You all know good and well that I’m not the kind of person one would consider “artsy-crafty”. I’ve always wanted to be able to sew and create, and I actually spent years of my life feeling frustrated that I couldn’t seem to sew or decorate or create like other people I knew could.
But I’ve come to accept that while I will probably never be an amazing seamstress or interior decorator, I still am an artist. My art form just happens to be putting words together into notes of encouragement, blog posts, and chapters for books. And I’m good with that.
At the same time, I also realize that I don’t want to live under the belief of “I’m not crafty” and let that hold me back from trying new things. So when the gals from Marie Madeline offered to send me the materials so Kaitlynn and I could make a few projects from Abigail’s book, Modern Prairie Sewing, I said “yes”.
When the materials and book arrived in the mail, I honestly thought, “Oh no! What have I gotten myself into?!?”
Kaitlynn was so excited about working on a sewing project with me that it gave me the courage I needed to jump in and give it my best shot. And guess what, folks? I made something. Something that looks beautiful to me and that I’m proud to share with you here.
{Listening to a new podcast I love — Brilliant Business Moms — while crafting. Excuse my very worn iPhone case. I plan to keep it until it falls apart completely! :)}
Sure, this is like the most beginner of beginner projects, but I DID IT! And I feel so fulfilled and empowered by doing so.
In fact, I went out and bought some more fabric and supplies so that I can make some of the other projects in this book and elsewhere online! Kaitlynn is absolutely thrilled that I’m interested in something she loves and I see a lot more mother-daughter projects in our future together.
Can I encourage you? Don’t live under lies and let yourself be held by beliefs that “I’m not good at this or that.” Maybe it’s not your strength. Maybe it’s not your gift. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t just give it your best shot. Because holding yourself back out of fear of failure or belief that “I can’t” is a way to miss out on many new experiences.
Stay tuned for pictures of our next sewing experiment! I already have the project picked out and am really hopeful that it’s a success, too. If it’s not, I’ll at least enjoy the process of trying something new! 
