Tag: eshop

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

JUKI Spotlight: Finding your Passion with Ponderosa

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Today we’re introducing and spotlighting Paige Anderson, the face behind Ponderosa. Paige’s sewing story begins before she was born. Her family has a strong tradition and makes sure their sewing skills pass with each generation. Starting as an ecologist, Paige studied the ponderosa pine trees for her candidacy. Inspired by her past work in the eco field, Paige wanted a way to tie her love for nature with her quilting, thus naming her brand after the beautiful pine tree – Ponderosa.

Inspired by trees, the back to the land movement, 2000s alien movies, and womanhood as a whole, Paige focuses on bright colors that merge well to create pieces that flow and feel balanced. As time has gone by, she’s found inspiration in multiple things from vintage fashion and home goods to ceramics and murals. Currently, Paige’s work focuses on freeform curves and semicircles.

As a mother, Paige transferred her career from ecology to creating a business as an artist. While she first feared that a journey like this wouldn’t be feasible, she found this to be her truest passion!

“After having my child, I switched gears from being in the ecology field to wanting something I could do with my daughter in tow. Up until that point, I had always told myself that being an artist wasn’t a feasible career path for me, but… it’s the only one I’m passionate about. “

Ponderosa was created to bring quilting into the everyday world. Working on our JUKI TL-2010Q, Paige knows the importance of speed! Designing and creating accessible goods like bandanas, keychains, pouches, and totes, Paige has been able to share her products again and again. Off the path of trends, Paige likes to focus on what speaks to her personally! Her proudest work to date has been a large quilt project she’s currently working on based on a landscaping painting she created, a difficult task she’s proud of, but one Paige says might not happen again!

The future of Ponderosa is a bright one, JUKI lovers! Paige’s next dream goal is to open up a maker’s co-op in Olympia, Washington. Currently, Paige is looking for a space with an abundance of natural light, room for makers in the back, and a retail space upfront. With her friends in tow, Paige is currently working on her master plan and hoping to make this dream a reality. She hopes to see you there once this dream is completed!

If you’re interested in learning more about Paige and her work, visit her on her pages! We’ll link them down below for you.

Click here to Ponderosa Creative Instagram!

Click here to shop Ponderosa Creative!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

JUKI Spotlight: The Little Green Bean

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Credit: The Little Green Official Site

Located in Minnesota, you can find Missy Luukkonen, owner of the Little Green Bean! Born and raised in Duluth, Missy fell in love with sewing in high school and has been sewing crafts, quilts, and many other projects for over 20 years. This is all thanks to an extraordinary teacher.

Starting as a hobby, Missy was working full time in a profession she loved and coming home to sewing projects as a way to relax. What began as something to do in her free time slowly grew with each new project. Missy was making burlap tote bags when she started an Etsy shop for the fun of it, not realizing how well it would grow! After saving up her Etsy shop money and taking her husband and two sons on vacation, she thought the shop would be a great side business, but it continued to evolve.

Credit: The Little Green Bean – Instagram

As time went on, she found that her side gig was becoming a full-time job. Once she realized her small business continued growing, Missy decided to take a chance on her dream. Thus The Little Green Bean was here to stay! The products on her online store are constantly changing by customers’ suggestions. Missy makes these suggestions come to life with the help of her husband, who now happily works and runs the shop as well.  After her husband, Chris, joined, they settled on a great dynamic, Missy handles most of the designing, and Chris does the production. With both partners jumping back and forth with ideas, they make an accomplished team.

One project they’re very proud of is the “Monthly Gnome“! Each month, Missy and her husband create a sweet gnome, that is new, and original in design. These little gnomes can be a one-time purchase or a monthly subscription if you’re a collector.

Credit: The Little Green Bean – Missy

Missy’s shop has continued to evolve as she’s always working on different ideas. Ever since Missy was a child, she was always making something. Not being afraid to try new things, Missy goes for it when a new idea pops up. While getting the perfect pattern may take several attempts to perfect, she’s always ready to learn along the way. One type of project she tends to stay away from is clothing, “I have never liked sewing clothes though, I’ll make PJ pants for my kids, but that’s about as far as I go with clothing!”

We recommend checking out Missy’s breath-taking workshop on her socials! Wanting her work area to be different from the rest of her home, Missy imagined her space to be bright and happy. Using fun and bright colors, Missy was able to create a space that was inviting and fed her the good energy she likes to work with. Cleanly organized and with perfect space for her JUKI’s the TL-2000Qi and MO-6700, every day Missy spends her time in her cottage and garage making the next big thing.

To learn more about Missy and her family business, check out her website here! Make sure to check into Missy’s socials as well for an inside look into her shop and home life at on Pinterest and Instagram.