I've always loved creating things with my hands and was fortunate enough to have a mother and two grandmothers who were also adept at doing the same. They modeled for me the idea of self expression through the amazing things they created. From an early age, my three sisters and I benefited from their encouragement; we watched them create beauty from nothing.
Whether it was baking pies from scratch, using yarn and a wooden spool to spool knit, making ivory colored velveteen swans as door stops or trying my hand at painting with two dog prints from the local Ben Franklin store, I was encouraged to create. The passion to create something better from bits and pieces never left me.
Between raising our family and having a career, I have been a needleworker for over 40 years. My tastes may have evolved, but my love for creating with fibers and fabric has never wavered.
Red Barn Samplers grew out of the love to not only preserve the work of the little girls who created antique samplers and textiles, but to also tell their story, too.
Red Barn Samplers is named for the big red barn we own on our family farm. It's over 100 years old and was originally used as a horse barn. It's my inspiration for where history and needlework come together!