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About Jen

Hi! I'm so happy to welcome you to my website, and to Act Two Handmade. Please check out some of my eco-conscious, guilt-free goodies!

Photo by Natalie Gibbs

Bio

Act One Summary

     Jennifer Juul grows up in Northern Virginia. She learns most of her sewing skills from her mother and grandmother. She graduates from JMU with a B.A. in Theatre, and then acts professionally for several years. She earns her Actors' Equity card, plays varied roles onstage, and undertakes intensive study. She also learns how to quilt and make costumes. She does a quilt show. She starts to feel the constraints of being a professional actor. She makes some more quilts on commission and participates in a quilt show in New York.

     Jennifer goes back to school and earns an MA in Theatre from Illinois State University and an MFA from The University of Pittsburgh. She survives graduate school with part of her sanity intact. She gets married. She enjoys a family tree with many branches. 

     She teaches college. The job is fulfilling. She directs, writes, teaches, acts, serves on endless committees, gets tenured and promoted...and gets divorced. She lives alone for a couple of years and learns how to be her own person. But the long hours take their toll. She has spinal surgery.

     Unexpectedly, later that year she hits the jackpot. She meets one of the best human beings on the planet! They marry and have cute fur babies. There's one problem: she's burning out. New allergies and health issues bubble to the surface and she realizes she's gotta get off this train. She steps away from the career that she thought would be lifelong, but isn't, and she starts looking around for new opportunities. 

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Intermission

     Jennifer has been given an extraordinary gift: she's debt-free and able to explore new avenues. She does this and that: she free-lances, writes, gives acting lessons to private students, and teaches adult education and literacy courses. (That last one was REALLY eye-opening.) She volunteers, makes lifestyle changes, and finds a spiritual home. She learns a bunch of totally new stuff, like how to grow lots of veggies. Covid happens.

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Act Two

     Jennifer (Juul) Thomas rediscovers the joy of sewing. She learns new things about fabrics, fast fashion, recycling, climate science, and design. She sets up her studio and begins designing accessories. Jennifer loves transforming unwanted things into helpful treasures. She renews her commitment to sustainability and simple living. She launches Act Two Handmade, developing and sharing items that are useful, beautiful, and eco-friendly.  

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