Jennie Earle

Growing up in west virginia, i loved working in the garage with my grandpa, earl. he always had a bandana tucked into his pocket that he’d use to wipe the sawdust off a piece of furniture he was building or clean his hands after coming out from under the hood of a car. he never said, “you’re too young to help”, or “you’re a girl, so probably shouldn’t run the drill press”. when he wasn’t looking, i would swipe that bandana and hold it, trying to channel all his strength and bravery into my being.

holding that 22″ square of cotton, i felt like i could conquer anything. the bandana became a talisman for me, a symbol of that bravery.

i want to tell y’all a bit my personal story. I think (hope) it will give you a deeper understanding of how i came to do the work of making these talismans and, more importantly, how i came to know that you are infinitely braver and stronger than you know, and so am I.