Hannah - Applique artist from Oregon, USA

We begin our Stitching Stories with the delightful and endlessly talented Hannah (@nanniescrafts), who hails from Portland, Oregon, USA. The excitement of already being able to connect to someone on the other side of the pond who shares a love of all things creative is indescribable, so let’s begin this crafty tale…

Hannah is a fibre artist who creates quilted wall hangings from second-hand textiles. She uses a method of stitching one piece of fabric on another, called applique, to create charming designs on the background of what most of us would view as traditional quilting. Slow crafting and sustainability are a core component of Hannah’s creations, and she is passionate about how the sewing and crafting community are turning their backs on the ever-growing monster that is fast fashion. When I asked Hannah about how she felt about the crafty community around her, it was evident, as it is to many of us, that those who support what she creates are one of her biggest driving forces.

‘There are so many people that I’ve never even met that support me over Instagram, by my art, send me encouragement.

‘Sewists and crafters fight it (fast fashion) and continue to make and create and care about sustainability and the joy of repurposing and the feeling of wearing or using something YOU made with your own two hands. I’m passionate about it and I know others in this community are too.’

To understand the craft, you must of course understand the crafter, and I was interested to know how Hannah began her sewing journey. She is mostly self-taught, and learnt the basics at a summer camp aged 11 and at middle school, and then bought a sewing machine during the Covid lockdown. Before she even knew the name for it, Hannah began creating her applique quilts in late 2024 as a good way to use up scrap fabric. Almost overnight, Hannah’s work went viral on Instagram.

It is of course impossible to talk to Hannah without talking about her unbelievable success on social media. I wanted to delve into how her Instagram page, the charmingly named @nanniescrafts, came to be.

‘At the time that I started my page I was going through a really sad stage,’ she told me, ‘I had zero creative drive or passion.’ Hannah, like many of us, turned to craft for some peace and tranquillity in an otherwise distressing time in her personal life, and started her page as a way to inspire her to create: ‘ I guess a part of me thought that having a social media account to showcase my crafts would make it more productive in some way.’ It was a reel of a fish quilt that she created just before Christmas that ignited virality, even though at the time she was unsure if anyone would even like it and was feeling doubtful about her art. It was that reel that sparked the flame of her Instagram popularity and ignited her creative journey.

‘I can’t explain the feeling of hundreds of thousands of people seeing something I created, asking if they could buy it from me, telling me how beautiful they think it is and calling me an artist.

‘I had NEVER felt like an “artist” until that moment.’

Like many crafters, Hannah dreams of making a living from her art, and her growing success is certainly a step in the right direction. Her work continued to attract a large audience, and with it a new career opportunity. She hopes to one day create art as a full-time job, as she currently works two jobs and creates and sells her art in her spare time. ‘I also dream of having a more local presence, selling my art is galleries and craft fairs’ she told me.

We cannot talk about Hannah’s social media success without of course talking about her art that has so far bought in over 17K followers. Hannah takes inspiration from traditional tattoo designs and linocut prints, and many of her quilts depict animal motifs. Hannah also has a big focus on sustainability, and will often draw inspiration from the prints and colours of fabrics that she thrifts. Just a quick scan over Hannah’s website is a treat for lovers of the weird and wonderful. My particular favourites are her valentines letter wall hanging and the iconic fish, which were her first creations that she shared with her audience. It is also a joy to see that all but one listing proudly sports a ‘sold out’ icon, as Hannah moves ever closer to her full-time artist dream.

In short, it was an absolute delight getting to know Hannah and her sewing journey, and I am honoured that she agreed to be part of my own project that is still very much in its infancy. If you wish to be instantly inspired, or fancy a groovy wall hanging of your own, check out Hannah’s Instagram page, @nanniescrafts, where you can also find the link to her TikTok and online store.

all images sourced from @nanniescrafts on Instagram.