Getting to Know You..A CM in Profile

Wow this profile segment was so well received I decided to do it weekly instead of monthly! Thanks for all the support!

Getting to Know You....Yvy



1. What is your name and what do we call you at Crafty Mamas?

Yvylyn Shaan-Lu and before you get your tongues in a twist, that’s pronounced ‘Evelyn’, but you can call me Yvy. I’m known as mistyeiz in the forum and that name is actually partly from my middle name ‘Shaan-Lu’. Being of mixed parentage [Indian and Eurasian] and incidentally, from Malaysia, ‘Shaan-Lu’ means mountain mist in Mandarin hence, misty and ‘eiz’ = eyes. Not that I have misty eyes!

2. How long have you been around Crafty Mama and how did you find us?

From memory, I’d say since March 09 and I was actually referred to the site through a friend who also happened to be the one who inspired me as well. It was my first time in a sewing forum and I wasn’t sure how I’d be since I would be the green horn amongst sewing gurus but am so glad to find such a wonderful lot of mamas!

3. What makes you a Crafty Mama – ie what is your activity(s) of choice?

I think the only thing I can do is sewing! I’m hopeless in the kitchen and cook to survive, plants hate me and die on me all the time, really. *lol* I have actually tried my hand at loads of other crafty things like crochet, knitting, cross stitch and the lot but none of those really lasted this long and I have loads of UFOs around! I dare say that I have finally found something that I truly believe will last the longest!

4. Some people collect fabrics, others patterns…what’s you addiction in the crafting sense.

Gosh, this is a toughie...being new to the passion, my current ‘addiction’ is definitely fabric as I am still getting to know the texture of fabrics out there. So I tend to get a bit of this and that when I can. It’s a crazy fabric world I tells ya! O, and one just can’t have too many Otto mags! My collection is slowly building up. *eekkss...*

5. What’s your creative space like?

Due to space constraint, I actually have both my OL and sewing machine on our dining table! And I store my fabrics in a cabinet DH generously offered me. The funny thing is he let me have like 3 shelves but as most of you know, fabrics ‘breed’ like rabbits and before he knew it, I took over another shelf. You should have seen his face when he finally noticed it. It was priceless! Not to mention that I have a box nearby as well filled with fabric and other tiny tins which contain thread, ribbons and stuff like that. I hope that when/if we do get a bigger place, one day, I’ll have a room to myself. That would be just AWESOME!

6. What’s your favourite crafty tool ?..ie your machines and why?

My overlocker!!! I seriously cannot remember what or how I ever survived pre-serger. *lol* I mean, I love my sewing machine too but man, having an OL really does make sewing so much easy especially with woven stuff. I used to avoid them but now, not so much any more.

7. Tell us about the most dedicated act of crafting you have performed ie sewed all night, drove 2 days for a craft show…something bordering on silly!

I don’t think I’ve done anything that radical just yet. I’m still sewing for the family but I can remember this one time where I was sewing an Otto pattern and it was already quite late and I was then preggers with DD2, close to my due date too! It was maybe after midnight and I told myself, just one more seam. And then when that was done, I thought, might as well do the other side and it just went on and on, and I was left with just the hem and I couldn’t just leave like that, could I?? So I finished the whole thing and went to bed at 3am. I was really knackered but so happy that I completed it! I don’t think I ever pulled that stunt again....at least not while I was still preggers.

8. Do you have a blog/website/business/etsy you would like to plug?

Yes! I blog here I mainly write about what I’ve sewn and make notes for myself so that I can remember what to do and what not to do in the future.

9. If you were stuck on a desert island and had the choice of three things to take what would you take?

I’m so not good with questions like these. So let’s just say the radio, my mum and a pantry that never runs out of food!

10. OK – some one word answers to wrap up:

• Diamonds or pearls – pearls because diamonds have a sad story behind them.
• Coffee or tea? Definitely a tea person
• Sweet or savoury? Savoury
• Night owl or early bird? Mostly a night owl
• Left or right handed? Right handed