TLC's Women Inventor Casting

In June I tried out for TLC's Women Inventor show. The casting call was in Dallas as well as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. I made it through the preliminary 30 second session and miraculously got a green card so I could move on to the 2 minute taped session.

For those of you who know me, talking in front of a video camera as a sales person is probably the last thing you'd think of me doing. I know that I was able to do it because of God. God was all over that casting call.

I had to have a prototype, so I went to the fabric store in a different city where I was already shopping and loaded up my cart with all the necessary items to make my prototype. I was so excited. Well, when I got to the register, my card wouldn't clear. As I was calling the card company an employee from the cutting table came and told me she forgot to give me my discount! So, I got some cash from hubby ;) and proceeded to purchase everything in my basket. As I walked away from the register, I felt this heaviness like I shouldn't have purchased all these items. I found it confusing, but I decided to send Jeremy (haha) back into the store to return everything but the shell material. (I also had found the one button I needed there, but I decided to return it too. I later had to send Jeremy back to the same store to buy it. It's the only one in two stores and it was still there waiting for me!)

Well, later that evening I got home, pulled out all my materials and found out I didn't have enough of my second material to make the sling. So, I sent (guess who) out to our local in-town store and he bought the wrong thing! So, when he went back (don't worry, he enjoys running errands), to the store he found the right stuff and because it was dirty, we got it for almost half price! So, in all, I was able to get all my materials for almost 50% off! I knew God was doing something wonderful.

Then, my next task was to make a PERFECT prototype for TLC. Well, it must be said that I'm no seamstress! I'm really not being modest. I am crazy in the kitchen and in the sewing room. Well, I'm pretty much crazy anywhere I'm supposed to measure something. I just eyeball pretty much everything. So, you can imagine what my homemade clothes look like. My poor girls... it's hilarious actually. But anyway, I am supposed to make this perfect prototype and I've only sewn one other prototype and I had major problems on the finishing seams. Plus, this go-round I'm supposed to be implementing all the changes I wanted to make from the first one. And needless to say, there's no "pattern". I just know in my head approximately where everything should go and how big it should be.

I kid you not, I made the most perfect, flawless prototype ever. :) I remember looking at my hands working with the fabric and the sewing machine and feeling like I was watching a movie. God was totally moving and prompting me step by step until I was finished with this amazing creation. I'm still shocked over how great it turned out. In fact, I'm afraid to use it because I don't want to mess it up!

The whole point is, God made all these doors open so we could afford the materials, I could be bold and fearless in front of the camera and with a crowd of professional women inventors, and He has given me peace about the results of the show's casting as well. (I do want to say a public thank you to my sweet baby girl Emily - 5 months old now - she was in the sling all day at the casting call. She did an awesome job being cute and happy! Everybody was fawning over her. She's my little movie star buddy!)

So now, I've found out that TLC has already sent contracts out to 60 women, expecting to choose 24 for the show. Strangely, I feel just as much peace as I did when I went in front of the cameras and the lights. I don't know what God has planned for me or this sling. But, I know this, I have learned to see the journey as the lesson, not the destination.

So, I decided to create this blog... for me, for other mom inventors, and for my girls, so they can read about mommy's great invention when they grow up. I put a special forum here on the blog so women inventors can come here and chat, discuss TLC, their inventions, plug their websites, etc. I've met an amazing group of women who share openly their struggles, resources, and advice. Encouragement pours out when one of us is down and needs lifting up. To me, this is far more valuable than any TLC show.