Vanessa Wilson Vanessa Wilson is the founder and proprietor of Crafty Gemini, LLC, a sewing, quilting, cooking and crafting video tutorial business that showcases her many talents via her YouTube channel, TheCraftyGemini. After graduating from law school and getting married in 2008, Vanessa (with the help of her husband) decided to turn her passion for creativity and teaching others into a business. She loves teaching practical and functional skills to anyone willing to learn. She is a published quilt pattern designer and long arm quilter. Vanessa has also been featured in the New York Times and on ABC's 20/20 for her crafting tutorials on YouTube. She credits her clear and concise style of instruction with her success. Vanessa lives with her husband, two children, two dogs, two rabbits and four chickens on a small farm near Gainesville, FL.
Meet Vanessa
Pellon: Where do you findinspiration for your work?
Vanessa: I find most of my inspiration from my kidsand my everyday life. I especially enjoy creating functional and practicalprojects so I'm always trying to come up with new ideas for things we need athome or new educational toys.
P: What does your creativeprocess look like/entail?
V: My creative process doesn't look one particular way over another. I liketo go with the flow so I let the fabrics or project ideas tell me where Ishould go with it. I don't like to force it because then it's no longerfun for me. I try to think outside-the-box and am very good at accepting"mistakes" in my projects and having them look like I meant to makethem. Part of what I enjoy the most about having a creative outlet isthat there is no right or wrong way with art. You can do whatever youfeel like doing and no one can tell you it's wrong.
P: Why do you enjoy sewing/quilting/crafting?
V:I enjoy sewing, quilting and crafting because I need a creative outlet to dreamup ideas and designs I can create and have it be the only piece of art like itin the entire world. I especially enjoy working with fabrics and threadsbecause I find them to be the most versatile of art mediums. You cancreate anything you want using fabric and thread!
P: Do you create mainly for satisfaction, gifts,art or another reason?
V: I create for all sorts of reasons... for fun, gifts, my business and tocreate heirlooms that can be passed down from generation to generation in myfamily.
P: What tips or tricks learned through experiencecan you share?
V: There is no such thing as the quilting police! You can do whatever youwant and still end up with a gorgeous quilt. Don't stress over small mistakesyou may make in your projects and just enjoy the creative process. Youwill still end up with an amazing work of art and probably wouldn't be able tospot those mistakes after the project is complete. When cutting fabric, measure3 times before cutting. Use two rulers to cut your fabrics to size- one tomeasure and the other to guide your rotary cutter blade.
P: When and why did you startsewing/quilting/crafting?
V: I have been crafting and creating things with my hands since I was a verysmall child. But I only got into sewing/quilting in 2007. I was inmy 2nd year in law school and miserably depressed and drained. I waslooking for a creative outlet and I asked my mother to teach me how to sew oneday. After threading the machine and running a few lines of straightstitches I was hooked! I immediately ran to my closet and pulled out an oldpair of jeans (that no longer fit) and started cutting them up to make apurse... and like they say, "the rest is history!"
P: What triggers you tostart a project?
V: What triggers me to start a project is usually either a need forsomething in my house or if I have a fabulous design idea that just pops intomy head. I try to create works of art that double as functional items. Ilike to create things people can use for something. If I make you a quilt Idon't want you to use it as a wall hanging... I'd like for it to be used andwashed many times over. That's what it's made for!
For more creations by Vanessa, check out her YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/TheCraftyGemini