Her incredibly inspiring blog has some fantastic ideas for 18 inch dolls and the Bitty's too!
Christa kindly agreed to share with us today a bit about herself, her family, passion and talent and I hope you will get a chance to visit her blog and see for your self the wonderful sewing, knitting and craft ideas she has for dolls.
Can you tell me for the interview a bit about yourself, your family and how you came to create for American Girl Dolls?
I'm
a 35-year-old stay-at-home-mom who is married to a pastor. I keep busy
by homeschooling and pursuing creative projects. The creative projects
are my hobby, the thing that helps me unwind. My mind is always whirling
with project possibilities,
and I'm endlessly curious about how things are made, so I don't usually
run out of things to make. I started sewing and knitting for the
American Girl dolls
when my daughter got the Bitty Twins. My interest in their clothing and
accessories has been renewed since she got her first 18" American Girl
doll this spring.
Did you have American Girl dolls growing up?
No, I didn't even know that they existed until a few years ago. I'm sure I would have loved to have one, though!
When did you begin making doll items for your daughter?
It
was just recently
that my daughter got AG dolls. She has always had a slew of baby dolls,
though! We started with the Bitty Twins the Christmas that she was six.
It was more than we usually spend for dolls, but when I saw her poring
over the catalog for days, I knew we
had to
get her the dolls, even if it required a lot of saving. The Twins were
perfect in many ways. Fraternal twins run in our family. My husband is a
twin, and we're told that our kids' chances for having twins are quite
high (especially my daughter). The fact that the brown-haired,
brown-eyed Twins look so much like my daughter just clinched it for us.
Of course, that was the beginning. I made almost a whole wardrobe for
them as part of her Christmas that year, and they haven't lacked for
clothing since.
When did you begin selling your items on Etsy ?
I
started actively selling in 2011 when I was quilting with
vintage sheets. A lady saw my quilts at a link party and asked if I
would be interested in making eleven quilts for her bridesmaids. I took
her up on it, and my business really took off. I haven't quilted in
awhile, but I'll always be grateful for those opportunities.
What do you enjoy making most?
While
I enjoy making almost anything for the dolls, I really enjoy making
things for "our" boy doll Alex. There aren't many boy clothes out there
for 18" dolls, so I've been having a lot of fun adapting things, making
my own patterns, and generally making things boyish.
I also enjoy
poring through the AG catalog with my kids and figuring out what we can
make for ourselves for much less. It's fun for me and a good lesson for
them.
Do you work
any of the American Girl Book Series into your home school program?
I
hadn't thought of it, but thanks for
the great
idea! We are currently studying history in chronological order. We
ended last year at the Greeks, so we have a way to go before the
founding of America. When we get there, though, I'll have to do that.
Do you have any advice for other moms who are considering homeschooling?
My
best advice is to stick to one across-the-board curriculum for your
first year. It makes everything so much easier when you're just getting
started. I taught in a traditional school for four years before I was
married, but I still found it helpful to stick to one publisher our
first year of homeschooling. As I got to know my kids' strengths and
weaknesses, as well as the curriculum's strengths and weaknesses, I was
able to fine-tune our curriculum to meet our needs the next year.
My
other advice is to study your children. Not every child learns the same
way, and that's perfectly acceptable. A friend's daughter is doing fine
with the original publisher's math program. My kids, however, were
overwhelmed by the way it was presented, with a new concept almost every
day. I switched
to another
publisher with a different approach, and they are doing much better
with it. We'll still end up at the same place, having learned the same
things in roughly the same amount of time.
What motivates and inspires you?
Like-minded
people inspire me. Some of my best ideas have come from seeing what
other people have made and thinking about how I could adapt it or
improve it with what I have on hand.
I'm also inspired by a
window shopping trip through my local Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby and
Michaels stores. I have often seen things in those stores and thought,
"I can make (such and such from the catalog) with that!"
What accomplishment are you most pleased with?
In
terms of doll items, I think I'm most pleased with the boy doll (Alex)
that I made-over from a Springfield Maria doll. I
approached the project with fear and trembling. I hate wasting money,
and I really didn't think my hair-cutting skills were up to the job. But
my husband watched and helped me figure out where I needed to cut - and
when to stop - and we did it!
When did you learn to sew, knit, or crochet?
I learned to crochet first, in sixth grade. It was one of those creative
"classes" we had right after lunch. I've done it steadily ever since.
I
technically learned to sew in sixth grade, but my sewing teacher was
very uptight and made me nervous about everything, so I didn't take to
it right away. I think I really "took off" with sewing in my ninth grade
year. I got interested in it and made tons of bunnies, bears and dolls.
It kept me busy the whole summer between my ninth and tenth grade
years, and my dad insists that it
was some of the best money he ever spent. My high school graduation
gift was a sewing machine of my own, and I still use it regularly nearly
twenty years later. I went on to sew a lot of my own clothes, curtains,
you name it. I still enjoy sewing a wide variety of things.
I have
always wanted to learn to knit, but I just couldn't seem to "get it" until New
Year's Eve 2011. We were spending the evening with friends, and my
friend and I decided to learn to knit before the year was out. I came
armed with Youtube videos and books, and between the two, I finally
figured out the basic knit and purl stitches before midnight. I've been
knitting ever since. I've done a little bit of everything - hats,
scarves, sweaters, mittens, gloves, socks, dishcloths and doll clothes.
Any advice you have for young doll lovers out there wanting to start learning to sew or knit or crochet?
First
of all, keep at it. Your first attempts might be frustrating. You might
not even be able to recognize your first few projects for what they're
supposed to be. That's okay. If you keep at it, your skills
will improve. Look at mistakes as a learning experience, and don't be afraid to take something apart if it's not working out right.
Secondly,
start with simple projects. I'm notorious for starting a new skill with
difficult projects, and it's caused me more frustration than I can
begin to tell you. (My dad has a few funny stories to tell about me and a
seam ripper when I was beginning to sew.) Having said that, though,
don't feel like you have to work with only easy projects. As soon as you
have a good grasp of the basics, challenge yourself with something a
little harder. That's how you get better.
Lastly, if you're
running into a specific problem or are confused by a particular
technique, do an Internet search (with your parents' permission) for the
technique. I'm a very visual person and have found Youtube to be a
goldmine of knitting technique videos. (There's a lot of garbage on
Youtube, though, so be very careful and
always get your parents' permission first.)
Thank you so much to
Christa from Sophia's Sundries for her time and wonderful answers today. I know many of you will be thrilled with the ideas and patterns on
Sophia's Sundries Site you can click any of the highlighted words in this post to visit
Sophia's Sundries or click here and I would love to see any of your completed projects! Email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
