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More About Elma Tuomisalo Strom Finnish heritage introduced Elma at a tender age to the peace and beauty of forests and lakes. Her father, a first generation Finnish American, took the family camping to northern Michigan and other glorious spots in North America. She always enjoyed the quiet serenity of nature, and loved to share her favorite locations and experiences with others.
Elma was also introduced to sewing at an early age by her mother, who sewed new dresses for each of three daughters every Easter. Elma's grandmother also sewed and helped her with doll clothes. "I remember my grandmother encouraging me to have patience and take small stitches. That's not easy when you're six and you want to get the doll's overalls finished quickly!"
Junior high school home economics class encouraged a few more skills, sewing a wrap-around skirt, using a pattern, marking all the darts and notches. Elma sewed many items for her own wardrobe in high school, including costumes for several high school plays.
Her college roommate was a clothing design major, and taught Elma about top stitching and creative design. Elma took on the project of sewing a man's suit coat and a leather topcoat, learning a great deal about tailoring in the process.
Elma was hired by the theatre department costume shop at Michigan State University to construct costumes for shows over three years. Under the guidance of the costume designer and the skilled seamstresses there, Elma learned to work directly from an artist's drawing, or "costume design rendering" and interpret this as a three-dimensional costume that fit the body of the particular actor.
After this, there were few projects she would not take on. Draperies, upholstering, and tailoring employed her skills for a few years. Professional and personal life led in other directions, however, until recent circumstances have encouraged her to pick up the needle and thread again.
In the interim, Elma completed a degree in acting at Michigan State University, natural history interpretation at University of Michigan, and a master's degree in secondary education at University of Illinois. She worked as an interpretive naturalist in New York, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana. She progressed to program and curriculum development for Michigan Department of Education, National Park Service and, currently, for the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
The name "Tuomisalo" comes from Elma's Finnish grandmother. She was one of four sisters who all emigrated to the United States in the early part of the twentieth century. They settled in Michigan, Minnesota, and Alberta, Canada. The name "Tuomisalo" is composed of two Finnish words, "tuomi" and "salo." "Tuomi" is a wild cherry tree, the first to bloom in the woods in the spring. "Salo" means wilderness.
The establishment of Needs and Treadles as a business brings together a lifelong passion for fine quality sewing, a keen interest in outdoor winter activity, and a love for the northern Scandinavian culture.
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