BIO: Mary has been in love with wool since the early 90s. She was lucky enough to stumble upon a rug hooking class being taught by the late Emma Lou Lais. Emma Lou taught her to appreciate what the wool could do for you and fostered her love for working with textured and over dyed wools. Mary has worked and looked at wool in that way ever since.
Because she was raised around antiques and an appreciation for history, she has always been attracted to what she considers heirloom crafts. Rug hooking, cross stitch samplers, penny rugs and knitting have been what drives her passion for handwork.
In 2006, she opened The Woolen Needle, in Williamsburg, Iowa, carrying civil war reproduction cottons, wool and yarn. While there, she designed more than 25 rug hooking, appliqué and quilt patterns and dyed the yarn and wool for the shop. In 2010, the shop was named one of Better Homes and Gardens Top 10 Quilt Shops. Since selling the shop in 2011, she has spent her time designing and starting her design company, Blythe Girl Designs.
With her designs piling up, she wrote and released her book, Wool Appliqué Heirlooms in September 2019. Packed with 15 designs, it features antique-inspired wool appliqué patterns for all skill levels. Numerous other patterns are available at quilt/wool shops and wherever she is teaching and vending. Her home studio and fall appliqué design were featured again in the Fall 2022 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.
While rug hooking started it all, her love for wool is now expressed in her wool appliqué designs. The warmth and texture wool brings to your projects and home is what keeps her designing and teaching others to love it too.