About

My name is Lorena Haldeman, and I am the owner, maker, creatrix, artist, and hard-working woman behind HaldeCraft.

I was bitten by a crafty bug as a child, when my grandmother tried to teach me to knit and crochet (ostensibly to keep me quiet while “her shows” were on). That didn’t take very well, but she also had a ceramics studio and the first time she put a brush in my hand and I painted  that duck purple, I knew that was for me. In the years since then I have kept with my beloved ceramics, and also picked up soap-making, knitting, spinning yarn, making lip balms and lotions, sewing, and most recently, weaving.

A few years ago I found myself staring unemployment in the face, as the yarn store I owned with two friends was facing the end of its life. I didn’t want to give up crafting as a living, though, I found that I loved it, and loved working for myself, too much. So I turned to what, until then, had been a joyful hobby and creative outlet, and put my mind towards turning it into the means to make a living. A lot of people can’t do that; a lot of people find that working their hobby crushes their love for it. I’ve found just the opposite. The longer I do it, and the more feedback I get from people on how beautiful, eye-catching, enjoyable, or just plain useful what I make is to them, the more I want to do what I do.

Since 2010 I’ve been working out of my home, turning half of the house into different studio spaces. I now have a room devoted to ceramics, another devoted to dyeing and soap-making, both of my kilns take up a good portion of our small back porch, and my home office doubles as a shipping center and yarn staging area. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I started off with a small Etsy shop (which I still keep stocked, albeit with only a portion of what I make) and I have since moved off to my own domain, HaldeCraft.com. If you are a previous Etsy customer, or even a previous Hanks Yarn and Fiber (2007-2010) customer, thank you for trusting my vision and coming to see what I have to offer in my new area. And if you’ve never heard of me before and all of this is new…? Please. Look around. Make yourself at home. Get to know me. And know that I’m here to answer any questions you may have about what I do, how I do it, or what I can do for you.

The team at HaldeCraft consists of just me (hard to believe I can get it all done when you look at how much I produce, I know). I am emotionally supported by That Poor Man (fix-it guy and all-around do-right man), and our furry children; Already Dog, New Dog (also called “Three” since she only has three legs), Fat Cat, Princess Cat, That Poor Man’s Cat, and Tiny Kitten. We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support of HaldeCraft!