Featuring Michelle Ridgway!

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Welcome to Day 29 of How to Earn $ From Sewing and Quilting! This week we are talking about Designing and Selling Patterns,  and today I’m so excited to have Michelle Ridgway sharing some of her story with us!

Michelle is a more recent blog friend of mine, and well known in blogland AND real life to many of you! Yet someone else I want to go and meet one day…. 🙂

Michelle is such a talented lady, not just in quilting and designing patterns, but also as an artist – she has a separate blog where she shares pics of her beautiful drawings, go check it out!

Ok, on with the show…

How long have you been quilting?

I have been quilting for about 20 years.

When did you start designing?

I started designing about 10 years ago and more seriously when my paid employment became redundant.

What inspires you?

Family, Home, Friends and the natural world.

Do you use a special program to draw or design your quilts and patterns?

No,  imagination, pencil and paper are my main tools.

When did you decide to sell your patterns?

I began selling my own patterns after my magazine commission pieces were well received.

What do you like best about being a pattern designer?

I think the nicest part is seeing another needlewoman take your design and love it and enjoy stitching it. Knowing you have added to someones joy is such a joy and a priviledge.

What is your favorite design so far?

My favourite design, and as they are all like family it is hard to choose, would be a quilt I designed in memory of my grandmother called “Remembering Roma”. It is not a design I put into pattern form. I loved it from start to finish. It was a design I had been thinking about for years, so seeing it materialise was something special.

 

Are you working on a new design at the moment and if so can you give us a hint?

I have several things in the wings…..like all stitchers. I have a little wallhanging and mini wall hanging with a “Friends” theme and features Dresden Plates just waiting for allocated instruction writing time. My least favourite thing!

Some quick fun questions:

Favorite color: 

Red

Food you can’t resist:

Chocolate

All time favorite movie or tv show:

Pride and Prejudice

Which book are you reading now?

I am re-reading a favourite – The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

If you could be an animal, what would you be?

A Wedgetail Eagle

What is your favorite quilt block?

Dresden Plate/Any needleturn applique block

What advice would you give to pattern designers starting out?

Stay true to yourself. No-one is going to create the same way you do. So try not to look at what others are doing a lot. Have confidence in your own gift.

Thank you Michelle for sharing with us today!

I love her advice above… don’t look at others but have confidence in your own gift! I do hope this will encourage those of you who have joined us in this series… because it applies to teaching and quilting as well.

So for a bit of show and tell… Here is a pic of the whole “Remembering Roma” quilt:

Now I know Michelle said she hasn’t written it up as a pattern for sale… but wouldn’t it be lovely?! (Hint… hint!) I just love the colors and designs… I would even be willing to try those paper pieced stars… 🙂

Here are some more of her finishes, pictures pinched from her blog with permission:

Oh my…. I think I need to go see Michelle and get her to teach me needleturn…

I love this quilt, one of her own designs..

I have this pattern and NEED to start it… here’s a closeup so you can see her beautiful stitching:

The pattern is called Country at Heart Alphabet, and you can buy it directly from Michelle…

Well, I hope you enjoyed getting to know Michelle a bit more and please do go and drop in on her to say hi!

It’s getting to the end of October……!!! I’ll be back tomorrow with Sew to Sell – Using Your Sewing and Quilting Skills to Earn $

PS Please remember I am answering your comments in the comment section below and not via email like I usually do. Sorry for the hassle, but I am hoping this month we can share ideas!

PPS The main page of this series is here along with links to each post for this series.