My Story
Born and raised in Lancaster County, PA, fiber arts was always a part of my life. As a child I would visit my grandmother and many times find her sitting around a quilt frame, hand quilting one of the many quilts that she had made for her 12 children or 40 plus grandchildren.
I, too, learned to enjoy quilt making and pieced my first quilt as a senior in high school. In Home Ec class I bargained with my teacher to see if I could make a quilt instead of a tailored outfit that had been the class assignment. She agreed. I never could understand how the A that I earned for piecing that Nine Patch quilt could even compare to the project that my classmates had to do, but I accepted it gratefully. My grandmother quilted it for me and today it still remains one of my most prized possessions. Both my children and grandchildren have snuggled under it and the holes that are starting to appear attest to its use.
As a young mother of three little boys, two of whom are twins, I would often find myself with a book in hand as I was trying to learn a new craft. I taught myself to crochet and knit and would often dabble in other fiber related crafts. Later as a high school math teacher I decided that I wanted to also learn to spin and weave. I took some classes and then offered a spinning and weaving club to some interested students. Prior to my leaving the teaching profession, my club had an opportunity to do a Sheep to Shawl demonstration for our annual school auction. I’ve always been fascinated with the simple purity of the process of taking something as basic as wool fiber and turning it into a beautiful piece of fabric.
I loved wool and for a number of years would travel to sheep farms where I would personally meet the sheep and buy their beautiful fleece directly from the shepherds. I enjoyed the process of washing each fleece and seeing the beauty of the fibers emerge as the dirt was washed away. Later I learned to dye the fleece and package it for resale to spinners and felters. A natural transition was to then start dyeing wool fabric for rug hookers. Even though my entrance into the world of rug hooking was perhaps through a different door than most rug hookers, my love for the craft was rooted deep in the fiber itself.
As I continue to promote various fiber art products and classes here at Olde Peddler Wools, my hope is that many will also learn to enjoy this beautiful world of wool…no matter what form it may come in.
© 2008 Olde Peddler Wools