Walden Lane Designs began when I decided wanted to craft a "tissue box" toy for my baby son-- I figured it couldn't be too difficult to cut some cloth and fold it into an empty wipes dispenser. I earnestly gathered some pre-cut quilter's squares and set about cutting them in half, all the while picturing my son held rapt for hours on end, pulling pieces of cloth out of the wipes dispenser.

It didn't take long for the cut edges of my cloth to start to unravel-- perhaps a metaphor for my dreams of finishing this "easy" craft project before the end of naptime.

Dismayed, but not altogether surprised, I dusted off my sewing machine, which had been hibernating in the storage units and garages of my various homes for the past decade or so. My mother taught me to sew when I was a child, and I've owned my own machine for most of my life, dragging it out every so often for a marathon bout of sewing projects before stashing it away again for a few years, so I figured it wouldn't take me long to stitch a quick hem in each cloth.

Cut to a few months later, and I was still happily sewing away; I found joy and stress relief while making toys and clothes for my son. It didn't take long for my mother-in-law to suggest that I start trying to sell some of the fun stuff I was making, and that was the beginning of Walden Lane Designs-- named for my son, whose middle name is Walden. Now I find joy in creating things for people all over the United States; I love picturing my hats keeping babies ears warm through a long cold winter in a part of the country which I will probably never see, but will have touched through my craft.

I'm excited to share my story and my love for creation with you. I very much appreciate your interest in my shop, and I hope you find something that brings you beauty, joy, and maybe even a little sanity.

Jen Smith
Walden Lane Designs