All things handcrafted.
Meet the Artist / Crafter & Creative Visionary behind this company.
Deborah Watson
Hi! I'm Deborah.
I am a wife, mother, grandmother, and entrepreneur with a passion for quilting and all things crafty.
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Early in my career, I worked for a Fortune 500 company primarily in the fields of Human Resources and Office Services. After many years in the corporate environment, my life circumstances changed and I decided to branch out and become an independent business owner. My business focus has evolved over time and is now in-line with my creative passions...quilting and crafting. I view these passions as a form of art and wanted a way to express and share my creative talents with others who see the value in something handmade.
Thus, in 2022 Art and Sew Forth was born!
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The Full Story
My journey with quilting and “playing” with fabric began over 35 years ago. With the piecing of my first quilt I discovered I was hooked! Being new to the art of quilting, I did not have any of the standard tools used in the industry. Therefore, the pieces of that quilt were all cut using scissors (no rotary cutter) and the ¼” seam allowances were drawn on each of the 978 pieces by hand with a pencil. The quilt top was constructed by hand (no sewing machine) and took 10 months complete.
Work and family obligations didn’t allow much time for quilting over the following 17 years. It wasn’t until 2002 when my husband and I moved to Singapore that I was able to purchase my first sewing machine and get serious about quilting. In doing so, I evolved more fully into one of those strange artists who cut lovely large pieces of fabric into tiny pieces just to sew them together into larger pieces again. A non-quilter might ask “why”, but anyone who loves working with fabric knows the joy that comes from that exercise.
I spent the next three years developing my skills in the various techniques of the entire quilt construction process. After moving back to the United States in 2005, I decided to add a longarm quilting machine to my many acquired tools of the trade which has allowed me to expand my artistic abilities.
Over the years my work has received numerous awards and been exhibited in both juried and non-juried shows at local, regional, and national levels of competition. I have also had the honor of having my work featured at two local galleries...Camas Gallery in Camas, Washington and Aurora Gallery in Vancouver, Washington.
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My desire to create didn't stop there!
In addition to my love for quilting, I enjoy all things crafty. My mother was a crafter and passed that gene onto me. I've done little in that area until recently. In late 2022 I embarked on a journey of wreath making and quickly became addicted! I enjoy the process of combining and manipulating various materials to form unique designs and turning them into beautiful products.
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Working with textiles combined with the crafty side of me has led me to making a wide variety of products which can be found in my shop. I invite you to take a look.
Thank you for visiting!