I began weaving when I was 8 years old, when my weaver mother gave me a 4 shaft loom. I loved weaving, but other activities crowded out weaving while I was in high school and college. Once I was out of college and had the space, my family bought me my 8 shaft loom for Christmas. Since then, weaving and I have been together making beautiful things.
Before becoming a stay-at-home mother, I was a middle school teacher (excellent preparation for taking care of toddlers!). Once I was home with my 3 children, I devoted all my spare time to weaving and making jewelry. I love watching disparate ideas formed while nursing a baby, cleaning a room, or playing dolls come together to create a beautiful piece of cloth or jewelry.
As my children have grown and given me more time to create, I have devoted more of my time to the weaving craft. I have been published in Handwoven Magazine, and my work has been on the covers of that magazine.
The world is full of beauty, and I try to add to that beauty in my own small way. Every day my children and I do what we call a "beauty hunt" while we are walking to school. I ask each of them to find something beautiful and tell me why it is full of beauty. I love watching them discover their world and have found that they are helping me rediscover the hidden beauty of this world. I hope that the little bits of weaving and jewelry I make can help others see the beauty in the world, too.