RE-inventing my identity this year!  My last child is headed off to in-person college (after a freshman year at home) and I’ve joined the circulation staff at C Burr Artz Library, so my decades-long role as work-from-home Mom is coming to an end.  But my role as a maker-of-things is a constant through-line in my life.
​I started sewing at the age of six, when Santa brought me a weird little sewing machine that used a glue cartridge instead of thread.  In my senior year of high school, already admitted to college and looking to take it easy, I took a clothing construction class.  I was motivated by a desire to always have pockets in my clothes--so ahead of my time!--but quickly became addicted to textiles in general.  I love the colors, the textures, the quirks of how different fabrics behave.  I love to solve the puzzle of how a garment should fit together.  When I work with vintage linens or a pile of flannel shirts, I lose track of time as I work out how to best use the original textile to create a new garment.  It’s a delight to me to see a finished product and know that it sprang from MY head.
Sure, okay, but what about the monsters?  I’ve been making NomNom Bags since 2008, at first just a few a year, but even as my output has gone way up, I still love each one.  The moment of “birth,” when I turn the bag right-side-out, is a surprise each time.  I can pick the colors, of course, decide how many teeth, but each monster gets its own personality in its own way.  After I turn the bag and see who I’ve got, I pick the name card to best suit that monster.  Naming the monsters and listing their favorite foods and activities takes as long as the sewing, but is integral to the fun of the bag.  I love to see how my silly creatures delight children, but it’s especially great to see an adult find a NomNom Monster that speaks to them.
You can follow me on Instagram @DeanaSews for photos of new releases, my adorable cats, and the occasional hiking photo.  I’m on Facebook as Six Gables Originals (but terrible at remembering to post there).  And soon, I SWEAR, I’ll be at sixgables.com, posting about new projects.  Maybe in July I’ll REcommit to actually starting that blog...