Grainline Crew - Jen
So you all know Jen…. And as she is the original Grainline Studio crew member… captain if you will… We thought it would be fun to ask her a few questions! Maybe you will learn some new things about her and this Grainline Studio journey she has been on since 2009. Thanks for following along guys!
What has been the most exciting change at Grainline Studio?
That's a hard one right off the bat, there have been so many exciting changes here over the last few years! Most changes start off a bit scary to me but end up being very exciting - once I'm done stressing out about them. I've been really lucky to have my husband Jon to help me transition through each change we've gone through over the past two and a half years, which has encompassed the bulk of our growth. In that time we've moved from strictly PDF patterns to paper patterns, moved to a studio, then to a second larger studio, hired employees, and collaborated with some awesome small businesses such a Fringe Supply Co. and Sprout Patterns. I think that the community this growth has encouraged - whether it's the 4 of us working day to day as a team in the studio, traveling to teach and meeting new people around the country, collaborating on new projects with other small businesses, or interacting with our amazing customers on social media - that has definitely been the most exciting change!
What is your favorite plant?
Ooh hard one, my favorite is probably our fiddle leaf fig. It was the first plant I bought when I moved the business out of my apartment and into a dedicated workspace. I feel like it has a personality and I spend a lot of time trying to get it to sprout new growth in a branch other than the tall branch that's about to topple over. It finally paid off though, a new sprout appeared in the lower branch!! Or did you mean my favorite type of plant in general? Hahaha that's hard. Not really a fan of Morning Glories though.
Do you have any advice for beginning sewers?
I would say the best thing you can do is practice. Everyone who sews made some really horrible and ugly stuff at the beginning of their sewing careers, myself included. Just keep at it and try not to get too obsessed with perfection. I wish I still had the piece of paper I sewed the first time I sat down at an industrial machine, you guys would laugh so hard. It's SO terrible!!
What is the funniest thing you have made?
A Cheeseburger! It's also the first thing I ever made besides sewing a piece of paper which my mom made me do when I was younger and wanted to start sewing. It was really an awesome project for a beginner, straight lines, curves, etc. but required little to no precision since it wasn't a garment and you got a really fun project. She taught me out of these two books, Sewing Machine Fun and More Sewing Machine Fun , which we both still agree are the best sewing for kids books we've ever seen!
What is the most times you have had to unravel a knitting project?
OH man, probably one million times. I taught myself how to knit in November 2001 on a road trip to NYC with a pamphlet from Hobby Lobby, two metal needles, and a skein of Red Heart Yarn. This was slightly before knitting had its resurgence - Knitty.com didn't exist and hip resources and patterns were very light. I knit this small triangular shawl that was basically just the knit stitch with the exception of a knit front and back loop every other row. I don't even know how many times I took parts of that out to redo it, but it was a lot!
What is your favorite Grainline Studio pattern to sew?
Hmm...that's a hard one. My favorite to sew is probably the Archer because I like all the precision involved. My favorite to wear though, or the one I find myself wearing the most often is the Hemlock. That sucker is a workhorse for me!
Do you wish Roamy could join you at work?
Hahaha, she definitely does! I do miss having her around all the time but that lil snugface is really demanding on the cuddle front so it's probably for the best productivity wise that she stays home.
