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About Mitzi Redd
Mitzi Redd is a passionate quilter, designer, and Artisan with Janome Sewing Machines. She enjoys exploring her boundless creativity with others in person and virtually. As an educator, she has inspired many to explore their creative sides as well, while building kinship in the art. Her goal is always to ignite the crafty side in others the way prior educators have done the same for her.
While the initial sewing spark of Mitzi's journey started at a very young age, it was a military assignment to Alaska in 2009 that re-ignited her quilting and sewing passions after taking multiple in-store classes. Since then, Mitzi has been heavily engaged in quilting from a designer, educator, volunteer, and overall enthusiast of the art form.
She spends most of her days designing new quilt patterns and trying out new techniques, all while balancing a full house and a farm. A true animal lover, Mitzi, and her family have quite the hobby farm with horses, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats.
You can follow along with all the exciting happenings in her studio and on the farm at https://www.reddhomestead.com, on Instagram @mitziredd, and on Facebook.
We sat down with Mitzi after touring her sewing space, and asked her some fun questions! Check out the interview below.
What kind of sewing do you like best?
I’m definitely a quilter at heart. Give me a great machine and a perfect ¼” seam and I’m in my happy place.
What projects are you most proud of?
I made a Lonestar quilt for the 100th Anniversary of Janome Sewing Machines that I was proud of on its own, but then the photos of the project made it all the way to Janome Headquarters in Japan and it had great reviews. I was thrilled to be part of the 100th Anniversary celebration for Janome America.
How many sewing machines do you own?
Hmm…shouldn’t we answer that like when our husbands ask how many pairs of shoes we own? Haha! For vintage machines, I have 2 Singer Featherweights, 2 Pfaff 130s, and a few cute ones I’ve come across over time. For the machines I use all the time though, my studio is full of Janome machines since I’m also an Artisan for them. In the studios, you’ll find the Horizon Memory Craft 15000, Continental M7, Skyline S9, Memory Craft 550e, 5300QDC-T, 740DC, AT2000 Serger, 793PG Serger, and the CoverPro2000. I also have a Juki Longarm and an industrial machine. Wow, that’s a lot when you really put them all out there!
Who is your sewing idol?
There are so many amazing designers and quilters out there. But my idol would be Kimberly Einmo for 2 main reasons. One, her designs are beautiful, easy patterns that anyone can work with and her colors always draw the eye to them. The second reason is that she is an absolute sweetheart. Those who have had the opportunity to spend time with her in and out of the classroom know exactly what I’m talking about, she’s just a genuinely kind and loveable friend!
How long have you been sewing, and how did you get started?
I have been sewing all my life actually. My family has a history of women who spent time behind sewing machines. As I grew up I was spending less time behind the needle until we were living in Alaska while my husband was stationed up there with the US Air Force. When I was pregnant with our second child, I took a quilting class at a local quilt store so I could make a quilt for his nursery. I was immediately hooked (of course it helped to have a fantastic instructor too). I went from “oh look I’m taking a quilting class” to now I have a large studio, teach, travel, and spend all my time behind a sewing machine.
What are your favorite things about your sewing space?
The space I have is my favorite. I have a whole finished basement that allows me to have more than enough workspace, and then I took over a spare bedroom too! I finally have room to keep all my supplies better organized, and yet still have space for my family and friends to join me. I also love that while I work I do have plenty of windows around that overlook my different horse pastures, it’s nice to get up and stretch and see them out grazing.
What was the key to organizing your sewing room to fit your needs?
Sewing cabinets, kitchen island, and storage cabinets without a doubt. I found for myself that if I can keep things tucked away and a cleaner-looking area I am so much more productive. When there’s a mess around I tend to focus on needing to clean that mess up and it’s harder for me to focus on my project. By keeping my fabric tucked into cabinets it’s less of a visual distraction. All of my machines set recessed into sewing cabinets so it keeps the tops of those cabinets smooth and clean. I love clean lines and by finding a proper space for everything I can stay focused on what’s in front of me to work on at that moment versus what all is going on around me.