About

Before I created From Blank Pages, I was a stay-at-home mom raising 2 beautiful boys, and working on my Etsy shop selling handmade kids toys while my husband worked his way through his masters degree. Once I started quilting my focus quickly turned to designing and selling patterns, and that is when From Blank Pages began!

From Blank Pages was initially the name of my blog. I named it From Blank Pages because I wanted it to be about all the things I filled my “blank pages” with. Everyday is a new day and we all have the opportunity to fill it with something that we love!

I kept the name and carried it over to my pattern business because even though I create patterns for others to use, my passion is allowing others to create projects with their own style and creativity. From Blank Pages patterns are versatile and are designed in a way that they provide in essence a "blank page" for you to start your project with. Allowing you to customize the colors and fabric placements, to design a finished project all your own!

While I was pregnant with my third baby, I found the online world of modern quilting, modern fabrics, amazing Flickr groups, swaps, quilting bees, etc. I instantly fell in love and dove in head first to this amazing community! 

Over the years I poured my time and energy designing patterns, hosting quilt alongs, block of the month patterns, swaps, blogging, etc. I spent probably 10 years of my life quilting or sewing every week. Even during moves, I had a hand project I could work on while everything else was packed up. Quilting and designing was my life. 

Though there were times where I felt that it was taking all of my time, and that it was taking me away from my family as I struggled to balance being a mom AND a business woman. After I got divorced in late 2020, I really struggled with resentment of my business and decided to step back and take a break. Going from sewing everyday/week to only sewing a few times a year was a huge adjustment for me.

But I needed that break...

As I took a step back from quilting, it allowed me to see my experience with new eyes. Over the years I had dealt with a lot of different things from health issues, mental health challenges, dealing with unresolved trauma, and relationship struggles. I recognized that quilting had become completely enmeshed with all of my life experiences, positive and negative. But now instead of resenting quilting, I was able to recognize what a blessing it had been! It literally carried me through every struggle, it was my outlet, it was my therapy.

Quilting gave me an amazing gift of connection and community! I've met so many amazing people, made amazing friends - in real life and online. It has been the best creative outlet. And has been an amazing way to support my family, not only financially, but as well as allowed me to be physically present and be available when they need me. It's also been a great way to give to others, through charity quilts, community, and friendship.

Quilting allowed me to live and experience life despite my struggles and in a way that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. Not only did it help me reach out and connect with others, it helped me to connect to myself in creative and powerful ways, helping me see the beauty that has always been inside myself. As well as pushing myself to the limits in learning and growing a successful business.

It's been an amazing opportunity to be a part of this community and I'm so grateful that it's been a huge part of my life. I am also so grateful for all those who have supported my journey by purchasing my patterns, participating in the online community - whether swaps or QALs, and sharing what they make with my patterns! I'm so grateful I can share what I do with you.

"The only constant is change."

After my divorce, and stepping back to focus on my children, while I've only come to appreciate my quilting journey more than ever, quilting has not been something that has come back into my life the way it was before.

Being a full-time single mom of 6 kids, as my friend puts it, is 6 full-time jobs. And having "6 full-time jobs" doesn't leave much time for anything else. I have continued to pour my energy and my passion into designing, streamlining my website, updating older patterns, and continuing to support you as needed, in the time and capacity that I have. 

Through this new journey…

As I've switched gears, and as quilting has become less a part of my life as it was prior, I struggled to find my identity and purpose in life, and how I could accomplish my goal to help others and be in community. Then one day I realized that it doesn’t take a super star to make a difference and lift another person. I realized that when we connect to our own talents and share those with others, we can inspire others and give them the freedom to do the same.

Through it all, I have continued to design and quilt with a passion and purpose for creativity, finding balance and joy in all that I do. The response has been overwhelming and I am now enjoying sharing my story and passion for creativity with others through teaching and presenting! Inspiring others to find their own creativity and connect with their beauty within!

While my time and energy is limited in regards to how I show up in this space, I still have goals to continue to show up in this space in whatever capacity I can. I do have new patterns that I'm designing and finishing up and will continue to release new patterns. I also hope to host swaps again in the future, and have longtime goals of creating online courses and quilt alongs. All of this is conditional on time and capacity, and there is no current ETA. But quilting will never not be a part of my life!

 

You can join the newsletter so you don't miss shop updates and new pattern releases here: http://fbpnewsletter.com

You can also join the facebook community here: http://fbpcommunity.com

As I've switched gears and stepped back to quilting, my career has moved me to coaching. I help clients release stored emotions and memories at the nervous system level. You can learn more at my website: https://DianeRiver.com