Graduation: From hobby to jobby

I've been a marketer for more than 20 years and have written a hundred blogs. But this is the first time I've thought about a blog post about me or my interests.

When I was a kid, I learned to sew and embroider and loved it. Over the years, I made a few things for myself. My sewing was very utilitarian, like curtains or pillows. I did make a quilt in the 90's, along with a couple of quilted wallhangings. They long ago went to Goodwill because the colors and designs were really dated, just like other design trends of 30 years ago. It's why I don't have any tattoos -- I remember wallpaper I picked out in 1992, and I wouldn't want that today either!

In 2020, I picked up my embroidery hoop again and started to play around. When the pandemic hit, I turned to making things to calm my mind. I called it stress-crafting. But I realized how much I loved it. And I found out that felt was very forgiving when it comes to embroidery. That year, I made embroidered bird ornaments for my family. The next year, I started the 12 days of Christmas ornaments for family and closest friends. (Patterns courtesy of Larissa at mmmcrafts) Over 5 years, everyone got the full set. That's 132 ornaments! Whew.

As I approach retirement this year, I've decided to graduate from stress-crafting to making beautiful things for sale. I'll be attending artist markets in and around Franklin, NC this year. Cross your fingers that there's someone out there who would like to buy my creations!