All posts by selene

catching up & new sight

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at last i’m back at a calmer pace, after months of stitching overtime.
this skirt^ is over at Field Day for the month, amongst many other
lovely new creations. if you’re local, i would definitely check this place out.
it’s full of wonderful treasures & truly a delight for the senses.

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i know some of you might be like, what about the shop!? & i’ve said the same thing to myself while working on this project.. it has been good for me though, a bit of sewing
bootcamp, to get in training for the future. working on so many intense giant commissions
for so long has made me less connected to just creating freely, quickly, on the spur of the moment.  i’ve really missed that! and want to find a sort of in between space.

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oh, & welcome to the new web site! Peter and i finished it about a week ago..
a year in the making. the back entries of diary are slowly
making their way here over the next month.

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gathering materials for another grey & white wedding dress..

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two lovely photographer friends at the opening.. Airy & Hannah

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some lady ghosts in the studio

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the beginning of a custom wedding dress

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the lovely miss Hali saved me & helped with last minute preparations.

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the forest cape, also available at Field Day this month..

<3s

 

Revista Diners article


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my stitches were recently featured in this article by Marcella Echavarría..

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there’s also a shorter online article here

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it looks lovely.. though it’s funny that they spelled my name wrong twice, haha..
not much of the question/answer stuff made it in, so i’m including that here.
it took me ages to find my words & i think you guys might appreciate it :)

1. What does the word “vintage” mean to you?

I think of vintage as applying to anything from the 1940’s to the 1980’s
and of pre-1940’s as antique.

2. How are you redesigning the cycle of creating and selling?

Everything I make is constructed from reclaimed antique/vintage
materials, so the pieces are both new and old.. It’s an ecologically
friendly pattern that pays it’s respects to the past. By creating
work from materials that would otherwise be going to waste,
I’ve found a loophole in the regular system of commerce.. and a way to
responsibly support myself & other small, ethical businesses while
doing something I love.

3. What does the word reusing/repurposing mean to you?

Giving new life to clothing & objects that have fallen into
disrepair.. bringing them into the present.


4. What values from the past do you live by today? what techniques do
you use? what materials?

I love the old slogans “waste not, want not” & “mend & make do”..
Craftspeople had a stronger work ethic in the past and more integrity
in their creations; things were made to last. I try to keep this alive
in my work, and create pieces that are well-made, beautiful & durable.
I’m self taught in sewing and designing and have picked up some tricks
and ideas through studying antique clothes & old sewing books. I use
almost any materials as long as they feel good & are reclaimed.

5. What is your narrative? If I found a piece by you in 50 years…what
is your story?

I feel like a curator of sorts.. much of my process is just sitting
quietly and listening to the materials. I try to arrange them
elegantly as directed.. A big part of it is respecting them and their
collective history enough to include them in the decision making..
versus inflicting my own will or ideas too strongly. It ends up
feeling like a collaboration between history, nature & my hands.


6. How do you draw the line
between the past and the present/future?

My home studio is a museum forest of tattered antique dresses, relics
and remnants.. I collect all kinds of things from the past, and am
immersed in mountains of fabric for weeks at a time as I stitch them
together. So sometimes the line is not so strong.. it feels like I
live in the past, present & future all at once. Which seems like the
perfect spot for me~

<3s

upcoming


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i’ve been working non-stop on a collection of new garments
that will land over at Field Day next month..
the opening is on September 5th, from 6-10pm

(more details here)

fieldday

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beautiful Martha models some of the new creations in this post..

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so much more to tell you guys, but i have to keep sewing!
i’ll be back soon with more of an update & pictures of the new work~

<3s

bonnets emerge


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i came across two long lost bonnets hidden away in the studio,
they’ve been waiting such a long time to get out in the world!
just posted them in the shop at very fine prices.
i want them to fly away to their new homes :)

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<3s

the Cassia dress

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stitched with antique & vintage velvet, lace, necktie remnants, silk,
crochet & tattered scarves.

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all the fabrics were hand-dyed for those perfect fall colors.

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it has a bit of stretch and a flattering fit.

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now available for adoption in the shop

in the midst

things are so busy lately.. i’m like a professional juggler at this point

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^this christmas vest surfaced for the sale.. it’s from about 9 years ago. it went home with a really sweet girl, hurray!

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i’m working away on many projects at once, simpler pieces to go in
my friend’s shop for september.

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the lovely artist faery Lacey Bryant made it out to the sale. i love sending lace home with pretty ladies :)

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some petrified roses i’m using on a custom dress for Valerie Mallory

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more magical creatures that came out to the sale..

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another piece in progress for Field Day

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the Cassia dress, just finished & posted in the shop..
so much has been shifting. i feel more alive than ever before.
can’t wait to share some of these exciting changes with the world. soon!
<3s