I have been making things out of things since I was a little girl. I learned to sew while spending time with my Mom in her “workshop”, aka our basement. She taught me the basics when I was little so I could make things for my Barbies and dolls. I started making small pillows and little purses and eventually worked up to curtains, clothes and now bags.
My Mom is the most creative, talented person I know. She was Martha Stewart™ before there was a Martha Stewart™. She made all of our curtains, slip covers, Christmas decorations, Halloween costumes and anything else she could make with her own two hands.
I’ll never forget the year Jams™ were popular. They were these oversized Hawaiian shorts that were all the rage and they were very expensive. In an attempt to surprise me, my Mom made me several pairs of “Jams”. I was giddy with excitement when she handed me the pile of shorts, thinking they were the real thing. My glee quickly turned to adolescent tears and other dramatics as I searched frantically for the signature Jams™ label. It was nowhere to be found. My Mom had made these shorts. By hand. For me. The nerve of her! How could she do this to me? How could I face my friends in fake “Jams” when they all had real Jams™? I was mortified. I was 14 and weird and desperate to impress my private school friends. Little did I know one day I would be making my own clothes and accessories from vintage clothing and repurposed fabrics and ultimately attempt to make a career out of it.
I really started to have fun with “repurposing” when I was in my teens. Of course we didn’t call it that back then. My girlfriends and I spent our weekends shopping in thrift stores for vintage dresses and plaid blazers to wear with our Chuck Taylor’s. My Nana called it junk shopping and was appalled that I wore used clothing in public. I used to love to update old dresses from the 60’s or 70’s.
One of the first dresses I ever updated was a bridesmaid’s dress my Mom wore in her early 20’s. I redesigned it for an art show at my high school. After that, I was hooked. It was this dress that catapulted me into making other things like curtains out of silk scarves and purses out of denim skirts. So here I am, some 20 years later, with some new things I made out of other things.
My Mom taught me the value of repurposing, reusing and saving every scrap of fabric because you never knew if it would come in handy. She instilled in me the importance of taking the time to make something by hand and doing it right. “Measure twice, cut once.” I still struggle with that one. I’m not as patient as she. My Mom gave me a gift that I have cherished since I was a little girl. A gift you can’t buy. It doesn’t come with a fancy label. It’s years of talent, creativity and experience that she passed down to me.
And now, because of her, I get to do what I love and try to make a living from it.
So thank you for taking the time to visit my website. If you’ve read this far, you understand by now that this is a labor of love. I’m not looking to strike it rich. Although, I wouldn’t mind it! I just want to do something I love and share it with the world. Or at least the US. Or the tri-state area. Or my friends and family. I’m just grateful to have this opportunity.
