About the Artist of Fashionably Wired®

Donna Fitzgerald

I've been a "crafty" lady most of my life.

I actually had my first craft business in elementary school. My friend, Julie Blanton, and I were working on a special badge in Girl Scouts -- the "Our Own Business" badge. We made yarn toys and sold them at a local free market downtown. Our business was a great success -- until the price of yarn doubled and our moms refused to drive us downtown every Saturday.

When I was 5, my grandmother taught me to knit. When I was 10, she taught me to crochet. I made this great 6-foot-long stocking cap in blue variegated yard that would wrap around my neck 3 or 4 times. It was warm!

Around the same time, my mother was teaching me to sew. I made pillows, curtains, and toys for my room, and many of the clothes I wore to school.

Somewhere along the way, I also learn to embroider. My first effort was a school project in the 2nd grade -- a duck on the water, embroidered in craft yarn on yellow burlap using a large-eye wooden needle. My mom had that "tapestry" on the wall of her sewing room for years.

For the next few years, I hand-embroidered everything I could get my hands on. I had this one pair of navy blue canvas sneakers in the 5th grade that I couldn't bear to part with as they wore out and developed holes. I embroidered flowers and leaves and random shapes around all of the holes to prevent further wear. It worked. I wore them for several more years.

They looked so good, I took to embroidering jeans and blouses.

And that led to counted cross-stitch, latch-hook rug-making, needlepoint.

My parents bought me my first Singer sewing machine for my 21st birthday. I think it was a hint -- they intended me to make clothes so I could get a job!

From there I expanded to writing children's stories. In 1989 I published my first children's story in Wonder Time magazine. The story was entitled "The Safe Samaritans".

I moved on to quilting and home decor, both of which I do quite a lot of even today.

When the time came for me to choose a craft to build a business on, none of the ones I knew met the criteria I was looking for in a business craft. I remembered that I tended to shop for jewelry at most of the shows I had been to. Jewelry is what I was drawn to.

So, I learned to make jewelry.

My first attempts were average. The beads were pretty, but my designs were not unique enough to suit me. I also didn't like working with thread, because the larger of my decorative beads would often saw through the thread, breaking the necklace.

I had been semi-stalled in my jewelry-making for about a year, when I dreamed one night of using wire. I have no idea what triggered the dream, but it was prophetic. The next morning I immediately went to Michael's Arts and Crafts to investigate the possibilities.

I spent the rest of that afternoon and weekend experimenting. I loved the feel of the wire, the beautiful colors, and I quickly exhausted the supply from the craft store. So I searched the Internet for a wholesale supplier.

And the rest is history.

I've now been making coiled wire jewelry for over 10 years, and I still enjoy it. I create new styles and color combinations every year. I love working with people personally at the craft shows and seeing their pleasure at finding just the right piece for them or for a gift.

I expect to continue in this craft for many years to come, though I expect to add new skills to the mix.



And when I find a little free time, I've still got my eye on that pedal harp . . . !