Ambler Resident Shares Views on Changing Art of Crafting

Mary Ellen Wagner is an Ambler resident who has practiced the craft of fabrics  since 1969.

“Otherwise known as quilting,” Wagner said with a smile.

Wagner, works as the mental health counselor at Sandy Run Middle School in Upper Dublin School District. This was her first year at the Upper Dublin Craft Fair, which took place earlier this month.

“It’s a nice way to spend a Saturday morning,” Wagner said, adding, “or, afternoon or all weekend.”

After graduating from Upper Dublin High School, Wagner went on to nursing school, where she used her love of sewing and quilting as a way to unwind after a particularly stressful day at school—and kept at it ever since.

“It became an overblown hobby,” Wagner said. “I love it. There’s so many different things I can do with it. Each new pattern is an adventure.”

Wagner, who attended the event with her husband, said that in recent years, creating her quilts, bags and other hand-made crafts has become easier with the use of machines.

In her Ambler home, she owns a long-arm sewing machine, which she often prefers when tackling larger projects.

“Time is the big thing,” Wagner said about switching from the needle and thread (or hook and yarn) to machine work. “In today’s world, machine quilted is more valued because it is a better product.”