Denver

For now, the focus of Amy Tancig’s maternal instincts will continue to be plants. “Whenever I put one into the ground, I whisper, ‘You know you’re my favorite.’ That’s how crazy I get about gardening,” says Amy, who’s single.

Amy’s passion has deep roots. When she was growing up, her mother, an avid gardener, would give Amy a little plot to tend each year. “At first, everything died,” she says. “But eventually things started to take. When I left home, gardening was always a way to connect with my mom.”

For eight years, Amy, 33, helped friends lay out and till their own plots while she was attending college and working as a waitress. Classes at the Denver Botanic Gardens widened her knowledge of horticulture, botany and design. Then, two years ago, she received an important affirmation of her abilities: Her small backyard garden in downtown Denver won an amateur-design award in Garden Design magazine.

And so Amy decided to stash her tools in the back of her SUV and start charging for her time. She quit her job, printed flyers and drew up a menu of services. (Had she not been investing in her hobby all along, she estimates it would have taken $5,000 to start the company from scratch.) Her new business, Grounded Gardens, has since thrived on word of mouth.

“It’s thrilling to have my own business,” she says. “It’s like a garden, growing every day.”

Mickey Depre, Quilter

Oak Lawn, Ill.

Mickey Depre loves to recall the moment her passion for making quilts became the inspiration for a business.

At 3 o’clock one morning, her machinist husband, Paul, woke up and saw Mickey happily stitching a quilt. Knowing she had to be at her job as an insurance agent in a few hours, he made a suggestion: “I think it’s time to give notice to your boss.”

In 1999, the year her twins, Paul Jr. and Emily, entered third grade, Mickey did just that. She now sells her quilts through her Web site (mdquilts.com), gives lectures, leads workshops and has even published a book, Garden Whimsy Appliqué. “Once I started, the business just grew its own legs,” she says.

As a child, Mickey, now 40, learned how to sew from “a group of masters” — grandmothers and aunts who were adept at turning fabrics into both clothing and decorative objects. Quilting, she realized as she got older, was a great outlet for her whimsical sense of design. Others soon agreed: Mickey’s first few pieces won prizes in national shows.

Today, her quilts, which range in size from 2’ x 2’ to 5’ x 5’, sell for between $1,000 and $10,000 apiece. Each one takes about three weeks to make. Several galleries specializing in textile arts sell her work.

Mickey’s surprise satisfaction? “My children told me that they want to own their own businesses,” she says. “Because of my experience, my kids have learned that they can do anything they want to do and they can control their own destinies.”

Emily Gibson, Handbag Maker

Boston

Last year, her practical and frugal nature helped Emily Gibson discover a skill that quickly became a source of extra income.

The 24-year-old bride-to-be was looking for presents to give her bridesmaids, and came across a beautiful handbag with wooden handles. But the bag cost $85, more than she wanted to spend.

“I thought, I can make that,” says Emily. “So I did.”

Emily, who has since married Paul, a personal trainer, bought a Simplicity pattern for a similar bag, along with pink paisley fabric, some interfacing (a thick felt) to which the fabric would be attached and bamboo purse handles (available at Web sites such as sunbeltfastener.com). She borrowed her mother’s sewing machine, and two hours later, she had created her first purse. Her bridesmaids loved the handmade gifts — and Emily began taking orders from admiring guests at her own wedding.

She has since made and sold about 100 bags. Each requires about $15 worth of materials. She charges $60 per bag through her company, All Eyes on You Designs (aeoydesigns.com).

For now, Emily, who works at a Boston public-relations firm, has no plans to quit her day job. “But,” she says, “it’s nice to know that when I have kids, I have something to fall back on.”