Andrea Stern

Name: Andrea Stern

Age: 45

Location: Chauncey OH USA

Profession: Artist

Craft(s) of Choice: Art quilting, beadwork, knitting, and plush

Blog: http://andibeads.blogspot.com

My Gran taught me to crochet when I was seven. I remember being so proud that I learned to make a basic chain. It was all I did for weeks. One day I took my crochet to show and tell, and the chain reached to the back of the classroom and back. My teacher was surprised and asked “Is that all you did?” I was so proud and said “Yes!” I vaguely remember her being a little disconcerted that I was so happy with just a simple chain. Since then I have learned to do a lot more. I taught myself to knit after my Gran died in 2000, and I always think of how proud she’d be to see how far I’d come since that initial first chain.

Claudia Dunitz

Name: Claudia Dunitz

Age: 55

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Profession: Maker (of Natural Skin Care Products and Graphic Design)

Craft(s) of Choice: Knitting, Freeform Crochet, Art Quilting, Baking, Mosaics, Beading, Sewing, Embroidery, Surface Design, Painting, Printing, Fusing, Burning, Yikes – I can go on and on!

Blog: http://www.healmyhands.typepad.com

I don’t think there was a time when I didn’t make things with my hands.  In those days we “played outside” until it was time for supper.  We made forts and mud pies and played games with balls and sticks.  As I got older, I made cloths for my dolls, then clothes for myself.   As a young wife, I made clothes for my children to stretch the family budget.  I learned to knit and quilt.  My daughters learned to make what they didn’t have by watching me.  I was the Brownie Leader and we crafted constantly, at our meetings and at home.  We fed ourselves and warmed ourselves.  We baked, canned sewed and quilted by hand.  They made quilts for their dolls’ beds while I made quilts for our beds.

Today, both my daughters are makers.  My eldest daughter designs knitwear for children in addition to raising three, holding down a full time job, baking from scratch and knitting constantly.  She has just taught my youngest granddaughter, who is five, to knit.  My youngest daughter knits, sews, gardens and is a graphic artist.  Making has always been more than a crafty afternoon for us.  It has defined us as women and as a family.  It’s what we talk about on the phone.  What we share.  The first question always is: “So what are you making?”

Jennifer Morris

Name: Jennifer Morris

Age: 46

Location: Toronto

Profession: Craftsperson, Designer- Maker  Day job Salesperson

Craft’s of Choice: Beading, Bead weaving, Embroidery, Wirework, Crochet, Knitting, Collage

Blog: http://embellishment.ca

How craft saved my life or a least made the process of illness and recovery better. I have a genetic disorder so I was in and out of hospitals as a kid with many operations so I leaned to entertain myself with crafts. In my 20’s a family friend took me to the One of a Kind show and told me I could do this as a living (I didn’t know you could) So I went to craft college so you could say I am a professional craftsperson I have been in some gallery shows but I have never made a living at it. Craft is a part of my life I need to make stuff it’s almost like food or air to me.  I always have a project going and usually carry something to work on.  In May of 2004 I was diagnosed with breast cancer I had a mastectomy, chemo the full deal. But because I had my work I felt that it was easier for me then others. I did my embroidery till my hands shook too much then I went to knitting and crochet during my chemo I made a sweater coat and 2 afghans. I was lucky because no matter what I always had something to do and think about other than the sickness and how I felt. Going all through this I decided that I am only going to do what makes me happy. My goal is to get to the point where I can make a living as a craftsperson.

Kay Lynn Odle-Moore

Name: Kay Lynn Odle-Moore

Age: 52

Location: Tok, Alaska (about 90 miles from the Yukon Territory, Canada; Interior Alaska with ranges in temperature from 80′s in the summer to -70 degrees F. in the winter – closest large city with supplies – Fairbanks, AK – 210 miles away)

Profession:  Interpretive Park Ranger for Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge – (previous career – educator for 30 years)

Craft(s) of Choice:  Tatting, beading, quilting – mostly wearable art and small wall hangings, cross stitch, stenciling, and crochet – combining original art (i.e. embellishing quilting with tatting stencils, and beading)

About 29 years ago, a good friend of mine and I decided we wanted to take tatting lessons. At that time, I lived in a small city in central Ohio, and a local quilt shop was offering a tatting class. My friend, Holly, almost immediately mastered the double stitches and picots. She innately felt the tension and began working on her first tatted piece. I just ended up with knots! For the first time in my life, I felt like the slow student who didn’t quite understand what was being taught.   Nevertheless, I followed advice that I’d given my own school students: persevere! Week after week I kept trying to get a knot that would slide. Finally, during the fourth class, I “got it”. 

Despite my rough beginnings with tatting, my skill level improved rapidly once I was able to master the proper tension for my fingers and the shuttle. Soon, my shuttle “flew” and I was creating tatted gifts for others. Because tatting is so transportable, I often carry it in a little purse and bring it out on planes, in doctors’ offices, or in any other situation where I’ll be sitting and waiting. Often others sitting nearby ask me about my tatting, and I share with them my humble beginnings.  I’ve also had the pleasure of successfully teaching many others to tat. Because I had to struggle with mastering the skills for tatting, I credit tatting for teaching me some life lessons: humility, perseverance, dedication, and ultimately pride.

Leslie Petrovski

Name: Leslie Petrovski

Age: 48

Location: Denver, Colorado

Profession: Freelance writer

Crafts of choice: Knitting, crochet, beading, spinning and soapmaking

Five years ago, I decided I wanted to combine my profession—writing—with my hobby—knitting. At the time I felt stuck in my writing life, while my knitting flourished. Why not combine the two?

It took a bit of persistence, but I finally placed a short article with Vogue Knitting. I was elated. Soon I was writing for them regularly, which gave me an excuse to think about knitting even more. I launched a knitting blog, designed a few sweaters and began writing personal essays.

More importantly, I began to love words again. Daily blogging kept my writing loose and I felt inspired by the words and knits of other bloggers. Knitting’s meditative qualities created space for new ideas and phrases to emerge. I went from feeling trapped to feeling liberated.

How come? Because now my office is filled with yarn and knitting books along with to-do lists and file folders. Most days I get to indulge the spirit that compels us to turn words into prose and yarn into sweaters. Though sometimes it’s a struggle to stay focused—it’s so easy to dabble and get distracted—I’ve realized that to stay vibrant, I can’t deny the curiosity that pushes me to ask, “What would happen if…?”

Knitting helped remind me of that.

Linda Koch

Name: Linda Koch

Age: 52

Location: Wellington Ohio

Profession : I am an aide to special needs children in a local school district.

Craft(s) of Choice: spinning, knitting, mixed media art, bead work

Blog: http://alteredvisions.typepad.com/altered_visions/

I remember as a child I always loved to do some sort of handiwork and learned to do any and all from my mom as we grew up in upstate NY. I loved to design my own pieces and my favorite to this day was making the 3 Wise Men from a picture I saw in a magazine. I drew them out on a piece of paper and making each piece separately I sewed them onto a piece of wool felt and then beading and stitching them each one by one! My dad mounted them each onto a piece of cedar and I still have them to this day! Sewing, knitting, crochet and even darning socks I learned as a child and still love them all (except the darning the socks! now I prefer to knit them or buy new ones!!) Spinning and knitting are my main loves right now and I am thankful I learned a lot as I grew up! I spin and knit to relax and am always working on something. Now that we have 3 granddaughters I hope to be able to teach them some of my favorite things as well as make them gifts!! Isn’t that what it’s all about!

Lori Anderson

Name: Lori Anderson

Age: 39

Location: Easton, MD

Profession: Jewelry Designer and Mommy

Craft(s) of Choice: beading

Blog: www.lorianderson.blogspot.com

I never, ever, ever thought of myself as creative.  None of my “real” jobs had the slightest thing to do with creativity – Air Force linguist, IT sales rep, pre-med student.  I’d never been encouraged to be creative, pushed more towards excelling academically, so while I’d longing gaze at colored pencils and paints, I never indulged my inner artist.

But then came my wedding, and I knew exactly how I wanted everything to be, and rather than turn into a bridezilla, delegating everything to stressed-out professionals, I decided to have fun and do it myself.  I made the favors, the table cards, the programs – and I found out I dearly loved making things.

After the wedding, I thought about becoming a wedding planner, and even built a web site to sell my handmade greeting cards, but it wasn’t until I was pregnant and on bed rest that I received my calling.  A friend brought me some beads to keep me busy, and things just clicked.  Things immediately started selling, I started amassing a frightening inventory of beads and wire, and I’ve never looked back.

I wish I’d allowed myself to explore my creativity a long time ago – who knows where I would have gone with it?  But it’s never, ever too late to start something new.  I continually find exciting art forms that intrigue me, and this time, I’m jumping in feet first, trying it all, and caring not a whit if I’m good at it or not.

Lorna Collins

Name: Lorna Collins

Age: 37

Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana

Profession: I did work in the shipping department of a factory, but since a bad car accident, I’ve been off on disability.  Probably won’t go back to that job.

Craft(s) of Choice: Many. Knitting, rubberstamping, photography, cardmaking & scrapbooking, some needlework, latch hook, plastic canvas, beading, polymer clay, painting, lampwork beadmaking, punch embroidery, machine embroidery, wet felting, and 3D felting, stained glass, sewing, quilting, and most recently learning how to spin yarn on a wheel.

As a kid, I did a needlework craft project for 4-H every year.  But I got started crafting seriously, at the age of 20, when Publisher’s Clearing House mistakenly sent me a crafting magazine.  I was going to send it back, and cancel the subscription, but started looking through the magazine, and saying, “I could make that, and that, and that”.  So instead, I paid the subscription fee, and started my journey.  Even though I was a crafter, for years I never wanted to knit or crochet. Then one day, I just had the desire to learn, and have been knitting ever since.  I recently read a journal entry from an ancestor, and the guy talked about his wife spinning yarn, and knitting their clothing. This really makes me feel good about doing it too.  And my grandmother could crochet afghans like crazy, despite the fact that her hands were crippled up very bad.  My other grandmother learned to crochet doll dresses.  I have one of her dolls today.  I guess crafting not only relaxes me, but makes me feel a little closer to the older generations.

Patricia Huntoon

Name: Patricia Huntoon

Age: 48

Location: Stamford CT

Profession: Website Owner, Technique Junkie Newsletter Publisher

Craft(s) of Choice: Stamping, Scrapbooking, Beading

Blog: http://patstamps.blogspot.com

In October 2002, I started a publication called the Technique Junkie Newsletter that teaches rubber stamping techniques using step-by-step, picture tutorials. Although they are easy to find on the internet now, I have published for 7 years, and have over 500 tutorials completed in this manner. This is the most comprehensive library of rubber stamping techniques on the internet!

Rachel Rose

Name: Rachel Rose

Age: 48

Location: Olathe, Ks.

Profession: Artist, Instructor

Craft(s) of Choice: Watercolors, Pastels, Beadweaving,Meltal workwire wrapping

I decided to be an artist when I was 7 years old. My parents took us(siblings) to see our cousin Phylis. She lived in Hollywood CA. I remember her being tall and beautiful, her boyfriend Jack was funny. My cousin is an artist. The room she put us in had a print that scared me. I kept staring at it. As I watched it I fell into it and traveled through the lines and colors of the print. I went very quickly and I fell out of it back into myself. When I woke up I was no longer afraid and I knew I could paint it. I got very excited when I realized not only could I paint,but I wanted to paint. I have always thought of painting as magical. I paint with all the materials I use and I never stop painting. For me it’s like breathing.