Hannah Massie

Choosing one person who has inspired my work is really hard. I want to say that my whole community inspires me. One important influence would be Michael Massie, who is a relative, but also, I would say his mom, Hannah Massie. Aunt Hannah used to make all kinds of things and would show me how to make them too. She could make pretty much anything. I was told that she even liked to paint, which I never knew. Although she isn’t making crafts anymore, what I remember most were these little pincushions. When I was young, she showed me how to make them from a plate! You draw a circle and then gather the fabric before stuffing it and making the head; that’s how she made her pincushions. I made one a long time ago, but it was super loose stitching; I wasn’t very good at sewing then. I was recently asked to make pincushions for three women in our family “Aunt Hannah-style”. I was much more successful this time. I loved going over to see Aunt Hannah because she would bring her projects out to show me and would also listen to me as I showed her what I was doing. – Sandra Hollett