Raised on Long Island, I am a Florida native – born in Tampa – lived all over, but back now to NY. Mom and Grandma were both sewers and taught me much, so that I was hand-stitching doll clothes by the time I was 7, and my own outfits by 12 years old. Even though life changes carried me through many occupations, my creativity was always a thread that kept me going through good times and bad. I was a highly paid installer of commercial wall-upholstery, when I was seriously injured in a 1997 auto accident, and could no longer do that intensely physical work.

Serendipity led me to meet the owner of a costume shop, who introduced me to specialized garment construction; dressing Broadway shows; and "stitching" for the entertainment on cruise ships. I cruised for 13 years … as well as "overlapping" contracts for the Radio City Rockettes ...10 years for Ringling Brothers Circus … and 9 years for Disney tours.So, in one way and another, I've been honing my skills and sharpening my artist's eye ... especially while I was traveling around the world getting inspiration from varied cultures and history.

My work-ethic is strong, and I take great pains in putting fabric + design + decoration together to make a pleasing and well-made item. My fabric "stash" enables me to have a wide palette of high-quality fabrics and trims to use in my creativity at a price to make my "one-of-a-kind" designs very accessible to you. That designing process is the most fun part for me!

Any design or item you see or order here will _never_ be massed produced. At least 50% of my items are made from my own patterns and the other 50% are commercial patterns that have been altered to some extent – especially in the lining/interior pocket construction, handles or other amenities … searching my stash for a fabric "new" to the item style on which I'm working!

I truly consider myself an artist creating "fabric-art" for my enjoyment and yours, and I'm proud to have my work shown along with the other artists in Made in Chenango.