Mary Ann Varanelli
Posted By Craft Corps on July 14, 2009
Mary Ann Varanelli
Name: Mary Ann Varanelli
Age: 44
Location: california
Profession: crafter
Craft(s) of Choice:: sewing
Blog: http://bestfriendsstudios.blogspot.com/
I, like almost every crafter, began the “crafting love affair” when I was a kid. I made all of the typical kid’s crafts but was most taken with painting. After my paint-by-numbers days, I started working with watercolors and have continued this throughout my life. As an adult I have worked in graphic design, landscape design, and interior design. Then, for Christmas of 2006, I made a present for my little niece that involved a very scary looking Cookie Monster. “Scary” because I hadn’t sewn since Junior High! But I was hooked and my sewing skills slowly started improving. Now this hobby has completely taken over my life and my art room.
The idea for my appliquè pillows began in a ski lodge in Utah shortly after the “Scary Cookie Monster” present project. While the rest of the family skied, I (with the aid of much hot chocolate), sketched dozens of appliquè design ideas down in my sketch book…none of which included dogs. But when we got home from our trip and learned that our 13-year-old Rottweiler, Wolf, was sick with cancer, I began playing with the idea of creating dog pillows and my life hasn’t been the same since. I also make stockings and ornaments and have played around with various tote bag and purse designs. This business definitely has filled the void that the loss of my best friend left me with.
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