity quilts...that's all it took. Thankfully Beth quilted it for me because quilting on a domestic machine is not my forte.
When
I get stuck on a project or in need of ideas I run them past Waldo
(Longtime IHAN blog followers are familiar with Waldo...Rosemary my
girlfriend). Having Waldo essentially 3 houses away really helps when a
gal needs a different thread or to check the stash fabrics to see if
there isn't something that can be used instead of stored. We both have
fabric stashes (more on that at another time) and our goal is to use it
all so we share back and forth. Unfortunately Waldo's health is
declining. She had a stroke a few weeks ago and it has affected some of
her thinking and she gets confused at times. The great news is she is
up and walking during the day. She and I went out for lunch last week
so that is a blessing she is about and interested in getting out of the
house. Naturally she has a large wall hanging in the process of being
quilted and it is under her needle on the machine. When she is feeling
better I'm sure she'll be back in there finishing it.
Waldo and I
Beth: Kelly, do you miss IHAN?
Kelly:
No, what I miss is regular contact with my regular blog readers,
previous customers, and those in the quilting industry that I built
relationships with. I'm a people person more than I am a business
person. People come first before sales and profits and I think that is
why I was successful. That played a huge part in my agreement to sell
IHAN to you Beth. I had to be sure the honesty and integrity would
continue with someone who had a wide breadth of knowledge of the
quilting/needle arts industry. Had the right person not come along, I
would have likely just closed it and donated the inventory.
I
feel I owe people an explanation for falling off planet quilting yet at
the same time I was not sure people were interested in knowing all
those personal details of my life. Typically I am known for my humor,
honesty and integrity not necessarily sharing the heavier side of life.
If people are truly interested, I'd be willing to share more in depth,
just leave a comment below and I'd be willing to share more.
Thank you Beth for asking how I am and for staying connected.
Smiles,
Kelly
