General Info:
About the Quilt Artist Andrea Harper Kuznicki is a lifelong textile artist who hand sewed her first doll’s quilt with her mother’s instructions at the age of 4 in Boiling Springs, South Carolina. She spend the next several years refining her fashion design and hand sewing skills on Barbie doll clothes and learned machine sewing by age 8 or 9. By the age of 11, she was designing and sewing her own clothing and first wall-size quilt. Throughout Andrea’s teenage years, she became more and more enamored of historical and vintage design and colors. Volunteering for 3 years at a living history museum; the Georgia Agrirama, in Tifton, Georgia; taught Andrea the old-fashioned skills of butter churning, cooking a wood stove, and most importantly to the future of Moonshine Memories and Rose Tree Originals, she also learned hand quilting from a talented group of volunteers over an antique quilting bee frame. Andrea spent many hours researching and then modernizing historical clothing designs, specializing in the era of the mid to late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Her biggest historical reproduction garment, quite literally, was a Civil War era hoopskirted ballgown that she made at the age of 15. She made the hoopskirt’s framing out of electrical fence wiring from her father’s farm supplies. College years brought a difficult choice of majors - between home economics with very little instruction in sewing techniques and design, or nursing to provide a future career. After her son was born, Andrea contracted out sewing from her home to a wonderful embroidery business for 2 years. That not only gave Andrea the opportunity to stay home with her baby and cherish those early years while providing a small income, but taught Andrea many lessons from watching a successful businesswoman who balanced work and family. During those years, she continued sewing and started Rose Tree Originals in 2003, with her “Vintage Style with a Modern Attitude”, focusing on children’s clothing and purses. However, the local marketplace for handmade items was not strong at that time, and although Andrea occasionally makes one-of-a-kind children's clothing, her focus now is on her quiltmaking. She has been slowly establishing a reputation for Rose Tree Originals and the heirloom quality, unique work she does on Etsy.com. She has 100% positive feedback on there at http://www.etsy.com/shop/RoseTreeOriginals?ref=si_shop and on eBay.com as a seller. Repeat customers and very enthusiastic feedback from the buyers of her custom quilts encouraged her to continue.