MONROE — Rose Halik has been working with fabric for most of her life and truly enjoys the craft, and being able to share that with others through selling her work.

Halik is a seamstress specializing in textiles, mainly making bags and purses, but hoping to branch out more in the future.

“I’ve been a lifelong sewer, or seamstress, and it’s just something that’s interested me my whole life. I’ve been sewing for over 50 years, and the corporate world was getting crappy, so I decided to venture on my own, and I’ve been doing art shows for probably 20 years now,” she said.

Of the pieces that she makes, her tote bags are some of her favorites to work on.

“I have these big tote bags and they look patchworky, kind of, they’re artistic, and I use upholstery fabrics, so I combine all different textures and colors to make them,” Halik said.

Inspiration can strike Halik at any given time, and there are a variety of things that can give her that inspiration for a project.

“I know I’ve been asked that before and I used to say nature, but it’s not so much nature, it’s just whatever is in front of me,” she explained. “Probably my family history, mostly; my mother was a big seamstress. Lots of things inspire me, I guess. I get inspired a lot by the colors and the textures that I’m given to work with.”

While she loves making the purses and bags that she does, she also wants to try to branch out and work on other projects.

“Instead of just purses, I want to start doing more wall pieces or something,” Halik said.

Along with hopefully making more purses and other pieces, she will be joining another textile artist in displaying and selling her work.

“[Tina Duemler] is going to open a place on the square, and I’m joining her, kind of. I don’t know the exact location or anything, but it’s going to be kind of a gallery,” she said. “It’s going to be in a couple of weeks, hopefully, so then I’ll have my stuff there too.”