Susan Schrempf's earliest recollection of her life is of lying on her tummy with crayon in hand, coloring drawings of Christmas flowers while waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. Flowers and creativity have occupied a huge portion of Susan's history, beginning with the drawing of garden flowers from her childhood home.
In her adult life, she has enjoyed a variety of careers-all related to her passion for flora. As a young mother of two children, a boy and a girl, her creative tools morphed from drawing pencils to cones of frosting. Decorated birthday and wedding cakes provided sufficient income for her to remain home and raise her children. Later she opened a chocolate shop, where she further expanded her mediums in floral creations.
Upon closing the confectionary, a new outlet for floral creativity presented itself. Temporary assistance was needed at a local flower shop. Susan dove in headfirst. Enveloped in the sweet scents, she learned to create corsages, boutonnieres, and beautiful bouquets. Within a month, she became shop manager. In the years that followed, she educated other florists in design techniques.
When Susan was gifted with a new Bernina sewing machine in 1996, a renewed love for sewing developed that she had not experienced in 25 years. She devoured classes, learning all possible sewing techniques. Heirloom design became her favorite, as it was typically embellished with delicate pastel flowers. She was smitten. With a discerning eye, a love of both sewing and flowers, and an incredible attention to detail, Susan set out to create realistic-looking flowers out of silk ribbon that could be accomplished by machine. Her propensity toward teaching led her to break down her silk ribbon techniques into steps that could easily be duplicated by others. She has spent the past ten years teaching across the nation, sharing her love of ribbon flowers.
Susan was raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois. There she married and began her family. Twenty-six years ago, after vacationing in Colorado, Susan and her family relocated to Colorado Springs, where she opened her chocolate shop, Sweet Fantasy. While there, she also managed the Air Force Academy Flower Shops. Susan and her husband currently reside in Aurora, Colorado.
Visit Susan at www.victorianventure.com.
By this author:
Simple Silk Ribbon Embroidery by Machine
