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| I just love this picture from Sally's blog - all pictures in this post are by Sally @ Virtu and have been used by kind permission. |
This week I'm talking to Sally from Virtu - a truly gifted and creative woman, who finds the time to create, create, create in amongst bringing up a young family - an inspiration to us all! Take it away Sally:
What do you create – and what is your favourite crafting activity? And why?
Essentially I create "useful" things. Raising a young family means that time is precious and there isn't much space for non-practical creativity. As such my creating often focuses on the greatest loves of my life, my children. I make them much of their own clothes, blankets and toys. Over time I am also becoming more confident in making clothing for myself. Making clothing for my family is important to me for sentimental, environment and ethical reasons. I like re-using resources and knowing that our clothing hasn't been created by children working in sweatshops.
Sewing and crochet are my main crafty activities. Other creative pursuits include embroidery, photography and printing. Recently I even had a crack at making cards and many moons ago I used to do lots of mosaics and pottery.
As for a favourite, well that is just too hard too determine. I love them all for different reasons, and love mixing it up as best I can. Crochet is perhaps the easiest for me to undertake whilst caring for small children. It is portable, there are no sharps or inks or expensive equipment so it is incredibly child friendly... as long as you remember to stick a safety pin in your last stitch so that the little ones don't unravel all your hard work.
The meditative benefits of crocheting are also fabulous, the calming rhythm of forming stitches at the end of a hectic day. An important part of my overall health.
In terms of dreaming and creating projects sewing captures my imagination more. To this end I am keen to continually improve my skills so that I am able to bring my mind's creations into reality.
Tree houses have been a hot creative topic in these parts of late. I remember as a child reading a Swiss Family Robinson book, my mind being carried away by the enchantment of living in a fantastical tree house. Googling tree houses brings up some amazing creations and so I suppose if money and time and place were no object then a magical tree house would be right up there at the top of the list.
More practically though I am dreaming of making my first quilt, a crocheted blanket for my bed, and some clothes for myself.
I'm also wanting to improve my skills with programs like Photoshop and Illustrator. I regularly feel frustrated in this area because I don't have the skill set to realise my ideas.
Learning to knit so that I can create lovely homemade jumpers is a goal for 2012. To date my progress has been slow, but I'm committed to keep giving it a go.
What mistakes have you made or lessons you have learned?
One of the greatest gifts craft has imparted to me is that I can do it. With practice I can do it even better. Perfection is not something to aspire to, rather the wonkiness and imperfections are all part of the charm. There is nothing lost by giving it a go, even if the end result isn't as I'd initially imagined or hoped for there is so much joy to be gained through the process.
As for mistakes, well I've learnt to place boundaries and limitations on projects. With so much inspiration, especially on the interwebs, it is easy to have too many projects on the go at one time. I try very hard to limit myself to a handful of projects at anyone time.
Reluctantly I have also learned that if I keep my creative space tidy I am more productive and more satisfying... I also appear less like a hypocrite when I'm instructing my children to pack up their toys! This lesson is still a challenge to put into practice.
I’ve been a follower of your blog for a while – how long have you been blogging?
I've been blogging for four years now. I started blogging on a complete whim late on a Friday night. I hadn't really even read many blogs aside from close friends and so I didn't even really know what I wanted to put out there. I couldn't sleep and I was playing on the computer so I set up a blog. I had no idea where it would take me, the friendships and connections I would make, the ambition and motivation it would provide.
You are an inspiration to many (including me!) – do you have any tips for networking or making connections in crafty cyberspace?
Not really. Participation is the key to making connections, that and the golden rule - treat others as you'd like to be treated. It's not that different to offline life really.
Playing along in memes has been a great way of "meeting" people with similar interests.
Where can we find you?
You can find me:
Twitter :: https://twitter.com/#!/virtuallysally
Pinterest :: http://pinterest.com/virtu/
Instragram :: (via web.stagram) http://web.stagram.com/n/virtuallysally/
Thanks so much Sally for talking with us today! Especially appreciated as I know you are very busy - I love your reasons for crafting clothes for yourself and your children - made with love - or your family and the planet. Very precious.
If you would like to be interviewed for the blog hop, simply contact your continent's host and let them know!
Enjoy your blog globetrotting and don't forget to link up ...
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2 comments:
So nice to learn a little more about the fabulous Sally! I've been following her fabulous blog for a long time! Thanks for sharing more of Sally with us!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
Thanks so much for your kind words Larissa! You're too sweet. I love your choice of photos too.
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