Hecho en Nuevo México

It all started when my godmother Manuelita Romero taught me to sew at the age of 10. I chose sewing as a personal project for my Nambé 4-H club and Manuelita was the only person in my family who could teach me. Ever since I was born she had made clothes for me, from my baptismal dress to the halloween costumes I wore every October. I loved watching her sew, and it was an amazing day when I found myself behind her 1980’s Singer, learning how to make something myself!

It was over fifteen years before I found myself sewing again, this time to de-stress as I finished my master’s degree at Harvard Divinity School and worked as a multi-faith chaplain at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Not only had I rediscovered sewing as a creative outlet, I also picked up knitting. One of my closest friends taught me to knit while we worked on our master theses and I have taken a knitting project with me wherever I go since!

As I did my rounds at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, I noticed many patients brought fiber projects with them as they waited for treatments or recovered from procedures. In the Neonatal ICU, where I worked primarily, babies were given handmade quilts and blankets to cover their incubators. Everywhere I went, fiber crafts brought a bit more warmth and comfort into place that could feel harsh and sterile.

After returning to New Mexico, I worked as a hospital and hospice chaplain for a couple of years. But the health care industry and its continuous fluctuations did not feel like the right fit for me. Instead I decided to apply my ministerial skills to starting a fiber crafting studio in my hometown of Santa Fe. I wanted a shop where people could buy high quality natural fiber yarns and fabrics at a variety of price points and also a community space where people could take classes. So after a year of dreaming and scheming, Hacer was born.

Whether you’re an experienced fiber artist or just starting on your crafting journey, I hope you can find something to inspire you at Hacer! Let us know how we can make your project dreams a reality.

— Laura Martin Baseman, Owner