I come from a long line of crafter's and artisans. I have an ancestor that has one of his sculptures in the collection at the Louvre, another that was an artisan basket weaver in Germany, my great-great Grandfather and great Grandfather were both artists at Shea's Buffalo Theater. I come from artists, photographers, milliners, seamstresses, stain glass makers, wood workers and quilters. Even my mother worked at a craft shop in the 1980's when they started getting big, so it is no surprise that I fell into the same line of work.
In looking back, my first independent crafting venture came one Christmas long, long ago...I was maybe 8. I wanted so badly to give my family presents, so I made pillows for everyone. Who cares if they were made of paper and stuffed with crumpled paper so they were completely non-functional...it was my love I was giving them! After that, I toyed with sewing, crocheting and beading; of course, all was supported by Mother. I think I mentioned it a long time ago, but I even designed and sewed by hand a ball gown out of my mother's ugly green fiberglass curtains. Of course, I had no clue what fiberglass was and couldn't understand why I itched so bad when I wore it! Oh, and I had to wear it in the privacy of my room...Mom would have kicked my butt if she found out I used her curtains. Well, she eventually did!
I honestly can't remember a time in my life I wasn't sewing, painting, beading or whatever. It has always been a part of my life and I hope it always will.
What crafts did you do as a child?
