The first hat I made from a felted repurposed sweater was for my son. At Waldorf school kids go out for recess unless the weather is extreme and are required to wear a warm hat when it's cold. He didn't want to wear any of the hats he had so I made him one that was "cool" enough for his sense of style and that was the start of Wandering Lydia. The world is full of orphaned wool sweaters just begging to be given a second chance at usefulness and I'm happy to oblige. The sweaters are washed and dried, turning them into felt that I can cut apart and reassemble into new hats or toys. I'm always on the lookout for vintage trims and craft supplies to throw into the mix. It's much more fun to design this way rather than buying all new materials. Lately silk neckties have caught my eye and I'm sure you'll be seeing more of them in my work. I find it very satisfying to breathe new life into these materials which could have all too easily gone into a landfill.
All the lovely, whimsical things in my shop were made by my hands with care and the hope that they will add joy to someone's life. There is a lot of hand sewing involved though I do try to use my vintage 1936 Singer sewing machine where it makes sense. Why a vintage sewing machine? Because it's built like a tank and can do jobs that put modern machines in the repair shop.
I graduated from the Paier College of Art and also exhibit my contemporary realist paintings at the Greene Gallery in Guilford, CT. Some of you may remember my work with polymer clay, particularly my development of new techniques for Liquid Sculpey. From time to time I still list some polymer pieces.