Where creativity meets questionable judgment, and laughter keeps life from unraveling.
Have you ever started out doing something perfectly ordinary, only to find yourself wondering how on earth things got so far off track?
Welcome to my world.
I'm the person behind Opal & Mert, where I make quilts, sew, crochet, and occasionally convince myself that whatever new project has caught my attention is an absolutely brilliant idea.
Sometimes it actually is.
Other times, well... there's usually a story.
I've always enjoyed making things. There's something satisfying about taking a pile of fabric, a handful of thread, or a ball of yarn and turning it into something useful, beautiful, or hopefully both.
Of course, there's also the occasional project that makes me question my eyesight, my mathematical abilities, and whether the person who invented seam ripping should have received a Nobel Prize.
But that's part of the adventure.
So, What's This Blog About?
Good question. I'm glad you asked, because I'm not entirely sure where this is going either.
There will certainly be quilting, sewing, crochet, and stories about the things I create. I'll share projects, ideas, lessons learned, and probably a few things I wish someone had told me before I started.
But life doesn't happen exclusively in the sewing room.
There are road trips that take unexpected turns, household projects that develop minds of their own, two cats who apparently believe they're management, and a husband who has never met a questionable adventure he couldn't somehow encourage.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, I occasionally manage to get some sewing done.
A Little About Me
I'm a retired nurse, a lifelong maker, an animal lover, and someone who has never quite mastered the art of having only one interest at a time.
I prefer to think of myself as curious.
Other people might have different terminology.
I've spent a lifetime learning things, making things, fixing things, and occasionally discovering entirely new ways for things to go sideways.
Some adventures were planned.
Others just showed up uninvited.
But I've learned that even when things don't turn out the way you expected, there's usually something worth laughing about afterward.
Sometimes considerably afterward.
Pull Up a Chair
My hope is that Behind the Seams becomes a place where we can share a few ideas, learn something useful, appreciate the beauty of handmade things, and laugh at life's little surprises.
You don't have to be a quilter or even know which end of a sewing machine to thread.
Just bring your curiosity, a sense of humor, and perhaps a little patience.
Because around here, things don't always go according to plan.
But they do tend to make good stories.
Welcome to Behind the Seams.
I'm glad you're here.
Now, where did I put my seam ripper?