Saturday, January 15, 2011

Introducing Janell!

Hello fellow sewing addicts! Janell here, Cheyenne’s new assistant . While a fish-out- of-water last month when I joined her team at MyLittle, I’m fully into the swing of loading endless bobbins and Zenning out to the hummmm of her grandmother’s sewing machine.


Let me first say, Cheyenne is a wizard of sorts in her shop. She bounces from one task to the next, leaving a slew of beautifully crafted pieces in her wake. I’ve grown accustomed to her various trills and squeaks she makes after poking herself on needles or reconfiguring a hemline. And she manages to juggle her two beautiful girls that she home-schools all the while. I am humbled and grateful for all she is teaching me – so patiently.

I never, ever, ever thought I’d be sewing for a living. City girl turned General Contractor turned farmer and now I’m hooked on the thread. I’ve always admired those that could turn a raw material into something lovely, a work of art. I never thought I would have the patience to learn the skill of sewing. I could spend an evening daydreaming up things to make, look longingly at sensuous fabrics, but when it came down to business – to making this idea tangible – I would fizzle out. I had no skills. But!!! Little, by little, I am learning. Learning that there is soooo much to learn!!! Cheyenne is self-taught and has spent years becoming the seamstress she is today, but I am thoroughly enjoying being her apprentice.


Learning is easier when your teacher is on fire for what she is doing. And she hums a lot of Christmas tunes as we work. I may never get The Nutcracker out of my head before July, but I don’t mind.

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