Christmas is virtually around the corner and Sharon Fraites like many other women is hustling and bustling around her home to get everything done before the Christmas morning dawns.

She told The Scene that every year she tries to get everything done before the day arrives but her good intentions go to waste as she is caught up in the same confusion every year.

But unlike many of you ladies out there Sharon has a legitimate excuse. This lady is a designer and this is the time of the year that every woman and some men are into buying clothes.

Sharon's pieces are always in demand this time of the year. So as the orders start pouring in, Sharon gives up on attempting to get her house fixed, because she does her designing at home.

And she does not just design clothing, she also makes special items for the festive season. She rolls out her specialty table napkins, tablecloths, cushions and wall paintings among other things.

The Scene was fortunate enough to catch up with this creative woman recently and even as she spoke to us she was bustling around her 55 New Garden Street, Queenstown home trying to finish pieces of clothing.

On a table nearby was a set of exquisitely made Christmas napkins, complemented by a matching tablecloth. Whoever ordered those items will definitely have a beautiful table even without the goodies.

Sharon said while she always had the urge to express herself in painting she was once just a simple housewife.

Years ago when Sanata Textile Mill was still in existence Sharon designed clothing made of pure cotton, as, according to her, the company produced the best cotton. When the company closed its doors so did Sharon; she went on back to being a housewife. But when someone is creative that talent cannot be kept under wraps, so some years ago at Guyexpo, Sharon displayed some hand-painted designs for children.

"I had a whole wall of children's clothing and that was when Guyexpo was Guyexpo. That was when it was all about things that were produced in Guyana and not what it is today. I even had some cotton, the real cotton which was hard to find, to make my sign."

She said that clothing line was very well received as at that time no one was doing strictly children's clothing. And even as she produced her children's line, she received orders from adults as well.

"But how often do people buy hand-painted clothes for children? So eventually I moved into designing clothing for adults," Sharon said, explaining her shift as she put the finishing touches to a petite white dress, which she told this reporter would have been perfect for her.

However, Sharon made it clear that petite women are not the clients she really focuses on, rather, she caters for full figured women. She noted that it is difficult for those women to walk into a store and pick up the perfect outfit as many of them don't have one size bodies.

"They too like to dress up and look nice so I have to help them feel nice and I choose the perfect outfits for them…"

She said that her clients are usually through word and mouth, but from time to time she would do free displays at charitable functions and she would get customers from those displays.

She said she loves painting because it allows her to express her individuality. The painting helps to enhance the outfit and Sharon likes a lot of abstract and Amerindian motif designs. Most of her clients go to her without a clue as to what they want and they would expect her to come up with the perfect outfit. "Most people don't want to get something they would see again on someone else. And if someone picks an outfit and I don't think it suits them I would let them know I am not going to outfit them in something that does not look good just for money."

When Sharon is not designing, she is teaching children to paint at her house or she is teaching adults to paint at another location. That is why this Christmas she is late with her preparation because even as she struggled to get her orders done she was having classes in the mornings.

She feels that the advantage of working from home is that her clients can visit her home after hours, but she admits that this could be a disadvantage at times because some may want to abuse this privilege.

Her dream is to one day have a business location. "My dream is to have a location where people can come and sit back and look at styles while having a cup of tea or a cold drink…"

She finds her profession lucrative because according to her she is different and her clients know what she has to offer.

Sharon is married with three sons and she said that is one of the reasons why she is always late is that she does not have the daughter to assist her, though her three sons and her husband do chip in.

For those of you who want a Sharon creation contact her at 227-5026 or 227-6481.