Craft Month Q&A: Scrapbook Update Editor Nancy Nally
I figured if I was going to quiz other people on their craft histories in honor of National Craft Month that I should subject myself to the same grilling. So here they are, my own answers to the Scrapbook Update National Craft Month Q&A!
(We're getting some really fun answers to our editorial call for the Q&A. Keep them coming! We can't wait to get some of them published!)
What was the first craft you ever remember doing? At what age? And what got you started?
I grew up around lots of crafts. and as this picture proves, even wearing them. (Hey, it was the 70's, give me a break!) My mom sewed a lot of my clothes, and most of my dolls' clothes too, when I was a kid. My paternal grandmother sewed, too and my maternal grandmother crocheted. There was always an abundance of bright colored afghans and jumpers around, and garments with "handsewn with love" labels. I was surrounded by crafting.
But the first one I have a memory of doing myself is using one of those metal frames with the cotton loops that you could weave to make a pot holder. (I'll say this again: it was the 70's, give me a break!) At some point when I was pretty young I experimented unsuccessfully with knitting I remember too. I ended up with a funky shaped piece about a foot long that was supposed to be a scarf but ended up being a mattress for a cardboard box Barbie doll bed.
Can you name all the crafts you have tried as hobbies?
That is a long list! I've tried a lot of crafty things but some have stuck for longer than others. I was a cross-stitcher for a long time in the 1980's and early 90's. Then I kind of migrated to trying other crafts - stenciling, floral, sewing - but nothing that made me really passionate until I found scrapbooking in 1998. I've been a scrapbooker ever since, longer I think than I've done anything else!
What crafts do you currently do?
Currently I do scrapbooking and all sorts of variations on it - papercrafting and stamping. If it can take paper and glue I am there! But it doesn't have to be physical paper - I also play some with scrapbooking in the digital format.
What other crafts have you incorporated into your scrapbooking?
I tried to incorporate sewing into my scrapbooking briefly until I broke my machine. I've occasionally done stitching by hand on pages, so that incorporates my embroidery and hand sewing skills. But mostly I do fairly paper specific techniques in my scrapbooking.
What is your favorite craft & why?
Scrapbooking (and its various incarnations) is definitely not only my favorite craft but my passion. I like the fact that I am being creative but also creating a legacy for my family to know who I am on a very intimate level when I am gone. I also have a "thing" for playing with color and pattern that scrapbooking is a great outlet for. To me it is the perfect package that ties up many things that I am interested in, all in one hobby.
