Made by Mom Gift Guide: Pear offers handmade headbands, bags

Mary Kruger and her twin sister Tracy didn't start sewing until about five years ago when they both happened to get sewing machines for Christmas.

"We just decided we wanted to sew," Mary tells me.

The interest turned into a business after Mary was inspired by the display of locally made items at the shoe store where she worked at the time. She thought that she might be able to create something worth selling too.

A lot has happened since the sisters started Pear a few years ago. Mary now is the stay-at-home mom of two young children. And Tracy, who still does some design work for the business, has moved overseas.

But Mary was able to maintain the business, churning out headbands and bags and adding retail stores that carry her products. They now include Epona & Oak, the Six Forks Road and Cary Whole Foods, and Cozy in Durham. She also has signed on other people to help her sew.

Now that her kids are out of the baby phase and attending preschool, she's able to devote more time to crafting new designs for Pear, searching for the perfect fabric and creating new pieces.

"It's a creative outlet for me," she tells me. "I like producing something. When I wasn't able to do it as much with the kids, I missed it."