I have always loved clothing and textiles but didn't see myself becoming a fiber artist until after college. With a degree in South Asian Studies and Botany I ventured from the midwest to the Rocky Mountains and fell in love with the mountains. In the late 80s there were great thrift stores to find old vintage fabrics and my hat journey began. I cut up old clothes to remake into headwear. Incorporating wire and stiffners in was not exactly what I needed to do for my ideas, and I discovered straw braid hatmaking. I purchased a old specialized sewing machine in NYC, got it home in a backpack, mounted it in Denver and got to teaching myself the skill of sewing straw braid. Being self taught was helpful in making the hats more unique as I figured out techniques, the proper technique along with my own attempts. I have been making hats now for almost 30 years and I still love the craft and see each piece as a sculpture for someone's head!