For many years, making things by hand was simply how the days were spent — and the craft gallery is where the results were shared. These are projects born of imagination, patience, and the deep satisfaction of finishing something with your own two hands.
A workshop of happy tinkering
The gallery began as a simple, joyful workshop — a place where fabric, paper, ribbon and paint became something new. As the original introduction put it: "For many years I designed all sorts of fun things that let me use my imagination. Click on the images to see some of the things I have made." That is still exactly the invitation.
The collection wanders happily across a whole household of ideas:
- Sewn & quilted pieces — aprons, table linens, and cozy patchwork.
- Keepsakes & gifts — decorated boxes, bowls, and small treasures.
- Seasonal decorations — hearts for February, flags for summer, and warm touches for winter.
- Whimsy — bears, bunnies, cats and other friendly companions.
- Celebration crafts — pieces made for weddings and other happy days.
The value of the handmade
There is a reason handcraft endures in an age of mass production. A handmade object carries the maker's attention inside it; you can feel the choices that went into it. That belief is championed today by organizations like the American Craft Council, which celebrates makers and the enduring worth of work done by hand. The Nem5 gallery is a small, personal chapter of that larger story.
Setting up a table you can work at for hours
Close handwork asks more of the eyes than a room may seem to provide. Put a steady light over the work, not behind your head, and angle it so your hand does not shadow the next stitch or cut. Daylight is lovely when available, but a movable task lamp keeps colors and edges clear after the window dims. The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s guidance on eye strain is useful general reading when close work shares the day with a screen.
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Let the chair and table meet you instead of making your body reach for them. Sit close enough that your shoulders can settle, raising the project if you would otherwise bend far over it. A folded towel can soften a hard table edge, while clear space gives both forearms somewhere to rest between small movements. The CDC’s NIOSH ergonomics overview offers sensible general reading on fitting a work area to the person using it.
Give the table a little breathing room as well. Keep often-used tools within easy reach, move scraps away before they crowd your elbows, and set a quiet timer as a reminder to stand. When it sounds, put down the needle or brush, uncurl your fingers, walk for a moment, and look across the room or out a window. The purpose is simply to interrupt the tendency to stay folded over one absorbing detail.
Once the lamp, chair and tools have found their places, leave the arrangement ready for tomorrow if you can. A welcoming table removes one small obstacle between an idea and the pleasure of making it real.
Ideas to borrow
The gallery was never meant to be admired from a distance — it was meant to be useful. Many visitors came looking for a spark: a color combination, a shape, a way to finish an edge or trim a gift. Take whatever ideas are helpful. Adapt them to your own materials and your own taste. The best compliment a project can receive is to inspire another one.
Starting your first project
If you have never made anything by hand, the hardest part is beginning — so begin small and forgivable. Choose a project you could finish in an afternoon: a simple pillowcase, a decorated box, a pressed-flower card. Gather your materials before you start so nothing interrupts the spell. Expect the first one to be a little crooked; crookedness is not failure, it is evidence. The maker who has produced ten wobbly potholders has learned more than the one still waiting to feel ready.
A small kit worth keeping
Most of the projects here lean on the same humble supplies, and a modest kit will carry you through years of making:
- Good scissors — one pair for fabric, one for paper, and never the two confused.
- Needles, pins and strong thread in a few basic colors.
- A glue that dries clear, plus a roll of double-sided tape.
- Ribbon, buttons and scraps — the treasure box every crafter hoards.
- Patience and a cup of tea — the two ingredients no shop sells.
When your hands are tired and your work is done, there is poetry to read in the verse room and photographs to wander in the gallery. But if you feel the itch to make something today, let this room be your encouragement. Begin. You already have everything you need.