Meet the Lovely Folks at Craftworks
Ande started as a member of the cooperative back in the '80s. An avid crafter, there are not many venues she has not tried. In 2011, when the group needed to find a new home, she took the helm. Although the gift side still follows some of the directives of a co-operative, Ande owns the shop. 2012 found us filling the extra space with yarn and bringing a variety of classes and workshops to the area crafters.
Her goal is to provide the community with a safe, nurturing space to share their love of fiber arts.
If you ask Carol how she came to work here, she will tell you that she “was born at Craftworks”.
She joined the Cooperative in 1980, only a few months after the it opened, as a crafter. At the time she ran a calligraphy and watercolor business, Calligraphy Plus, and for many years she supplied four different shops and participated in 18 craft shows a year.
In 2003 Carol closed her business but she continued at Craftworks doing the shop displays. When the shop moved to the new location, she helped with the move and remained as the shop’s visual merchandiser and display artist ever since.
Anne teaches decorative painting classes and creates her own line of decorative painting packets and books. She has designed and marketed over 75 pattern packets, & authored eight decorative painting books. She is an active member of the National Society of Decorative Painters and the Decorative Arts Business Alliance. Anne's philosophy: "Life isn't about how you survived the storm ..... it's about how you danced in the rain."
Elaine and France of the Bazaar Krafty Gals are longtime friends with a shared love for quilting. France and Elaine worked at K. J. Quinn, a chemical company in NH. France as VP of Finance and Elaine as HR Mgr. They started off by getting together to sew donation quilts for ABC Quilts in Northwood, New Hampshire, which were donated to hospitals for at-risk babies. They then started the craft circuit during the summer and eventually started consignment in speciality shops.
Elaine met Ande at the Northborough Woman’s Club Craft Fair and she suggested that they fill out an application and drop off a sampling of their products to be juried. And here we are 5 years later!
Elaine and France love color and work with 100% cotton. They sew quilts, runners, kitchen items, organizers and totes, with the help of a long arm quilter and an 8-needle embroidery machine.
Ann is a retired educator who’s been knitting and crocheting since she was a little girl. She loves to play with color, texture and cannot decide if she likes better knitting or crochet — depends on the day of the week. She enjoys feeding both her passions.
In my pre Craftsworks life I spent 12 years owning my own yarn shop, first in Littleton then in Acton. Ande and I became colleagues and friends. Prior to owning the Woolpack, I was national sales manager at Classic Elite Yarns and learned the yarn business from the wholesale side. When I closed my shop I needed a new home so Craftworks was a natural.
Over the decades I have knit extensively, crochet on my occasions, woven over the last 15+ years. Dappled in beading, felting, stain glass, cooking, and sewing. The recurring theme throughout has been introducing new skills and building confidence so others can explore their own creativity. For the past 40 years we have raised sheep on our farm and have used their wool for yarn, quilt batting, and felting projects.
My “day” job, which I have been doing for 30 years, is as a real estate appraiser. I have been knitting for 65 years, crocheting for 61 and teaching both for 25 years. My class is known as “Fiber Therapy” and it is designed to develop creativity, meditative skills, self-confidence, and mastery of fiber media for both beginners and more advanced students, which is combined with just plain “fun” and social gathering.
I came to Craftworks about two years ago because it is where creativity lives in combination with an accomplished staff, a happy and joyous atmosphere, and a love of the arts.....so, where else would anyone of common mind want to be?
Dianne lives in Boylston,MA and worked in high tech and biotech for her entire professional life. She has been knitting since the age of 14, and jumped at the chance to work at Craftworks after finding out that Ande was looking to add to her staff.
She enjoys the process of knitting more than the resulting project itself and also loves crochet, cross-stitch, and needlepoint.
Dianne's favorite thing to do at Craftworks is to teach and to help customers fix problems and read patterns.
Diane lives in Sutton, MA and Vermont. She first visited the shop as a knitter and finds knitting is a great way to relax. Otherwise, she likes to spend as much time as she can outdoors.
Rose Ann lives in Shrewsbury, MA and works in a law office. She has a passion for crafting silk flower arrangements, jewelry, ribbon necklaces and crochet items.
Rose Ann loves finding great ideas for gifts for any occasion.
Sarah is a registered nurse. She wandered into Craftworks on a random Tuesday morning in early 2013. Ande walked around the shop with her and introduced her to the Tuesday drop-in group, and the rest is history...
Sarah's main passion is knitting, but she also does some crochet. She finds knitting forces her to be more mindful and she also enjoys the sensory experience of it.
Shaye grew up in Southern Delaware and was taught to crochet at 5 by her grandmother. In college she attended a stitch n bitch meeting on campus with a friend and learned to knit together. From there, they taught themselves via youtube and blogs how to do everything they know now. She also re-learned how to crochet that year.
Shaye knits and crochets with some slight dabbling in Tunisian crochet. It helps her relax and wind down each evening. When she had children, it quickly turned into a way to make clothing for them and to get them involved in the craft. Shaye loves teaching others because it's such an easy thing to get into, but so many are so intimidated by it. She loves showing someone what they can create with their own hands in just a few simple steps.
Shirley worked in the Northborough school system as a teacher's aide. She loves handmade gifts and enjoys knitting and teaching.
We met Stacey years ago, when she was a cross-stitcher and had very young children. She joined a quilt group to enjoy some 'adult time & conversation', and quickly became very proficient! Over the years she has produced some of the most beautiful quilts, and her 'young' children have become lovey adults!
A couple of years ago, she wandered into the shop to say 'hello' and has yet to leave! Needless to say, her sewing machine is gathering dust as her love of yarn & gorgeous colors is taking over!
Quick to help you find the perfect gift and next project, you will love her enthusiasm, we certainly do! Stop in and say hi to Stacey!
