I’ve always had trouble keeping my smart mouth shut, and I’ve always had trouble not touching things. As an adult, I learned the joy of working with fabric; I had a strong need to create, but poetry and music never quite cut it for me. Fabric though–so many textures! So many ways to play! Having learned sewing at my mother’s knee, constructing quilts, curtains, and pillows came easily to me, and I reveled in the tactile experience of making things I could touch.

Learning to keep my sarcastic comments to myself has been harder. Sometimes things just fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. I am very, very good at apologizing. I try to speak my positive thoughts and keep the mockery hidden–which leads me to my passive-aggressive décor, with its hidden words and phrases.

Combining words with fabric and odd bits of hardware is a perfect fit for me. I hand-stamp or ink jet print the words after carefully considering font and layout. I really enjoy pairing the fine linen and floral cottons with a dry remark, and I love the challenge of finding ways to hide and reveal the whole phrase. Currently swivels and magnets comprise the bulk of my hardware, but I hope to expand with zippers, hinges…maybe even gears.

I make everything at home, mostly in my kitchen, often while supervising my three children as they complete their homework and assemble craft projects. I use an old-school, heavy, hot pink Brother sewing machine I inherited from my grandmother (who also, I suspect, spoke tartly from time to time). I iron a lot. I like to topstitch. And I think it’s really, really fun to make things in my spare time.

Please visit my Etsy shop and let me know what you like!