What’s in Your Sewing Bag Trace Creek Quilting?

Where are my texture lovers at?! The latest What’s in Your Sewing Bag special guest is none other than the texture-creating queen behind Trace Creek Quilting!

I know how much you love the tactile feel too, and Lilo does an amazing job enhancing that feel in your quilts with her longarming skills. I’ve been wanting to collaborate with her for years now, and I’m so excited we’re finally making it happen 😊She also happens to be one of the loveliest people I’ve met and rivals me for positive vibes – ha!

I’ve been on pins and needles wondering what Lilo, as a quilting and longarmer, likes to keep stashed in her sewing kit.

Let’s find out!

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Introduction

Introduction – tell us a little about yourself! How did you get started on your quilting journey?

All of the women in my family sewed and quilted. I did a lot of rebelling against my upbringing but age and experience has brought me back to much of it, including quilting. When I first got married and had a home I started being interested and between my mother and step-grandma dove headfirst into quilting. By the time we were expecting our second child, I had started a longarming business!

Whaaaaa?! That’s amazing! What a lucky creative heritage you have 😊I love that the skills are being passed down from one generation to the next.

Sewing Bag

What kind of sewing bag do you have? (e.g. did you make it? Buy it?)

I have a little pouch that I made from scraps of the Ruby Star Society collection ‘Lil. They asked me to quilt a sample using those fabrics before it was released, let me keep the trimmings, and I made the bag from them as a memento from that wonderful opportunity.

Oh, I love it when a sewing bag has a story! The Lil’ collection is such a cute one. It certainly turned into an adorable pouch!

All-Star Essentials

What are your all-star essentials? Your tried-and-true must-haves that you can never run out of?

Good scissors, sharp seam ripper, ChapStick, and mints.

You raise such a good point when you mention a ‘sharp’ seam ripper! I was just wondering the other day how often one should replace their seam ripper 😉 Also, you’re in good company with always stocking some lip balm!

Favourite Item

What is your favourite item in your kit? Why?

A tiny little baby duck that someone put on my machine at a retreat. Now I pack him up and he sits on my machine wherever I take it.

That’s adorable! And I bet it brings you joy every time you spot your little baby duck.

Surprise Item

What’s one thing we’d be surprised to find in your bag?

Sticky notes and a pencil? Or does everyone carry those things?

This is a first, my friend! I can’t recall there ever being a comment on sticky notes (I also just searched the site, and no mention of sticky notes 😉). I used to have a small set, but I’ve since taken them out.

Quilt Kits Will Travel

When do you find yourself using your kit the most? (Travelling, on the sofa, attending sew-ins?)

I don’t actually hand sew but I do take my sewing machine on the road often. Retreats, vacations, to my parents’ house in the country. This pouch has all the essentials I need and goes wherever and whenever I take my machine.

It’s a pouch of all trades, just not hand sewing (no judgies, I avoided hand sewing at all costs when I first started sewing)! Do you forgo the hand sewing because you don’t like it, or more from a time perspective?

Travel Memory

What’s your favourite travel memory with your sewing bag?

Making it, for sure. I made it at a retreat surrounded by my friends. I’m not at all great at the detail work and we all had a good laugh at how much I had to redo and how much cursing there was.

LOL – I appreciate the scenario you painted for us – ha! Sewing with friends is just the best, and I love the memories it creates of the time together and the items created too. One of these days I hope we find ourselves at the same retreat 😊

Where Can We Find You?

Tell people where we can find you.

I’m in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, almost always playing taxi for the kids or running my longarm quilting machines at Trace Creek Quilting.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Someone once told me to create the things I want to see in the world. I really liked that and have tried to embrace it when I can in my work and sewing endeavors.

Oh, I love that, Lilo! What a great motto to create by.

Thank you so much for participating in the WIYSB series! It’s been a true joy reading through your responses, and after the crazy last few days I’ve had, it was so nice to sit and actually laugh out loud. So, thank you for that! Keep bringing that joyful spirit of yours, it certainly has a way of making my day brighter 😊

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For more What’s in Your Sewing Bag fun, check out these guests:

• Holly Clarke from Hold My Seam Ripper
• Janice from Prairie and Ocean
• Annie from Annie Tremblay
• Victoria from Midlife Quilter
• Nicole from Modern Handcraft

Happy quilting!

xo

Shannon

PS don’t forget to sign up for the weekly newsletter so you don’t miss out on any future WIYSB guests!

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