Monday, January 6, 2014

Meet the Designers--Ashley and Emily from Frances Suzanne

Hi all! We are Ashley {frances} and Emily {suzanne} - two sisters, from Alabama, that blog over at Frances Suzanne....a blog we began in June 2012.  We started blogging for two reasons: 1. It was a means to chronicle our nieces' lives {EA, a spunky 3 year old and CL, her mild-mannered 18 month old sister}. And, 2. it was a place we could share {with whomever might happen to stop by} some sewing creations we were working on....
You see, the 2nd reason for blogging evolved after participating in the sew-along portion of a "little sewing series" {that needs no introduction around these parts} - Project Run and Play. We began faithfully sewing along during season 4, when our only way to share was through flickr. The sweet comments and friendships formed during that season pushed us to make the "blogging leap." And, here we are .... almost full-circle to how it originally began. Speaking of....how did our sewing journey really begin?? It was what many might consider a "backwards journey!" We actually began dappling in heirloom sewing and embroidery long before attempting machine work. Years ago, we took some local heirloom and embroidery classes, did the handwork, and then paid someone to complete the garment via machine. It wasn't until EA, our oldest niece, was approximately six months old that we truly delved into sewing - from beginning to end! Nowadays, we "keep our paying day jobs" {Ashley working in pre-press production and Emily as a 1st grade teacher} and come home in the evening to plan, sew, and blog! And, since many of you have asked, "How do you work together, what are your roles, etc?", we've made a little "flow chart" to map out our sewing production progression.

It is definitely a team effort - a process that requires a different skill-set from each of us! And one we wouldn't want to tackle without the other one present....
As for Season 8 of Project Run and Play? We hope to be here over the next four weeks sharing with you our visions, process, and final results of the challenges presented.  Trust us, we'll be keeping it real - giving you some "behind the scenes" perspective of how our designed outfits came to be!! And, if the "behind the scenes" intrigues you, head over to our blog to hear a little more about just that.... Feel free to join us on blogger, instagram, pinterest, facebook, and twitter as we share our sewing adventures, as well as the "Flip this Pattern" series {a year-long sewing event begun to commemorate our first year of blogging}. It would be an absolute honor to call you our friend! Some of our greatest blogging relationships began with Project Run and Play - so jump in there, sew-along, and have loads of fun sharing with one of the most gracious groups of people the worldwide web has to offer....

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14 comments :

  1. What a fun way to introduce yourselves! I love, love the production chart as I've often wondered if you two took turns or what. Looking forward to next Tuesday to see what you and the rest have in store for us!

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  2. You guys are adorable! Love it.

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  3. I am so excited to be on this season with you and I am incredibly jealous of your embroidery and smocking skills! Love you work and can't wait to see what you've been working on!

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  4. I'm so looking forward to seeing your designs this season...this was a fun introduction!

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  5. Not sure if my other comment posted - I can't wait to see what you make this season!
    And I'm glad to have you as blogging friends!

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  6. Nice to see the wizards behind the curtain. And very pretty too!

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  7. Finally, you revealed how both of you cooperate to create those beautiful works. I was wondering for a long long time. Can't wait to see your creation in this coming season!

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  8. First, I love this photo of you two with the nieces... beautiful. =)
    And I think it's awesome how you two work together to create such beautiful things. Makes me miss my sisters (who live in a different state) even more! I love seeing the production chart. =)

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  9. that was the best intro ever. you two are going to rock this season. i'm really looking forward to your creations!

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  10. I'm so excited to see your faces on this side of the competition. You ladies crack me up with your "org chart" haha. I had no idea there was such a preciseness to your team work, but I'm not at all surprised. I love it. I'm sure your work will be amazing as usual this season. Good luck!

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  11. Love the flow chart--you two are definitely more organized than I am! I'm so jealous of your "lengthy discussions" about new projects. Looking forward to your creations!

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  12. Thanks everyone for your sweet comments / words!! Can you tell we tend to 'over think' things a bit?? As for the organizational chart: sometimes the lines ARE a bit gray....T-minus 7 days and counting!!

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  13. yes, the chart is perfect! Your work is beautiful! And I've enjoyed getting to know yall so far (even if you are Auburn fans...:) ) Can't wait to see what you have!

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  14. omg yess! this is so exciting!

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