Spotlight on zippityduda

See the gorgeous banner up there with my shop name on it? Zippityduda made that especially for me, to use on my tables or tent at shows. It is one of the most beautifully crafted, professionally designed items I have bought off of Etsy, and I kinda want to hang it up in my living room year round.

Zippity is the Young Quiliting Phenom from Minneapolis. She can sew anything for you. Anything you want! She has a vast collection of fabrics, and a head full of fantastic ideas. If you can dream it, she can sew it up for you.

Coffee cozy sleeve - choose your fabrics

Q: What is your idea of earthly happiness?

A: Well-rested, well-fed, not too warm, not too cool, projects to complete but no panicky deadlines, and the company of good friends.

Q: The quality you most admire in a man?

A: Tenderness.

Q: The quality you most admire in a woman?

A: Certainty.

Be Mine bunting banner garland

Q: Your favorite virtue?

A: A sense of humor - If you can't laugh about what happens in life, it's a pretty long, sad trip.

Q: Your favorite occupation?

A: Anything that involves helping other people's lives run more smoothly.

Q: Your most marked characteristic?

A: Openness.

Groovy quilted wall hanging

Q: What are your favorite names?

A: Well, I'm partial to the two I gave my children: Harrison and Glory.

Q: Your favorite words:

A: I like words that sound like what they are. For example, "tintinabulation" is that delicious sound ice cubes make when bouncing off the side of a cocktail glass.

Q: Your favorite sound?

A: Laughter. Gut-busting, tears rolling, can't-catch-your-breath laughter.

Fresh fun Frankentote fabric shopping bag

Q: What natural gift would you most like to possess?

A: Musical ability.

Q: What is your motto?

A: The whole poem "Desiderata" sums up my outlook on life, but my favorite passage is this one:

"Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

Sweet Cherry Pie fabric jewelry roll

Q: Tell us about your Etsy shop and what you do there!

A: My Etsy shop, Zippityduda, is a place for me to hawk my wares which I obsessively create during my every spare moment. Even without the shop, I'd still spend an indordinate amount of time quilting and sewing, but we would have needed a bigger house by now to store it all. I am in love with fabric, and hoard it obsessively, which I maintain is still cheaper than drugs or therapy - it just requires more space in my home. I love a good challenge and find the most joy when creating a custom, one-of-a-kind piece for someone who thought they'd never be able to get exactly what they needed.

And that, dear readers, is exactly what Zip did for me. Stop by her Etsy shop and say howdy!