When our eldest daughter was in middle school home economics class, she had an assignment to Make a Simple Tote Bag. My wife was enthused--for ME--and said since I was "the creative one" I should be the mentor and accompany my daughter on this project journey. Being a military vet, one of my principles is to never start a project half invested, so we went and bought my daughter her own sewing machine, all the essential accessories, and sewing table. She and I sat side by side as we made that very first envelope style "simple" tote bag. After we were happily successful and her grade was exactly what she wanted, she put her sewing machine away. My machine...Ahem...my Wife's machine, has NEVER been put away since. I was Bitten by the sewing bug! If you sew, you know the bug I am talking about. It's a relative to the bug that ensures you never throw away a single scrap of material that might one day, probably not soon, be part of the next great project. But I digress. Sewing wasn't JUST the joy of discovery for me it was the joining of my new ambition with already present family heritage--my mother, my grandmother, generations back--the gene pool is full of skilled craftsmen and craftswomen who plowed forward ambitiously seeking new ways of making needed, useful, and sometimes simply wanted products out of NEW and OLD materials. The crafty people in the familiar behind me include quilters, cabinet makers, welders, and I am quite sure a Watch-maker or two. Through numerous military moves and now at last back in the private sector Kuenzi Fabrications continues, officially since January 1, 2011 but in truth several years before that. Growing up on a farm in Southern Wisconsin, I am familiar with many farming metaphors and proverbs which often filter into my discussions or sewing classes. One of my favorite proverbs fits my enthusiasm for sewing best--I have put my hand to the plow and I am not looking back because Sewing not only involves personal satisfaction but it opens new opportunities for me to SHARE the joy and the products with others. Well, I gotta run, there's a Local Benefit being held today and Kuenzi Fab (So Fabulous!) is "All In."