Renaissance Mom: Rashida Coleman-Hale
By Allegra Wermuth
We are happy to welcome Rashida Coleman-Hale to our circle of Renaissance Moms. She is the author of I Love Patchwork and a mother of three. She has a popular blog, I Heart Linen, a second book in the works and a new line of fabric coming out soon!
Thank you, Rashida, for joining us. Why don't you start by telling us how you got into crafting.
I can certainly say that I've been doing it all my life. I've been creating things ever since I was a little girl. I've always been the one to make decorations during the holidays or special occasions, origami, drawing, painting, sewing, you name it, I was into it. Drawing was my first love and anything else I could find to do that involved being creative or using my hands was all I wanted to do. My mother was a model in the fashion industry while I was growing up, my grandfather was a tailor and my grandmother used to hand sew her childrens' clothing. It seemed the obvious next step for me when I graduated high school was to study fashion design, which I did at FIT in NYC.
How did I Heart Linen, and your book, I Love Patchwork come about?
I really got into the online crafting community when I was expecting my our first baby, my daughter Isabella. I was really sort of just looking for a little outlet I suppose. I was a first time mother, suddenly thrust into the stay-at-home life, which can be quite lonely at times. I started to blog and figured I could blog about my sewing and what I was creating for the baby, mainly out of boredom more than anything. Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows that I LOVE linen, so I named the blog in honor of my favorite fabric to work with. It sort of just grew and grew and before I knew it I had built up a relationship with Interweave Press through my work in Stitch magazine and they expressed interest in doing a book with me. How could I not jump at the opportunity?! It's every bloggers dream come true! I drew up a proposal and submitted my ideas and they loved them! So, I Love Patchwork was born.
Are you a work-at-home mom or do you have a work space out of the home? If you are a work-at-home mom, how do you juggle your work duties with your mom duties?
I'm a work at home mom and I LOVE it! It's really no easy task that's for sure. I have three little ones all 4 and under and it's been so hard to juggle them and what I love to do. The two oldest (3 & 4) are now attending preschool and my 6 month old is home with me. He's a big sleepy head so I manage to squeeze some work in during the day while the children are away. But as soon as they come home everything stops and I'm in Mommy-mode. I'm really not sure how I do it sometimes. I wish I could say that I've always got my A-game up and that everything runs like clockwork the house is spotless, the kids are spotless and well behaved, dinner is made on time, all my sewing is done, I've answered all my emails, I've met all my deadlines on time. And then I wake up! :P
What inspires your creativity?
I'm hugely influenced by Japanese culture. I've spent a lot of time there and love everything about Japan. I'd also say that I think I'm just inspired my such a vast number of things it would be hard to say just one. Colors, a song, a piece of vintage fabric I found, something my husband said, a photo, the list goes on. I guess you could say life inspires me. ^_~
We gotta ask, so why linen? :)
Well, it's just the super-awesomest! That's why! I've really always been fascinated by linen it’s such a wonderful and versatile material to work with, strong and durable as well as elegant and lovely. There are several weights of linen available giving one the ability to make bedding, baby items, toys, clothing, towels, bags, tablecloths, curtains, industrial items, the list is endless. It usually comes quite stiff at first, but after several washes this material becomes softer and even more elegant over time. The natural color is also a favorite of mine, ranging from subtle shades of beige to creams. It looks great with any color fabric you pair it with. You just can’t go wrong with linen!
What do you think has been your biggest struggle as a working mom?
I'd say just finding that balance of work and home. Knowing when to shut off business mode and not let it overlap into my home life too much. My husband and I have a rule that we can only talk about work related stuff for 5 minutes when we see each other at the end of the day. (So not fair since he talks so fast! :P)
You have just announced that you are working on your second book project as well as starting your first fabric line. Congratulations! What are your goals for yourself or your business for your future?
Thank you! Yippee! I'm so excited about all of this as I never in my wildest dreams thought that this is what I would be doing as a career. It's all happened so fast that sometimes it seems like I haven't had the chance to really sit and decide what I'd like to do next. I know that I'd like to keep writing, maybe dabble in some different subjects, I'd love to do a pattern line as well. I have a great admiration for the Amy Butlers and Heather Baileys of the crafting world and would love to be at their level at some point in my career. But if that's what life has in store for me....awesome.....if not.....awesome still. I'm just happy to have had the opportunity to share some of my talent with everyone and hopefully inspire a few people along the way.
What other hobbies do you like to dabble in? What is your favorite way to relax?
I love painting. In fact I just recently acquired some supplies to start doing watercolors again. I took a few painting classes when I was younger, including a sumi-e class. I'd love to be able to dabble in that some more as a hobby. But I just can't seem to find the time to do it! I'm happiest with my sketchbook and a J.S. Bach cello suite playing in the background. I adore classical music and would have it playing all the time if I could. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong time.
Do you have any advice to give other women that are interested in starting their own small business?
The only advice I'd give is to say,"DO IT!". Do it now and put your all into it. There's nothing more rewarding than seeing all of your hard work come to fruition. I also love that I can show my children that there's more to life than just sitting at someone's desk doing their work. Find what you love and fill your life with it and share the joy you get from it. You only live once.
What is your favorite game to play with your kids?
I love to play tickle tag with my little ones. Nothing thrills me more than to hear their laughter, especially when it's a tickle induced giggle fit. ^_^
Is there anything else that you'd like to add?
Thank you so much for inviting me to participate and be included with such an awesome group of women! This has been great fun!
Thank you Rashida for letting us see a glimpse into your creative and very full life!