About Me

I like to say that I began to sew even before I could properly read. At about four years old, my grandmother helped me make a little purse out of a bright yellow, coarse woven fabric, with my initials embroidered in bright pink yarn. That day sparked a lifelong obsession with sewing and fashion.  My childhood was spent making clothes and elaborate furnishings for my dolls, Barbies and myself! My grandmother owned a plant nursery and would sell dolls and crafts that she and her friends had made in the shop. Occasionally she let me sell my things as well. 

As I grew, so did my sewing interest and ability. By high school, I was designing custom dresses for cotillions and proms before studying Fashion Design in college. I attended The Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman School of Fashion Design and Merchandising at Kent State University.  Later, transferring to Sweet Briar College, where I studied Art History, with a concentration on the History of Costume through portraiture.  Sweet Briar did not have a fashion program, but they did have a fantastic theater department and offered extensive internship opportunities. I found use for my skills in the theater department’s costume shop and internships with Tom and Linda Platt in NYC, and Meg's Swimwear in Virginia Beach. After college, I had a line of women’s clothing, then accessories that I designed, manufactured, and sold in boutiques. Later, I worked for other designers and made everything from swimwear to custom wedding gowns.

Years later, I took everything that I had learned and brought it all forward with me and opened Little Stitch Studio. As my focus is now on sewing education, I have written two books, Sew Bags: The Practical Guide to Making Purses, Totes, Clutches & More, (2019, C&T/Stash) and Sew Your Own Wraps, Capes & Cover-ups: Simple shapes to embellish with your own personal style, (2021, C&T/Stash), published several sewing patterns and I teach classes and workshops nearly every day. I am a member of The Costume Society of America, the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals as well as a BERNINA Brand Ambassador. 

In recent years, I have been a featured guest on WHRV’s Hearsay with Cathy Lewis as well as season 76 of PBS’s Creative Living with Sheryl Borden. My work has also been in Sew News and Love Sewing Magazines.