Good morning, Creatives!

Welcome back to FriYAY Friends where we celebrate marvelously creative people like today's Minki Kim. I love sharing these interviews with you because learning about how other makers work can inspire new ideas and practices in each of us. Minki's work has a charm and attention to detail that continually amazes me. I'm so excited for us to get to know her a little better!

1) Tell us a little about yourself, your family, your creative background, etc. Minki is a wife and mama to three girls. Her family is originally from Korea where she was an art major. She always longed for a way to create with simple materials. Then, about six years ago, Minki's husband brought home her first sewing machine, and she began drawing with thread. Her artistic talent combined with her inherited gift for up cycling gives Minki a beautiful ability to make common, every day objects lovely. 

2) You're best known for your charming sewing illustrations. Can you tell us more about what that is, and how we can give it a try? Minki calls her thread drawings sewing illustrations. They combine machine stitching, embroidery, and appliqué. Most over her illustrations now start with a drawing, and this technique was the foundation of the beautiful book she co-authored with Kristin Esser, Sew Illustrated. 

3) You have a darling new fabric line, Dear Diary, out with Riley Blake. Can you tell us about it? After the release of Sew Illustrated, Minki began filling a brand new sketchbook. Her favorite drawings plus her favorite colors have become Dear Diary. Perhaps it's theme is rooted in her love of her blog journaling practice. Her second book, Diary in Stitches, will be out next year. 

4) How is creative community important to your work? Minki is hugely inspired by the creative play of her three daughters. Additionally, Sew Illustrated may not have come about if Kristin Esser had not seen Minki's sewing machine through the window. Creative community at and near home both feeds feeds Minki's work and helps it make its way into the world.

5) What advice do you have for other makers on their creative journeys? Minki loves to tell her friends to start blogs, especially if they're moms. Motherhood can make it easy to simply let the days blur together into repeated household tasks, but a blog helps mark time and creative activity.

As you can see, Minki's work is beautifully detailed and adorable. On Monday, I shared about my own experiment with a bit of sewing illustration, and it was very fun! Go follow Minki on Instagram @zeriano, then give this technique a try over the weekend!

As always, I want to continue to connect with you, dear reader, because it is my job to guide you to quilt with confidence. If you have a quilting hero that you'd like me to invite to the blog, please send me an email at stringandstory (at) gmail (dot) com. Finally, I know it can feel overwhelming to learn free motion quilting. I'd like to send you a free copy of "3 Easy Steps to Improve Your Free Motion Quilting." This PDF guide is foundational to starting a strong and growing quilting practice. You can be a quilting rockstar, and I want to help you on that path. I get your free guide delivered straight to your inbox, just enter your email below!

Happy sewing, my friends!

HollyAnne