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.

Nancy Nally

I’m the owner of Nally Studios LLC, which owns the websites Nally Studios and Craft Critique. I’ve spent the last 20 years working in the crafts industry as a writer and marketing consultant. My newest venture is the Nally Studios etsy store, where I sell digital files for scrapbookers. I live in Florida with my husband, teenage daughter, and a cat who thinks its a dog.

https://www.nallystudios.etsy.com
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Craft Month Q&A: Lain Ehmann