Susan Petersen, who runs a blog and sewn goods company under the name Freshly Picked, has enviable skills. Sewing skills. Upholstery skills. Decorating skills. Blogging skills... She's one of the creative people I've been lucky enough to meet since moving back to Utah last year. And I'm pretty excited to share this little q & a with you.
1) How did you become an artist?
I've always been creating. My mom told me once that if she didn't know where I was, she could just follow a trail of projects through the house + there I would be. My mom sewed all of mine + my siblings clothes when we were younger, whipping piles of clothes together without a pattern. She would never let me touch her machine. However about 4 years ago, I started sewing + because of the daring confidence I saw in her sewing, I've never thought I couldn't make something. I will usually just go for it. Sometimes things don't turn out, but most of the time, I will tweak them until they do.
2) What's been inspiring you lately?
Recently, I've been inspired by bows, sequins, stripes, long hair, high buns, linen, geometric shapes, the way the light comes into my studio in the afternoon, long drives in the mountains, bridges + structured jackets.
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| Susan's couch (Before) |
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| Susan's couch (After) |
3) Tell us about a recent project.
My husband + I recovered an 8 1/2 foot couch. We've always dreamed of having a long couch, but have either been frustrated by the price or the quality. When I found the perfect size couch at the thrift store, we just decided to tackle it ourselves. We took a class through our local community ed program + ended up with a couch that we love + are mighty proud of. We made a time lapse video of the entire process.
4) Is there anything else we should know about you?
Thanks Susan!

















































