I was so excited for this quilt room interview... Michelle Jensen is someone I have admired for a long time and been so impressed with how quickly she has taken to quilting , she will definitely be someone to watch out for and we can all say..."We knew her when"!
What is your favorite thing in your sewing room?
I love my longarm! It is the best thing for me to finish my projects for the patterns that I try to create. It was tiresome to try to start and finish a quilt in a short time so the long arm has changed my life. To say that purchasing it changed my life sounds like an understatement because it truly changed so much. I was a very difficult decision at the time to make but luckily it turned out to be a good decision.
What is the most annoying thing about your sewing room?
It isn’t beautiful. It might surprise people that I enjoy design and prefer things to be “perfect”. I have always been this way. It is for absolutely no one but entirely for myself and to fit my tastes. I know exactly what I like and I don’t care about impressing people if that make sense. But I enjoy things to be finished and inspiring for me. It isn’t that way right now but it will be eventually. I will work my little butt off to get it just that way within time.
Editors note: Michelle's sewing room is a beautiful blank slate right now... look at all that natural light coming in!!
What is your current project (s) you are working on?
After starting my design business I met a fellow designer that happened to be a sister to a long-time friend of my family. She is an amazingly talented designer and it was on my bucket list to make one of her designs. Well, I have been slowly dragging myself through this project since last November. I started collecting fabric and cutting. I don’t know why it is taking so long for me to jump into this project to actually start sewing. I usually just jump right in. But I’m getting so close now. Other than that I have a few things for my design company to start too. I’m gonna make a fourth-of-july project and a halloween one. (* see what I mean here... Her "Design Company"... that is big stuff AND she has published a book too!!)
Are you a movie… music… or silent sewer?
I am all kinds. Since the kids are in school now, truthfully I get a little lonely while working so I will turn on a movie downstairs. It is more background noise. Then occasionally when I have tons of projects going on I will turn on some music to help calm my nerves. Then when my mind is going like crazy or if I have friends to visit with I silently sew if you don’t count visiting.
What started you in quilting?
I have always had a deep desire to design and have a passion for decorating our space. I love creating a space that defines me and comforts me.
Quilting is an extension of design for me. It looked fascinating for me! It woke up something inside my heart. After starting I learned that I do enjoy sewing and I love working with color and expressing myself. Lastly, I have learned that it is challenge for me to keep learning and trying harder and bettering myself. That is fulfilling.
How long have you been quilting?
The first project I made was probably in 2009? I made a tiny little pillow kit I bought at Pine Needles. The second project I started was in August 2010 in Quilting Guild at my first meeting. That is when I started and I haven’t gone a very long time without sewing something since then.
What is your favorite sewing room snack?
I don’t usually have anything in my sewing room other than candy. I think that it is easy to hide in my closet from my kids so they won’t eat all of it. I sneak Hi-chews, Jolly Ranchers, Skittles, Cookies and Cream kisses and I am sure there has been more… Its fun to have something sweet!
What thing in your sewing room could you not live without?
Ummm… this is super easy!! My Fabric Stash!!!! I started quilting a few years ago and remember sharing at a board meeting that all the fabric I had could fit in two Walmart bags. Fabric is expensive and I had to budget being young with a family to support so each project had to be spaced out for those reasons and I couldn’t just buy all the fabric I wanted. Over these past few years, starting a design business I have been able to purchase fabric and work with fabric companies so now I have A LOT OF FABRIC!!! This fabric helps me so much when I design a new pattern because I have basics on hand and I don’t waste a lot of time/money running back and forth to fabric stores and searching. It is nice to have the scraps from other projects too because I can make a gift for a friend at a moments notice.
She has ENTIRE BOLTS of fabric!!! It's like a little miniature quilt shop right there in her sewing room!! Thanks for the interview Michelle we love you!
