Who am I?
Hey there! I’m Melissa Ann, and I make things.
I began my crafting journey in 1984, when, for Christmas, my grandmother gave me my first hand embroidery kit: a pastel ice cream cone. While I absolutely loved it, I never really mastered the art of embroidery. I’m not sure why. But a few months later, I received my first cross stitch kit, and I was totally hooked!
Cross stitch has always been my favorite fiber art. Possibly because it reminds me of the good old days when I didn’t have a care in the world. It is also very soothing for me and doesn’t require too much concentration.
It was almost 20 years later until I learned a second fiber art: crochet. Again, I was totally hooked. And with that craft, I found myself sucked into the world of craft blogs, online tutorials, and pretty yarn pictures. I started my very own craft blog at that time and have been blogging for almost 16 years.
Around the same time that I learned to crochet, I started trying my hand at hand stitching. I have never figured out how to use a sewing machine properly, so I knew if I wanted to sew anything it was going to have to be by hand. I think my pastel ice cream cone embroidery kit from 1984 had actually taught me something, because I picked up hand stitching in no time. And I was pretty good at it. I had three patterns published in various craft magazines, and one crochet pattern published in a compilation craft book. Not too shabby for a 40+ year old self-taught fiber “artist”.
Where do I go from here?
After craft blogging for over 15 years, I want to shift my focus from spending hours writing blog posts, taking pictures, and researching SEO to actually making things that I want to make for myself. I have been feeling the pull to step away from blogging for awhile now, and I think 2022 is the year to do it. Will I go back to it? Maybe. But for 2022, I want to focus on all things that make me happy. And becoming a fiber artist over a craft blogger is just one of those things.
What is the goal for this site?
My main goal for Melissa Ann Makes is to share my fiber art projects with you. Those projects will most likely either be crocheted or hand stitched with felt, but I might throw in a cross stitch or another project from time to time. I will also share a few of my past projects that I had a lot of fun working on.
What kind of projects can you expect to see? Well, I find inspiration in a variety of things: library books, vintage magazines, and photographs, but most often, I find it in pop culture. Music, movies, and TV inspire me every day, especially retro pop culture. I am a child of the ’80s, so I am greatly inspired by the sights and sounds of the ’70s and ’80s.
So there it is. A little glimpse at me and my new site. I hope you enjoy the crafty ride!
If you want to learn a bit more about me, check out my About page.
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