Meet the Maker: Bryan S Gordon from Tat 2 D Quilter.

Hi, friends! How are you? How was your weekend? My daughter and I had a booth for our jewelry shop Mt Nittany Creations at a fundraiser for Alzheimer's on Sunday. It was fun to meet some new people and share our jewelry. What did you do this weekend? Are you a small shop owner? Would you like a blog interview, product review or feature on our Instagram and Facebook pages? You can email us or fill out the typeform on our product review page.

I am excited to share with my interview with Bryan from Tat 2 D Quilter with you.

Where are you from and where do you live now? I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. And I currently live in the Phoenix metro area.

How long have you been crafting? I have been crafting all my life. My grandmother, mother and older sisters all did a variety of sewing and embroidery, so I was taught to sew very early. Although I sewed clothes for my dolls when I was younger, I never really took to needlework or yarn crafts like crochet or knitting, though, so I explored photography and drawing as my creative outlet through high school.How fun that you have tried all of those crafts and that your family is so crafty.

What drew you to quilting or what inspired you? I really don't know. As far as I know, I'm the only quilter in the family. We've never had quilts in the home until I started making them. I've always loved scraps of fabric and collected them for years before even really knowing what to do with them. I did have a co-worker who was making a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt and I started asking her questions. From there I got a few books from the library and used book stores and never looked back.Sounds like you have had a fun journey getting to where you are now.

When did you start selling online? I opened my Etsy shop in May of 2015.

And What drew you to sell online? Honestly, pressure from friends. I was selling the patchwork cat quilts here and there to friends and acquaintances, and then made a bunch of quilts from old uniform shirts for my veterinarian to use in exam rooms. This opened up another style of cat/pet quilt I could make. Up until last year, I had never really sold my quilts for people as I can get a bit overprotective of them, so I resisted opening a shop just for cat quilts. The first year I didn't really do much promoting or even really take my shop seriously, even with my first sale to a stranger. But when I joined Instagram, I realized how I could use it to help grow my customer base. After I was given some fabric that wasn't appropriate for my quilting, I started creating my up cycled fabric critters, the most popular of which are my hippos. This opened up another outlet of creating, and when I sold my first quilt for people to a stranger, I realized this gave me a reason to make quilts I want to even without knowing where or to whom they are going to go. Your upcycled critters are so cute. I am so glad you joined Instagram and we have had the opportunity to meet. I love that you are using recycled materials.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future? I hope that I continue to make people happy with my work, and since I donate part of every sale to various charities, I hope I can continue to grow my sales so I can share the wealth with those who need the funds.That is great that you share a part of each sale with various charities and that you want to expand on that. What a blessing to those in need.

What is your most favorite piece that you have made? Each of my pieces is one of a kind so it's very difficult for me to say this is my favorite, or that is. As a grouping, my favorite original critters are the turtles that I make out of repurposed t-shirts. I have done a lot of hand dying and bleaching of the t-shirts to create interesting colors and patterns and often I see the turtle shells in these patterns. Additionally, they remind me of the animals my oldest sister used to make for me when I was little and in a way I'm carrying on her legacy with them. How sweet that you are "in a way" continuing on what your sister did for you when you were little. The turtles are cute.

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business? Follow your heart and bliss, but don't get disheartened or discouraged when there are slow spells or if it takes a while for your work to catch on. Don't worry about "competition". You make what you make and that's what makes it special. Most importantly, don't let the stress of the business take away what you love about what you make. It should always be something you love doing, not something that makes you stressed out and crazy.Thank you for such great advice.

You can find Bryan at the following locations online:

Etsy: Tat2dQuilter.etsy.com

Instagram:@tat2dquilter