Spotlight on Artsy Crafty Babe

By now, most of you have probably wandered across Beki and her artsy crafty blog. If not, it's high time you did. The woman must be a robot is a dynamo! Aside from being a wife and momma to three wee wonderful kiddos, she also has a full-time job and still manages to create amazing fabric lovelies for her etsy shop. (And you thought you felt like an underachiever before...)

Who are you?

Hi, I'm Beki, and I'm a craft addict. I have a day job that pays the bills, a husband and three little kids that need me to take care of them, and I craft by night to take care of myself. I'm a much better wife and mother when I get my craft time in. When I go too long without making something, I get very grumpy! My craft of choice is sewing. I've dabbled in many other crafts, but sewing is my passion. I primarily make bags, but I like to make other things as well, just as long as they don't involve too much fabric (I'm not too crazy about making curtains or anything bulky like that). (That's too bad about the curtains because I was just about to commission Beki to make me some $5000 drapes. Oh well.)



Why do you create?

I create because it brings me great joy and feeds my soul. From the time I was small, I've always had the desire to make things with my hands. After a long day of tending to all my responsibilities, I get renewed by retreating to my sewing studio or working on some knitting in bed. (From the time I was small, I've always had the desire to be independently wealthy. Just imagine all the crafting time I'd have to myself then.)

What inspires you?

So many things inspire me. Sometimes a beautiful fabric will speak to me, other times I'm inspired by a need. I wish I had more time to let my mind wander to see where it goes. Right now, my days are pretty packed, so I have to fit my creativity into the cracks. I dream of the day that I get to devote more time and attention to my craft. (I'm still dreaming of that independently wealthy thing.)



What's your favorite medium?

By far, fabric. Thinking back, I've always had an affection for textiles. It all started with playing with the scraps from the clothes that my mom and maw maw made me. I used to roll them together to make 'things'. Back in kindergarten I remember wasting a whole box of tissue making a doll during naptime. My teacher wasn't too happy about that! (Obviously, your teacher was a bore and had no tolerance for creative genius.)



Anything else?

I am so happy that 'making things', especially sewing and other needlearts, is cool. In a world where we can have anything in an instant, I think spending the time to physically make something from raw materials is important. It connects us to our past and preserves a little of ourselves for the future. (Well said, Miss Beki, well said.)