 
Even as a little a girl I loved to make things. I
grew up just outside Chicago, in a tiny house with a
very creative family. Someone was always making something
there. My dad was a musician and a commercial artist,
and my mom taught my sisters and me everything from
cake decorating to sewing, macrame to embroidery. I
had my first “business” at age 13, when
I sold handmade model-horse blankets through a classified
ad in a magazine.
I went to college to study English, then graduate school
to study creative writing, but I never stopped trying
to find time to make crafts. In 1998, shortly after
I married Andy Paulson (my college sweetheart) and we
moved to Portland, Oregon, I was in a bad accident that
required me to spend many months in bed recovering.
I began embroidering almost constantly then and it profoundly
affected me, allowing me to heal both physically and
emotionally. It was almost a year before I walked again.
Our life changed dramatically after my accident. In
2000, I left my job as a book editor and started Posie:
Rosy Little Things, a one-woman production studio
where I created handmade one-of-a-kind gifts, handbags,
accessories, crochetwear, and original sewing, embroidery,
and craft patterns. Andy went to nursing school and
became an RN in 2003. From 2003 until 2006, I co-owned
Ella Posie, a boutique in Portland that featured dozens
of unique, handmade, vintage-inspired product lines
in addition to my own.
For most of 2007, I designed, stitched, wrote patterns
for, and photographed thirty original sewing projects
for my first book,
STITCHED IN TIME: Memory-Keeping Projects
to Sew and Share from the Creator of Posie Gets Cozy,
which was published by Potter
Craft in the fall of 2008. In August of 2008 my
second book, EMBROIDERY
COMPANION: Classic Designs for Modern Living,
a collection of thirty decorative embroidery, cross-stitch,
and crewelwork patterns and projects inspired by folk
art and traditional motifs, was published.
These days, I work from my home studio designing crafts
and self-published patterns and original kits. I love
to take photos and write about stuff at my blog, Posie
Gets Cozy. This year I look forward to becoming
a better knitter, exploring Portland's incredible natural
areas, and seeing the Avett Brothers when they come
back to town.
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