Meet Emily
Pellon: Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Emily: I find inspiration everywhere. I’ve been a doodler since I was a child, and I’ve always loved intense colors. I’ve always doodled ideas of geometric structure, and linear images from my everyday life. That translates perfectly into quilting, piecing blocks and free motion quilting designs.
P: What does your creative process entail?
E: I typically doodle and sketch ideas on scraps of paper while I’m at work or busy with some everyday “mom” task. These ideas become quilt blocks, pouches, and even whole quilts once the normal day is over and I have time at my sewing machine. I typically sketch with ideas of colors or specific fabrics, and ideas of the ratio of sizes, but leave the measuring and fabric choices to be decided on the fly while putting it all together at my sewing table.
P: Why do you enjoy sewing/crafting/quilting?
E: I enjoy quilting because it stays done. I’ll always have more dishes to do, I’ll always have more laundry, but once that quilt block is pieced I won’t ever have to re-do it! Quilting is also a useable art form. I can pour my creativity out into a quilt and in the end, it’ll still keep someone warm.There will always be a need for more quilts!
P: Do you create mainly for satisfaction, gifts, art, or another reason?
E: I mainly create because I love the process. I love making quilts and they may become gifts, but I typically create for the sake of creating. It’s a bonus that people like what I’m doing enough that I can give the quilts as gifts!
P: What tips or tricks learned through experience can you share?
E: The best tip I can give is to do what you love. If you don’t love embroidery, don’t do it. If you love measuring and following directions, go for it! But if you’re a free spirit and want to just sew something, don’t be afraid to do what you love! I’ve learned that my work is the best when I’m enjoying it.
P: When and why did you start sewing/quilting/crafting?
E: I started sewing when I was very young, and received my first sewing machine when I was 11. I’m self-taught all the way. I have always loved to do my own thing, and sewing seemed like a good way to have that freedom. I didn’t really find my place in the sewing world though until a dozen or so years later when I had my daughter. I was suddenly engrossed in all the things I could make for her. I fell in love with quilting and have never looked back!
P: What inspires you to start a project?
E: I’m inspired to start projects for various reasons. Typically it’s the desire to create something, anything. Sometimes the inspiration comes from a person in need, a new baby being born, a fabric that has won my heart, or even just the desire to drown out the rest of the world (and all the problems in life) with the hum of my sewing machine and the feeling of fabric in my hands.
