Juli Gerken Designs
Once upon a time, there was a little girl growing up in the mountains of
Western North Carolina. She grew up surrounded by family, mountain music, and mountain crafts.
She loved to play, she loved to sing, and she learned how to make things. She adored the handmade gifts from her mama. They ranged from her very own handmade baby doll to her handmade fitted velvet prom dress in 1992. Her mama taught her how to crochet, sew, and to appreciate the art of handmade gifts.
As she grew older, she enjoyed playing with fiber, paper, and metal as she explored what her favorite mediums were. She took pottery classes, metalsmithing classes, made her own clothes, and dabbled in many other crafts. When her own children were young, she put her creative energy into memorable puppet shows, personalized bedtime stories that they begged for, cooking and baking with them, and making art with them whenever possible.
As they grew older, their own interests began to inspire her. Their music lessons inspired her to start singing again. Their love for make believe games inspired her to make doll blankets for children. Her youngest child’s interest in weaving, inspired her to explore the craft. Moving forward, nothing would please her more than to create her very own fabric for handmade gifts to share with the world.
To this day, her children continue to inspire her and teach her things.
