Hi there,
Thank you so much for stopping by my handcraft shop, I hope you find something that will bring joy to yourself and others!
I love all things handmade. Handcrafted cards and gifts bring a sense of connection between individuals. Putting shape and color to a blank canvas of either paper or needlework is at the essence of my creations.
My love for handcrafted, creative items has been a theme throughout my life, from paper arts to needle arts. In fact, I won first prize in a dance poster contest at age 7!
Needlework soon followed, with my mother teaching me knitting and my Grandmother teaching me crochet. These crafts did not resonate with me, as well as posing challenges for my 7 year old hands. Additionally, my mother is left handed while I am not. So after a few failed attempts, Mom and I explored other hand crafts.
Cross stitch was introduced next; my eyes lit up at the site of all the kits and options for this craft, and as a result I went home that day with my very first beginners kit. Mom did try to work with me, but it ended up that I taught myself the basic steps. Off I went into this world of bringing color to canvas. It reminded me of painting (specifically pointillism), paper crafts, and even puzzles, only with thread!
By my 10th birthday I was making large cross stitch pieces for family and friends, which continues to this day. Other cross stitch work has been as a test stitcher for Dimensions Cross Stitch Company, until they were bought out. Commissioned work continues as I now model stitch for designers, companies and commissioned pieces for individuals.
Charity stitching has been important in my life as well. One huge undertaking that I took on was Xstitch for Sandy Hook where I coordinated, collected, and distributed over 500 squares made from wonderful cross stitchers and quilters from all over the world. These squares were then transformed into quilts and pillows for the families and the Sandy Hook community. In the end roughly 39 quilts and over 180 pillows were created, and my family and I personally delivered them to Newtown, CT. Hopefully, this project helped create some solace for the devastation of the Sandy Hook community. Other charitable work has included: Cole’s Quilts, The Angel Quilt Project and Rainbows for Peace and Comfort.
After receiving a BA in Justice Administration and an MS in Criminal Justice I began teaching at the college level and have continued that work over the past 20 years. During this time my love for cross stitch was satisfied by stitching for designers, doing commissioned work and special occasion pieces for family and friends.
The pandemic has allowed me time to take stock of my life goals. As a result I decided to retire from teaching and have opened an Etsy shop. Over the years I have taken various classes related to both needle and paper arts and recently began selling my handcrafts locally.
Thus The Paper Needle has evolved! A wonderful hand crafted collaboration of needle and paper arts to bring people together.
Thank you so much for stopping by my handcraft shop, I hope you find something that will bring joy to yourself and others!
I love all things handmade. Handcrafted cards and gifts bring a sense of connection between individuals. Putting shape and color to a blank canvas of either paper or needlework is at the essence of my creations.
My love for handcrafted, creative items has been a theme throughout my life, from paper arts to needle arts. In fact, I won first prize in a dance poster contest at age 7!
Needlework soon followed, with my mother teaching me knitting and my Grandmother teaching me crochet. These crafts did not resonate with me, as well as posing challenges for my 7 year old hands. Additionally, my mother is left handed while I am not. So after a few failed attempts, Mom and I explored other hand crafts.
Cross stitch was introduced next; my eyes lit up at the site of all the kits and options for this craft, and as a result I went home that day with my very first beginners kit. Mom did try to work with me, but it ended up that I taught myself the basic steps. Off I went into this world of bringing color to canvas. It reminded me of painting (specifically pointillism), paper crafts, and even puzzles, only with thread!
By my 10th birthday I was making large cross stitch pieces for family and friends, which continues to this day. Other cross stitch work has been as a test stitcher for Dimensions Cross Stitch Company, until they were bought out. Commissioned work continues as I now model stitch for designers, companies and commissioned pieces for individuals.
Charity stitching has been important in my life as well. One huge undertaking that I took on was Xstitch for Sandy Hook where I coordinated, collected, and distributed over 500 squares made from wonderful cross stitchers and quilters from all over the world. These squares were then transformed into quilts and pillows for the families and the Sandy Hook community. In the end roughly 39 quilts and over 180 pillows were created, and my family and I personally delivered them to Newtown, CT. Hopefully, this project helped create some solace for the devastation of the Sandy Hook community. Other charitable work has included: Cole’s Quilts, The Angel Quilt Project and Rainbows for Peace and Comfort.
After receiving a BA in Justice Administration and an MS in Criminal Justice I began teaching at the college level and have continued that work over the past 20 years. During this time my love for cross stitch was satisfied by stitching for designers, doing commissioned work and special occasion pieces for family and friends.
The pandemic has allowed me time to take stock of my life goals. As a result I decided to retire from teaching and have opened an Etsy shop. Over the years I have taken various classes related to both needle and paper arts and recently began selling my handcrafts locally.
Thus The Paper Needle has evolved! A wonderful hand crafted collaboration of needle and paper arts to bring people together.