Hi! I’m Maile Alicia

Maile Alicia Designs (MAD) was born from a promise made on a road trip over two decades ago. Somewhere between California and Indiana, while antiquing through small towns with my family, I stopped at the front of one shop that was filled with handmade rocking chairs. In one sat a woman working with a long needle and crochet thread; not knitting, not crochet, but something unfamiliar. She invited me to sit beside her and began teaching me the art of needle tatting: a delicate craft of knots and loops forming lacy rings and chains. Before I left, the woman handed me the needle and thread and asked for a promise; to keep learning, to teach someone else, and to gift a starter kit to another maker. It was a quiet but powerful moment, one that planted the seed for a lifelong commitment to preserving handcrafts. Over the last 20 years, I have honored that promise. I’ve learned, expanded, and taught a wide range of heritage crafts; from embroidery and sewing to surface pattern design and digital illustration. I have given starter kits to students, taught classes, and built a creative practice rooted in generosity and tradition.