I’ve always been a larger than average person.  As I got bigger, my options diminished.  As a fat person, I did not see myself represented in interesting, thoughtful, or positive ways that fit with my lifestyle.  When I went to Burning Man in 1995, I saw vast creativity in expression, yet there was no existing outlet for me in the retail world.

I decided, if I couldn’t source it, I’d make it.

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I started with costumes for special events and festivals and people quickly took notice, asking me to produce garments and accessories for them as well.  I began to take myself seriously as a designer and, the more my confidence built, the more I wanted to move away from festival wear and create a professional ready to wear product.  I went back to school, gaining a certificate in hand drafted flat pattern making from Apparel Arts, and began offering bespoke pattern making and clothing to clients, making sure to make accessible garments

for people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities.

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My services expanded to include private sewing and pattern-making instruction, as well as garment and accessories business development, helping people realize their own creative visions.  In teaching, I encouraged freedom of expression and a dare to dream perspective, offering a variety of avenues of learning and creativity whether as a hobby, side passion, or entirely new career path.

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With the onset of a global pandemic, my priorities changed and I made the decision at the end of 2022 to move my base of operation to Los Angeles.  Within the next year I opted to stop teaching, permanently closing the doors of Craft Haven, and became a student again.  At Los Angeles Trade Technical College I enhanced my pattern making abilities by training in Gerber digital pattern making software, finishing with top marks in my class.

I've now shifted my focus to full time corporate fashion where I currently work as a senior technical designer.

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In my spare time, I write body positive size inclusive fiction, write music, experiment making up new recipes, and provide a safe haven for my two bonkers rescue kitties, Huckleberry and Pique-A-Boo.