"I'm inspired by felt's willingness to mold and its readiness to forgive mistakes."
My name is Faith Lex, and I'm the designer and maker behind Ordinary Mommy Design. I handcraft stylish home decor items and keepsakes using wool-blend felt, a needle and thread, and my own two hands. My home is in Easton, Pennsylvania; sharing in my crazy handmade-biz lifestyle are my husband of twelve years and our three children.
From the time I was young, I’ve had the desire to create things – whether that meant meticulously working on a counted cross-stitch project, making simple throw pillows or writing down a story. The first time I worked with felt was when I made hair clips for my eldest daughter; I fell absolutely, head-over-heels in love!
Felt is a wonderfully versatile medium, and I'm inspired by its willingness to mold and its readiness to forgive mistakes; I’m also inspired by the mistakes I make along the way.
All of my pieces are my own original designs. Ideas often come to me as I drift off to sleep, so I jot them down as notes and sketches. The first step is to weed out potential problems with the design by mentally working through production; then I start on the task of drawing out my pattern. This part of the process is always a challenge for me, since drawing is not an area that I am gifted in, but it has forced me to be creative. My favorite part of the design and production work is the actual stitching. I don’t use glue or a sewing machine when I craft my pieces – it's such a personal thing to place each and every stitch myself.
I first opened shop in 2008, and since then the Etsy community has been an essential part of my growing process. I've learned so much about presenting my products and networking, and the other makers I’ve built relationships with are a crucial part of my support system. I'm thankful for the exposure I’ve gained and that I get to do all of this from my home, where I’m happiest. My goals for the future are to continue to expand my influence and eventually have an office space to call my own. Currently, all of my making is done surrounded by my loved ones, and while I don’t want that to change, it would be nice to have all of my far-flung tools and supplies gathered in one room in an orderly and organized fashion. Follow Ordinary Mommy Design on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. Portrait and process shots by Photography by Leah Molinari, all others by Ordinary Mommy Design.
