ABOUT


I'm Allison. 

Hermit. Needle and thread addict. Lover of tea- black & caffeinated. Forager of wild plants for food and medicine. Crazy chicken lady. 

In 2016, I returned to the scene of the crime - where I grew up - after 45 years. I came back to take care of my dad before he died peacefully of old age in his own home. 

Now I collect eggs from my enormously entertaining chickens, forage, dehydrate foods by the wood stove, and live a generally simple life. I do not own a cell phone or TV.

Before that, I was a wanderer. I moved a lot and lived all over the country and in Australia. I have been teaching something to someone all my life. Middle school and university English. Childbirth and family health education. Herbalism & nutrition. Elementary school art & special education. And stitchery, of course. I like to watch understanding blossom in another person's eyes. Learning is joyous. It's a marvel!

DESIGNER & TEACHER

I have taught my sweaterdoll-making, embroidery, and fiber art workshops to both adults and children. I've taught in New York City, California, Arizona, Australia, Kansas, and Missouri. 

For ten years, I designed sewing and embroidery patterns for Australian and U.S. magazines.  I was featured in and designed for more than 40 issues of print magazines and have been featured in and designed for several blogs in the US, Europe, and Australia. Those and other patterns were available in online shops (Craftsy and Etsy) but those shops are closed now. You can see what's available now by following the link in the sidebar.

My patterns are hand drawn. Instructions may be hand illustrated or may use photos for the steps. I'm not super low-tech. It's neighborly. It's real. It might be a little homey.

There are LOTS of free tutorials and patterns on the blog, so you can always just start right here!


I encourage you to see the open-ended possibility in a project. And I want you to love the space you create for yourself when you are immersed in the process as much as I do.

The tabs above will help you find my 
  • patterns and kits
  • tutorials
  • free courses
  • readers' favorite blog posts
  • Embroidery School series
  • published history

I'm so glad you've stopped by. The kettle has boiled and I've got tea and coffee ready. So have a seat, grab some fabric, and put your thimble on (thimble is optional). It's time to SweaterDoll.