I am a maker

My creative expressions evolve and grow
Greek Goddess of Victory

Technology

I began my journey in technology in the early 90's.  I started out as help desk support, which transitioned into network administrator, then web master.  As the web became more and more of a reality, my curiosity led me to crack open the pretty pages with images and find out how I might make my own.  I've been coding and tinkering since then.

User Experience and Design

At some point I realized that the work I have done has always been about UX and Design.  From the early days of supporting users over the phone, email and chat, I quickly began to seek out ways to streamline the work of the user.  I came to understand that they, just as I, always wanted a way to do things more efficiently and effectively.  Sometimes those same users ask for things that may not help them truly reach those goals.  It is important to hear them express their goals, needs, desires and also to actually observe them as they go about achiving them with your product, that tells the story. 

Quiltmaking

In late 2015, I ventured into quiltmaking for the first time, in a serious way.  I say this because in around 2005, I'd attempted piecing a quilt, but since I didn't really understand the importance of a perfect 1/4" seam, I quickly failed and gave up!

With the help of online tutorials, a great quilting instructor and a beautiful world of inspiring fabrics, I quickly have become obsessed with the world of quilting.  The quilt pictured here is the back of my 3rd quilt.  

Bagmaking

As I have learned more about quilting, I have continued to see examples of bags made from some of the same quilting fabrics and my curiosity has now led me toward bagmaking, as well. They are great crafting cousins, as many of the bag patterns I've made include quilting as a part of the overall bag design.

Painting

The best part of my college experience was the time I spent in art classes.  In particular, the oil painting classes were amazing.  At some point in 2010-2011 I decided to paint along with some of those Bob Ross videos I'd always loved watching.  I enjoyed it so much, I completed over 60 paintings and sold about half of them.  The scent memories created by those oils and paint thinners take me right back to those college days.

Check out some of my creations in my online portfolio and feel free to contact me if you would like to purchase any of these designs - http://www.blackwebdiva.com/?q=portfolio