On The Trail Creations
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Our Mission

PictureSummer Dragonfly
I've been thinking a lot lately about what my ultimate reasons are for doing what I do. While it is nice to make money with a business, there are other factors that are just as important to me. When I was younger and deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up, art quilting didn't make the list, I hadn't even heard of it. I love to teach, so I got a degree in elementary education, and planned to teach until I had kids, then planned to be a full time mom. Due to scheduling difficulties in college, I ended up scrapping my music minor and taking a few sewing classes just for fun. As it turned out, my first job after college was sewing, not teaching. I did eventually teach for three years, which I loved, but the sewing job for 4 years was like another college education, I learned so much. I had no intention of homeschooling my kids either, but that has been a huge blessing, and I still get to teach. I'm also teaching at a quilt shop, and I think I like the teaching aspect of sewing as much as the actual creating. I have a huge desire to see people learning and growing, and doing more than they thought they could do. Writing patterns is really another way of teaching someone, so I think that is why I like doing that.

I have found that the biggest obstacle people have to doing most things is lack of confidence, rather than lack of ability. Sometimes a little encouragement, and a little information is all they need. My goal for my newest batch of patterns/kits, is to make it possible for people to make something they didn't think they could make, which is a great confidence builder.

There are sometimes different camps of opinion when it comes to using recycled vs. new fabrics, inexpensive vs. more expensive fabrics, hand vs. machine quilting, etc. My opinion on all of those is that there is room for everyone, and I am not a purist about any of those things, it all has value. Having said that, however, I choose to use high quality fabrics in my kits, because it increases the odds of success for people... the better the materials, the better the final results. Because of this, and because my designs use lots of different fabrics (the leaf quilt has 18, and Starr Fabrics are $18 a yard), it would be very expensive for people to buy even a quarter yard of each when they only need a little strip. So my kits are a very economical way to use nice fabric, you only pay for exactly what you need. They also use an unconventional construction method that is very beginner friendly, they look much more difficult than they are.

So, my ultimate goal is to help people move beyond where they are now, if they have a desire to do so. If someone is perfectly content doing things they way they always have, that's fine too. But I know there are always people who "wish they could" do what they see other people doing; I want to help those people see they can do more than they think. I'd like to have a couple of options on my patterns also, so quilters can have their choice of a simpler or more complicated version. It's so much fun to see how excited people get when they do something they thought they couldn't!

And maybe when my kids are grown, (and they're getting close!) I can travel around the country and do classes too, that is definitely on my wish list! :-)

Picture
  • Home
  • Shop Online
    • Art For Sale
    • Store - Wall Hangings/Table Runners >
      • Sandhill Sunset Wall Hanging
      • Moonshadows Wall Hanging
      • Serenity Wall Hanging
      • Summer Dragonfly Wall Hanging
      • Summer Dragonfly Table Runner
      • Moonlight Moose Wall Hanging
      • Moonlight Moose Table Runner
      • Autumn Leaves Wall Hanging
      • Autumn Leaves Table Runner
      • Night Owl Wall Hanging Quilt
    • Store - Quilted Greeting Cards >
      • Out On a Limb Card Kit
      • Wonder Lake Card Kit
      • Moonshadows Card
      • Raven Moon Card
      • Chickadee With Berries Card
      • Whale Tale Card
      • Moose and Willows Card Kit
      • Raven Card Kit
      • Wild Iris Card
      • Northwoods Nisse Card
      • Boreal Botanicals Card
      • Winter Trees Card
      • For the Birds Card Pattern
      • Wild Flower I Card Pattern
      • Wild Flower II Card Pattern
      • Wild Flower III Card Pattern
      • Wonky Heart Card Pattern
      • Whimsical Heart Card Pattern
      • Black-Capped Chickadee Card
      • Three Leaves Card Pattern
      • Let it Snow Card Pattern
      • Happy Birthday Card Pattern
      • Tundra Swan Card Pattern
      • Milepost Card Pattern
    • Store - Coffee Kuspuks/Quilt Panels >
      • Season of Hope Velvet Panel
      • Screen Prints
      • Coffee Kuspuk
      • Moonlight Moose Potholder Kit
      • Chickadee Menu Planner
      • Spring Flowers Coaster Pattern
      • Trish Stuart Collection
      • Teresa Ascone Panels
      • Scrappy Baby Bib
    • Molly Molecule Book
  • Online Classes
  • Tutorials
    • Grace quilt tutorial
    • Sewing Machine Needle Organizer Pincushion
    • Organza silk screen tutorial
    • Polymer Clay button tutorial
    • Birch Tree card tutorial
    • Coffee Shop greeting card
    • Free Motion Stitching Tutorials >
      • Free Motion Tutorial
      • 10 minute project tutorial
      • Valentine Coasters
      • Grape hyacinth postcard
      • Advanced free motion projects >
        • Sparkly 3D dragonfly wings
        • Inktense Frog quilt
        • Dream Big flower panel
    • Journal Cover - Book Tutorials >
      • Quilted Book Cover Tutorial
      • 1000 Gifts Journal Cover Tutorial
      • Quiet Book Tutorial
    • Tutorials for Our Kits >
      • Moonshadows Video Tutorials
      • Summer Dragonfly Video Tutorials
      • Serenity Video Tutorials
    • Video Tutorials - Screenprinting, Inktense, Quilted Card Binding
  • Beret's Blog
  • Art Quilt Gallery
  • Quilted Cards Gallery
  • Classes
  • Our Story
  • Our Mission
  • Quilt Shops
  • Contact Us
  • Return Policy - FAQs