FAQ’s

Yes! I take all my own photos. I care about the look of this site a lot and have put a lot of time into improving my photography skills. I shoot with only natural light (except the process shots). I spend almost as much time photographing as I do making. It’s IMPORTANT.

Here’s my equipment rundown: Keep in mind I’ve been doing this for over 10 years. Each piece was purchased separately over time. If you have a limited photography budget I recommend you purchase the best quality lens you can afford.

Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Nikon 24-70 mm VR
Fill-in light: Rotolight Neo2 bounced off a white foam core board
Editing Software: Adobe Lightroom & Adobe Photoshop
Process Shot Camera: Canon Powershot G7 Mark II
Lighting for Process shots: I have 3 Daylight LED Slimlight Lamps on my cutting table.

I decided I wanted to “try” to be designer so I researched what would be involved in the process of designing fabric. I then took online courses to learn Adobe Illustrator (required for most fabric companies). Once I felt proficient enough in Illustrator I pitched a portfolio of designs to Riley Blake. They liked it and it all went from there. I’m actually working on a FAQ post about being a fabric designer. I’ll share it here when it’s done.

Way back in the day (like 2007) it started out as “Melissa’s Creative Mess”. I decided on a whim one day to dump that name and was looking around my sewing room for an idea. I had a polka dot chair in the corner and thought it would be a fun name. It stuck. If I had to do it over again, I would not have picked it. But hey, what are you gonna do?

I’m just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. I’ve lived in Kentucky since 1995.

One thing that blogging for over 10 years has taught me is that there are a lot of crazy people online. I’ve found it out the hard way with some of the projects posted here in the past. Requiring an email is my way to try to mitigate some of the crazy stuff that goes on. Also, if I just leave a link exposed on my blog for someone to download a file, then bots can find it and that’s bad for everyone.

If you don’t want to stay on the list after you subscribe you can just click the unsubscribe button at the bottom of every email I send.

Yep! Just click the Print Friendly button at the bottom of the post. Keep in mind though, if you print. It’s just for YOU. Don’t distribute or sell the pattern or share it with friends. Because that’s dishonest, and I’m a real person who puts her whole heart into this blog and its content. It’s hurtful and harmful when people do that.

Yes. I spend 40+ hrs a week creating content for it and managing all of the tech stuff. If I didn’t make money it would be hard to justify all of those hours to myself and my family.

For a list of beginner quilt projects CLICK HERE.
For a list of recommended supplies for a beginning quilters CLICK HERE.

If you ordered a PDF from our shop then the link will come to your email automatically. Click the download link and make sure to save it to your computer. If you open it and don’t save it, you won’t be able to find it later. We don’t give you unlimited downloads (for security reasons) so you NEED TO SAVE IT!

Also, be sure to check your spam folder for the email. If you have a separate email address for your PayPal account check that email as well.

This blog is my job, so I MAKE time for it. It’s a priority for me. If it wasn’t my business TRUST ME I wouldn’t make nearly as much stuff LOL! I don’t have help right now. I need to figure out how to add help in the future.

I laugh at this one. Every time we are in Disney and I share on Instagram I get this question.

Short answer, we love it. It’s close enough we can drive or take a cheap flight. We have season passes and can go whenever. A few years ago we also bought at DVC membership and have points that we need to use on a regular basis. Our kids are leaving “the nest” this year but my husband and I plan to keep our Annual Passes and go down a few times a year without the kids.

Yes, I’m an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (sometimes called the Mormons). So to answer your next question, “YES, there are Mormons that don’t live in Utah.” (*wink*).

At times it’s challenging to live in a part of the country where there are fewer members of my same faith, but I feel like it’s made my kids stronger. They have a great appreciation for their religion and the other members of our congregations since there fewer of us.

I get this question all the time. I did get married and have kids in my early twenties, but I’m not as young as people think. I’m in my mid-late forties. I don’t know why I look younger, genetics I guess. I also use lots of sunscreen and drink a ton of water (and Diet Coke, maybe that’s the trick LOL!)

I could write a book! Instead I’ll just point out a few things that I think many people miss out on when they start.
1- Make sure you site works well. If it’s hard to find things or your images are all funny sizes it will turn people off. It needs to look professional.
2-TAKE time to take GOOD photos. It matters. Even an iPhone in natural light will be great. When in doubt, a white foam core board and an iPhone work WONDERS!
3-Don’t get discouraged. It’s easy to do, I get discouraged all the time.
4-Take some online classes. I’ve taken LOADS of classes from Pinterest to Illustrator to SEO. YOU are in charge of your site. Make the effort to learn the things you need to know to make yourself successful.
5-No one will care as much as you do about your site. Be careful what you hire out and to who. They don’t have as much invested in it as you do.