FRIENDS!!!
I have been keeping such a ginormous secret since summer/fall of 2018.. By this point I am a professional secret-keeper, but the day has come where it is a secret no more!! I am so BEYOND excited to tell you that I have been working with American Crafts for awhile now, and have even gone on top secret travel trips for this incredible collaboration that I had to hide why I was visiting. Ha!
For the last year+, American Crafts and I have worked incredibly hard on creating a collection of products for fiber artists that is aesthetically eye-catching, luxurious, affordable and a way for a new generation of artists to be excited to try this craft, while also providing current fiber artists with new tools and materials to enhance their making journey.
It all started in the early summer of 2018 when I had an idea to make the Yarn Passport. As someone who values textural components and finds comfort in the way things feel, I wanted to create a journal of sorts that could keep pieces of my most favorite yarns, or most used yarns, in an organized way for me to always be able to remember and reference. I have received some incredible fibers from all around the world and it’s just so hard to actually work them up into things because once they’re used, they’re used. I wanted to be able to keep the scraps somehow and remember where they came from, what they were made of and the story behind it all.
As I explored how to make this happen, I quickly realized just how expensive it would be to make this dream come to fruition and was immediately bummed. But, because Jen Evans (my assistant since January 2017) is the angel she is, she offered to put herself on the line and ask her boss at American Crafts (Jen also works as the marketing specialist for Heidi Swapp brand) if I could submit a proposal to AC for helping me create this product. To my literal surprise, they said “yes” and after a week of building out a proposal I didn’t even know how to make, I submitted it and waited for an answer.
When I got the email that American Crafts had decided to take a risk on me (they’ve never worked in the fiber arts until now), I found myself on a plane two weeks later heading to Utah to meet my new team and start the processes of creating my new collection. To sit in their showroom seeing products by their other brands, talking about my ideas, my vision and how I anticipated making a difference in the fiber arts world, was something I can’t even begin to explain. I went back home feeling so empowered and encouraged and couldn’t wait to see it all come together.
From then until now, I have spent MANY, MANY hours in video meetings discussing product ideas, materials, colors, and how consumers will realistically use these products. I learned so much about myself, about the community, about how working with a manufacturer works and so much more. I am so unbelievably proud to be able to risk being told “no” and now, today on my 30th birthday, being able to finally announce to the world that dreams can TRULY come true, as long as you are willing to do hard and what seems like scary things.
I have been able to work with such incredibly talented creatives in so many different ways and it just leaves me feeling so proud to offer you, the community that has believed in me for nearly a decade, my dream vision come true. Best part? After working with JOANN in a variety of ways over the past handful of years, they have chosen to be the first company to offer you my collection and that just means the absolute world to me. JOANN has been the craft store I have shopped at my entire life and was where I bought my very first crochet hook and skein of yarn when I taught myself this craft in 2011. Thank you to both American Crafts and JOANN for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to expand and grow the commercial fiber arts world and show that crochet and knitting is a craft worth investing in. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to truly say what this means to me and how it has made a lasting impact on my self-worth by being “heard” and invested in. You guys have changed my life in incredible ways. <3
I just couldn't wait any longer to share this incredible news with you, and to be able to share on my 30th birthday, a birthday I've been looking forward to since I was 15, just stirs me in a way I can't describe. Can't wait to get your hands on these new and exciting products?! Don't worry - the day is coming VERY soon! Stay tuned to find out where and when you can get your hands on these goodies!! Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you don't miss out!!
In the meantime, check out this dream-worthy video I created with my friends at Good Notion sharing a bit more of my story and where the collection got its start. Always remember, dreams DO come true, it's just up to you to follow your intuition and never let scary things stop you in your tracks. I can't wait for you to see all of the amazing-ness American Crafts and I have built together and be able to use it for your own making journey.
Be sure to share this video to let others know about my new collection and inspire others to get started on their own fiber journey - there are so many things for everyone. <3
xo,
Jessica
