Crafting with a purpose: Theresa Breeden leads the ACBVA Fiber Arts crafting group
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Crafting with a purpose: Theresa Breeden leads the ACBVA Fiber Arts crafting group
Theresa Breeden is an American Council of the Blind of Virginia ACBVA) Board Member and Treasurer. She is a fiber arts teacher transforming her love for yarn, texture, and weaving into an accessible art for those who are blind or have low vision. With her own experiences navigating the fiber arts world, Theresa is known for her innovative approaches, creating adaptive techniques and teaching methods.
Whether teaching beginner or advanced techniques she proves that vision limitations are no obstacle to mastering the art of fibers.
D is for Debra
T is Theresa
D: Tell me about yourself and your history of vision loss.
T: I’m new to this vision loss thing. In 2018, I started having problems reading text at the bottom of the TV. After going to the eye doctor, an Ophthalmologist, and a Retina Specialist, the Retina Specialist sent me to two National Institutes of Health in Maryland, who finally diagnosed me with Macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel2). It’s a rare eye disease and they don’t know if it’s genetic or not. There is nothing they can do to cure it. However, I will not lose all my vision.
In 2019, I was legally blind and had to stop working shortly after that. I worked at Walmart for 23 years and was thought of as an asset liability so I went on a Leave of Absence and filed for disability and was approved. I started looking for other people who may have some of the same kind of issues which prompted me to start my Facebook group for the blind and vision impaired: Blind and Vision Impaired Crafters with 650 members thus far.
Blind and Vision Impaired Crafters Facebook Group
Join Theresa’s Facebook group, everyone is invited whether you are blind, have low vision, or are fully sighted, the whole community works together.
D: Wow that is amazing, what a great social network.
T: I found the American Council of the Blind (ACB) and more affiliates and resources. That led me to The American Council of the Blind of Virginia (ACBVA).
D: What first inspired you to work with the fiber arts like crocheting and weaving?
T: I learned when I was a child, but was not very good at it so I gave it up. About 15 years ago my mother-in-law moved in with us. She loved to crochet and we bonded spending time together crocheting. She inspired me to pick the fiber arts back up so I bought the material and could not put it down.
D: Do you have a favorite go-to fiber or technique?
T: I love crochet the most because knitting and weaving take me so much longer. I teach myself to make my own patterns because I have a hard time following written patterns. I have not learned Voiceover or any software as of yet. I will learn more as time goes on. Crocheting reminds me of my mother, she taught me to crochet when I was eight years old. She crocheted my whole childhood and whenever I’m crocheting I feel closer to her. I lost her in 2011 on Christmas day.
D: That puts a lovely picture in my mind of you and your mother crocheting together and how special that was. I’m sorry for the loss of your mother and I’m thankful that you have that loving memory. What do you do with your creations?
T: I crochet for charities. For instance, I give items to the fire department which presents them to local schools. In the ACBVA fiber arts group, we crochet for Worry Worms for the Veterans and soap bags for the homeless.
D: Now that is Crafting with a purpose!
T: Additionally, I have a website where I sell all of the crafts that I make. I also make low-vision journals and planners on Amazon.
Shop all of Theresa’s Creations
Explore handcrafted journals, planners, greeting cards, home decor gifts, and crochet items. Click on the menu links to browse thoughtfully made products, digital downloads, and crafting tutorials. Ignite your creativity today!
D: Well, I know that you have an online presence, but do you also share your creations in person?
T: I recently had a fall craft fair at Brook High School in Stafford County. I have another event on November 30 in Fredericksburg and one on December 14 in Orange County.
D: Oh wow, that’s great that you mentioned Stafford. I am going to be the keynote speaker at a Women’s Conference on January 11th for the upcoming new year. How do you choose the materials for your projects? Do you prefer one type over another?
T: I prefer natural. I walked through Hobby Lobby feel all the yarn because they all have different textures and thicknesses. I like warm colors but if I’m making something specific for someone, I will go with their colors. I like mustard yellow, rose and grays.
D: How do you determine which size hook you use when you crochet?
T: The crochet tool has a crochet hook at the end and comes in different sizes from very tiny to very large. The size of the hook you use will depend on the weight of the yarn and how much tension you use when crocheting. This means how tightly you hold your yarn and how stiff you are with your crocheting.
D: Can you go into more detail about your creative process when starting a new piece?
T: First, I find the pattern and the stitches I want to use for that particular item. So, let’s say I’m making a throw blanket, I go through my index of stitch patterns that I know and decide which one would look best for the blanket that I have pictured. Then, I purchase the yarn and decide which hook would best suit the yarn. My go-to stitch is the shell stitch, I love it and use it for everything.
D: On average how long do your projects take?
T: A throw blanket, if I sat down every day and didn’t do anything else, I’ll have it done within four or five days. Otherwise, it could take me two weeks to a month to complete a project.
D: What’s the most challenging project you’ve completed and how did you overcome any obstacles?
T: Oh boy. There was this blanket someone wanted me to make of the Dallas Cowboys. They wanted it to be navy blue with a gray star in the center of it. It ended up being a nightmare. I could not do it. How I overcame it? I had my husband read the pattern to me line by line. I had to crochet let’s say 10 blue, then gray and blue to gray and then more blue and then gray again. The yarn gets all tangled up. I had to keep it all together. Thank God we have the support of wonderful patient people in our lives that assist us.
D: How do you stay inspired and develop new ideas for your projects?
T: Trying, feeling, and hearing about new stitches excites me and then I have to try it. Once I try it, that keeps me going. Also new yarn. I’ll see a new color of yarn or a new texture and have got to make something.
D: I’m sure that excitement continues when you’re interacting with your FB group and ACBVA. I listened to women talk about their projects and some of the new ways we found of doing things and learning from each other.
T: Yes, before COVID I taught a great group with the fire department then it ended when the pandemic happened. All groups, Facebook and ACBVA is open to not only blind and low vision participants but also those fully sighted. All are welcome.
D: How would you say crafting has influenced other areas of your life such as mindset or your daily routine?
T: Well, it’s pretty much my job now. I’ve worked my house duties into my crafting routine. I get up and craft. I clean the house and go back to crafting. I crochet when watch TV with my husband. I craft throughout the day. As far as mindset, crocheting is a great stress reliever and helps clear the mind.
D: Are there any techniques you haven’t tried yet, but want to?
T: I would like to learn how to knit better than what I do. When I first tried to knit, it took me six months to learn. I was frustrated because I could crochet the same thing a 10th of the time. If I could make more things in a decent amount of time I would love to knit more.
D: What advice would you give someone who’s just beginning their journey in the fiber arts with vision loss?
T: Have patience and don’t be hard on yourself. It takes a lot of time. If you make a mistake, take it all out and start over. It is through repetition that you get the feel of how the yarn feels going through your hands and how tight you should hold it. You feel the flow of the hook as you’re pulling the yarn through the stitch while learning the structure of the stitch. You learn how to best hold the hook and the yarn in your hands. Finally, find other like-minded people and they will help you through any problems that you might have.
D: I wanted to add as you speak about repetition. It reminded me of my piano teacher Sam Lupica. I’ve only been playing the piano with him for two years now, he always reminds me to practice practice practice.
T: I would also advise people to join other like-minded people and they will help you through any problems that you might have.
D: That is a welcome invitation to join our fiber arts ACBVA group.
T: We welcome people at all skill levels. It’s a very supportive, encouraging, happy, and joyful group with a purpose. I believe everybody has creativity inside. Eventually, I’m going to start an in-person meeting in the Fredericksburg and Stafford area. Everyone is invited whether they are blind, low vision, or fully sighted, the whole community works together.
D: I’m sure, ACBVA would support those efforts.
T: Yes, our President Doug Powell is awesome.
D: How can people reach you?
T: Email me at teeelynn68@gmail.com
D: Do you have any events coming up?
T: November 30th I’ll be at a fair in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Meadows Farms Operation Blue Christmas and holiday market.
For the ACBVA December 9 Christmas party, I’ll be sending everyone who wants to participate on how to make their own reading cards.
On December 14, I’ll be at the Wilderness Run Vineyards holiday market.
Join the next ACBVA Program Meeting on Monday, December 9 at 7:00 pm
We are planning a fun-filled meeting, which will feature Theresa Breeden leading us in a simple crafting project that everyone can enjoy.
If you wish to do the craft along with Theresa during the meeting, please email RoseAnn Ashby at: beachrose9@verizon.net
Theresa needs to mail you the kit of supplies you will need for the project, and she wants to put everything in the mail by December 1.
In addition, Debra Hill will grace us with a medley to get us in the holiday mood. And finally, we will share holiday memories or traditions that are particularly meaningful for us—either funny or poignant.
If you wish to share a memory, please email Roseann, so that we can allot sufficient time for sharing.
Information to connect to the meeting via Zoom will be emailed as the date approaches.
About Theresa Breeden
Theresa Breeden has served on committees with the American Council of the Blind of Virginia (ACBVA) for two and a half years. She joined the committee in February 2024 and was elected as a Board Member in November 2024 as Treasurer.
Theresa has been teaching fiber arts for 15 years. She is married with two children, two grandchildren, 2 dogs and one bird.
At the in-person craft fairs, If you mention the Debra Hill Sings article, you will receive a 10% discount. For website orders, please send an email order with the subject of “Debra Hill Sings” you will receive a 10% discount and include what you would like to order. For Amazon orders, the discount does not apply.
Debra Hill
Debra Hill is an independent inspirational singer, author, songwriter, and writer. As a blind performer, she adds a personal story of God’s faithfulness. Her life exemplifies that Christ’s power will work to lift all regardless of circumstances.
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