JANET REEVES

Finding my niche

Art and Sewing go hand in hand in my world. I grew up with a family of sewist and crafters. My mother was an expert seamstress and my father did woodworking and other various projects. we were a military family and moved a lot which expanded my view of cultures and places. I've always been curious and love working with my hands and creating things or fixing things. I sew, paint, work with beads and fabric, wood burning, and fixing things like lamps . I learned to macramé, make fabric dolls and all kinds or artsy things because my mind is constantly wanting to learn more and do more. my mother and her family were traditional seamstresses and crafters as were my sisters. I couldn't, just couldn't put all those squares and triangles together. It was so boring and mindless as well as pointless for me. I wanted more. Making clothes was just as mundane and boring. Although I could have really nice clothes if I would take the time. I don't care. I'm not a girly girl. I was always a tomboy and out wanting to explore and check things out. I caught an armadillo once, that was funny. I heard something coming under the leaves close to a path I was sitting on so I stood up and straddled the path to see what it was. When it was close enough and I saw it was an armadillo, I waiting for the right moment and grabbed it on each side of it's body. Scared both of us. It was squirming like crazy and I'm in awe of it but a little scared so I put it back down and we both went our ways. I'm not afraid of non poisonous snakes and bugs and have picked up and handled lots of them through the years. I am solely responsible for both my sisters being afraid of anything that crawls. I am not ashamed to admit that. I guess it's just part of a tomboys' DNA to want to stick a praying mantis in someone's face and say "look" and then laugh when they run screaming and calling you names. That attitude hasn't changed even in my old age. I laugh thinking of things like that.