Meet my Guest Blogger - Terri Forehand

Meet my Guest Blogger - Terri Forehand.

Terri Forehand writes and designs from her home nestled in the hills of Brown County Indiana. She and her husband run a small quilt shop in the town of Nashville. They have grown children, grandchildren, and an array of rescue dogs and cats and feed 14 deer every evening. (There is a picture of some of the deer at the end of this blog!)

Welcome Terri!

Terri's book for children

Hello friends, I am thrilled to be here on the blog today. First I will tell you a little bit about myself as a want to be designer.  I have worn all of the hats that most of you have in some form- wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and quilter, lover of fabric, and nurse, yada yada. And I have authored a prayer book for adults with cancer as well as a picture book for kids to understand children with cancer as these patients have a special place in my heart. Funny thing is they don’t sell well unless you are going through the same. But I digress.

  

My other true passions of course are fabric and quilting... love, love, love it. I especially love Civil War prints, dark rich colors, and primitive homespun prints hence why my husband and I have opened a small quilt shop here in Nashville, Indiana that carry those types of fabric. What better place to also follow my dream of writing, designing, and quilting? Can’t you just see the characters that could come from having a small town shop with 50,000 tourists per year? (It works out that I am an unemployed nurse to boot at age 59, more fodder for story ideas. Who knew I would survive a down-size and still have a dream?)

You can find me thumbing through old quilting magazines for ideas, inspiration, and new project ideas. As a new designer I know in my head how something should look but it is difficult to find that twist that makes an idea original. I ponder how many ways you can make and incorporate a star block, a crow, a heart, or another flying goose block. What can a designer do to change up an owl, a chicken, or a sheep?

  

I also have recently become acquainted with a woman who is an expert at dying wool and rug hooking projects so I am now trying to work wool appliqué into some of the primitive designs I do. There are fabulous and expert designers out there and I can totally get absorbed in checking other websites for ideas. But you know the danger in that for new designers? A new designer can get stopped in their tracks before they even get off the ground because of comparing themselves to the experts. I can be guilty of this very thing.  New quilters and those new to sewing find the same roadblock. They become discouraged before they even get started because of what beautiful and talented artists they see. So here is part of my plan as a new designer….. I want to cater to those afraid to begin. And what better places to begin than with primitive designs that don’t have to be perfect.

 

Another idea that is exclusive to our shop is a primitive wooden mini quilt stand. I had seen several wire types but I wanted a more primitive look to the stands for our shop. I found a young man starting his own wood-working business that took my idea and made mini stands. Now I am working on patterns for the stands and my friend from Hollyhock Hill designs is working on mini rug patterns to also make and hang from the stands. All of these will be perfect for beginners and hopefully will encourage them to continue in the craft.

I love encouraging customers to try a small project or giving them help on their current work in progress. I may never be famous or considered an expert in the field but I want to make those beginners who enter our shop to feel good about trying quilting, crafting, and sewing. I want them to understand that a project doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful and a quilt doesn’t have to be a prize winner to be loved by the recipient. Quilts are made to be cuddled in and to give warmth, to be loved and to be used.

Thanks for letting me share my passions and my dreams. You will find me at my sewing machine, my computer, or my cutting board…and once in a great while at the kitchen sink or folding laundry.

Terri,

Thank you so much for sharing your story and talking about your ideas and your shop . I know you will inspire many quilters and also help children and adults dealing with cancer.  Thank you again. To learn more about Terri, check out the following links.

Author blog:  http://www.terri-forehand.blogspot.com

Quilt shop website: www.primitive-spirit.com where you can click on the shop blog.

Author website: www.terriforehand.webnode.com

I hope you have enjoyed this blog and I thank you for stopping by. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter as I offer specials every month. Just add your name to the list. 

Until next time...

Nan