I would say it's a gift to be able to have a strong enough point of view that it's identifiable.

And I think only recently I've realized how that's been a default gift of that crazy-ass experience

is coming to terms with myself in a beautiful way.

From Seamwork Magazine, I'm Sari Mittnick, and this is Seamwork Radio,

where we tell stories about designing, making, and wearing our own clothing.

If you're a fan of Project Runway, you definitely remember Gretchen Jones.

She was the controversial winner of season 8.

She had this really self-assured, ambitious personality, and it made her a lightning rod for fans.

It also made her really easy to cast as a

reality show villain. When I watched the show, and particularly that season, actually,

I often wondered, how could anyone subject themselves to that much public pressure? Is the payoff

really worth it? I mean, what's life really like after winning?

Do doors open suddenly, or do you have to start again?

But only this time with the stigma of being edited into this caricature on national television.

So when my friend Heather Luenza, she does closet case file patterns,

Heather suggested that she interviewed Gretchen about her experience on

Project Runway. I jumped at the chance to hear her story. I wanted to know why she chose to do

Project Runway, and also how it altered the course of her life and her career. Heather caught up

with Gretchen at her home in Portland, Oregon. Just to note, Gretchen uses some words in the story that might not be

suitable for young listeners, so just be warned. I grew up in rural Colorado in a town of about

400 at 10,000 feet, so it was a little ranching town very far removed. My mother was a Midwestern

girl who ran away to be a hippie during like the

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