Amy Micallef - Fabric Aficionado

By Heather Briggaman

For the Love of Fabrics
When it comes to loving fabric, we don't know anyone who fits the bill more than Amy Micallef. So, when Karen needed craft projects to show off her recently released Benartex fabric line, we knew that Amy was our girl. We sent a huge box her way, complete with yards upon yards of the bistro-themed patterns. Within no time at all, the finished creations were returned to us, far exceeding our wildest expectations.

Planting the Seed
Amy's love of sewing began at the young age of eight when she used to watch her mom cross-stitch. She quickly picked up the craft, and a knowledge of sewing soon followed. "My seamstress career," she says, "began with my family's outlandish Halloween costumes and designing clothes for dolls." Since then, her desire to create has continued to grow stronger. While sewing and cross-stitch remain her favorite mediums, because they allow her to utilize the same materials and get new results each time, she is also skilled in a variety of other crafts. Knitting, crocheting, embroidering, sculpting, quilting, and even making Muppets are some of the ways that Amy expresses her artistic talents.

A Unique Niche
While it is nearly impossible for any die-hard crafter to pick a favorite project, Amy has a special place in her heart for the puppet characters that she creates. These replicas of Muppets and Sesame Street characters begin with manilla file folders and masking tape. After the basic structures are created, Amy covers the paper with felt. She and her dad then use the decorations as part of Atlanta's annual Fourth of July Golf Cart Parade. Each year the "Muppets" are based around a different theme. Amy has won numerous awards for her amazing paper and felt creations.

Perfect Partners
When it came to creating the pieces for Karen, Amy was certainly able to sew up a storm. Karen's coordinating JHB and Benartex products, which released last year, have created opportunities for many amazing crafting projects. Amy and Karen put their heads together to come up with some marvelous creations that incorporated JHB's bistro buttons with Benartex's top-notch chef and food-themed fabrics. Some of the most amazing pieces that Amy made were the fabric flying chef characters. With hair made of the Saucy Swirl patterns and pants in classic Rossi-style checkers, the little dolls are, without a doubt, amazingly crafted. Amy's favorite of all the projects, however, was the oven mitt. She admits they "were really fun to make and I could use them as puppets while taking my breaks."

It seems that the merging of Amy's passion for fabric and Karen's whimsical artwork proved to a truly perfect pairing. "I love Karen's work, and she has been so very supportive of my artistic ventures that I was more than happy to help," Amy says.

Cute and Cuddly
Amy created "Captain Octopus" for JHB, the company that also created Karen's line of bistro buttons.