Sew much to make – Sew little time

Photo: Jackie Rybeck

IN STITCHES — Rose Aikman, owner of Rosewood Fiber Arts, works at one of her three sewing machines. Aikman travels from craft show to craft show, selling items such as retro aprons, tote bags, wallets and fabric bowls.

HEBRON – On Merrill Hill Road you will find walls of fabrics, trims, zippers and over 100 spools of brightly-colored thread inside Rose Aikman’s studio.

Mostly 100 percent cotton, the large inventory of fabric is all sorted by color just waiting to see what creative piece Rose will make of it.

It may become a retro apron or a coin purse; or perhaps a fabric bowl or tote bag.

“Much of the fun is deciding what the fabric will be,” smiled Aikman. “For me, going to the fabric store is like a child going to the candy store. All those great fabrics displayed and my mind just goes crazy with imagination as to what that particular fabric would look great as.”

“It’s exciting to visualize something,” she added. “Then go home, sew and see if it turns out the same once it’s finished.”

Her love of fabrics and her creative eye make for a successful hobby. She calls her studio Rosewood Fiber Arts.

Aikman’s studio is just peppered with racks of colorful aprons and tote bags. A table displays gorgeous table runners, placemats, wallets and notebook/journal covers.

“It really takes quite a bit of time to build up inventory, but I just love what I do. I can come in here and sew with the company of my two cats and enjoy my solitude. What’s nice about having a separate studio area is that I can sew at 5 o’clock in the morning or 11 o’clock at night if I want, or just shut the door and leave it.”

“I have a bit of a break right now,” Aikman added. “But I’ll be at the Cumberland Fair, come August and that will be the first of the five or six shows I will do in the fall.”

Rose, who grew up on the R.E. Hemond Farm in Minot has been sewing all of her life.

“It was just something you did,” explained Aikman. “Since I was 12, I’ve had my own sewing machine and I used to make my own clothes.”

In the early '80s, she joined the United Maine Craft Guild.

“Shows can be a tough start for a crafter,” she explained. “You have the investment with a booth and there is no guarantee with the weather.”

“I actually started out with knitting, but at some point I incorporated sewing,” she added. “And I much prefer that over knitting now. The machine was starting to take a toll on my arm and I find the sewing to be much more peaceful.”

In the late '90s, Aikman bought the Wolf Cove Inn on Tripp Lake and set her craft show days aside until 2007, when she sold the bed and breakfast.

“Once I recovered, I started sewing again,” laughed the artisan. “I just always have to be busy. That’s when I’m at my happiest; when I’m in my own world creating pieces.”

Aikman returned to the craft shows that she still loves to do.

“It is just the camaraderie of the whole craft-show life,” she smiled. “Many of us have been doing shows for years and you get to know your neighbors at the tables. It is a social time for me as well, and we get to see each other’s children grow and learn what’s new in their life.”

The artisan admits that praise never hurts either.

“I really get a kick out of shoppers saying they love my work or hoping I would be at the show. I am a stickler for detail and it’s nice to have people admire your work.”

“It’s quite an ego boost,” she laughed. “And it’s incentive to head to the fabric store again!”

Photo: Jackie Rybeck

BOWLS – Fabric bowls are sold at craft fairs in many shapes and colors.

Photo: Jackie Rybeck

TOTES — Tote bags made with colorful fabrics and straps of different lengths.

Photo: Jackie Rybeck

ALL RETRO — Aikman says that the retro aprons she sells are a big hit.