My studio is located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in an old factory building. I grew up outside of Philadelphia with two sisters and a lot of pets over the years. One of the first memories I recall of creating entailed winding yarn balls with my grandmom at a very young age. After that, I have memories of making clothes for my Barbies out of whatever I could find! I have always wanted to learn how to do everything, so when I see something I like I mentally deconstruct it.
My parents regularly encouraged my sisters and me to make things, and my dad definitely wanted us to be his mini-mechanic assistants in his garage where he worked on old cars. As a kid, I went to a lot of classic car shows with my dad and being around those big beautiful designed cars engrained something in me, particularly with regards to style. I have loved vintage clothing and simple silhouettes ever since. My mom was very into composting and not letting anything go to waste; she still has a designated “rag closet” where old T-shirts, socks and underwear become cleaning cloths. This mixture of creative and conscious parents has shaped what I try to practice in my daily life and business.
I think creativity is necessary, and doing any kind of daily practice will help you find your path. Even if you don’t have the vision to make your creativity into your job, it will become an important part of who you are and how you think.
I have come to realize with time that I have a natural understanding of the construction of garments and products, and this is a gift that I never want to let go to waste. I believe that while designs in cars, clothing and accessories have been oversimplified in a way now, a good design will be accepted into fashion and not thrown away as fast as its more trendy counterparts. This belief, combined with my ongoing curiosity, eventually led me to discover the natural dye world, and I now look at items such as plants not only as of the typical lawn and house decoration, or a crop, but also wonder what colors each might create on fabrics for my next good design.
When I started my business, I was fortunate to have met a group of women who have now become my core, creative friend group. When we first met, we all were on the same timeline of starting in an unknown, and we needed people to bounce our ideas off of. We all make extremely different things but understand the trials and tribulations we each go through. These strong connections, I want to point out, were made in real life and face-to-face, not through social media. I do believe social media can be a great way to network with other creatives but going to events and meeting people in person is my favorite way of connecting.
One universal struggle which I, and my creative friend group, have run into, is that we all, at one time or another, face burn out. It typically happens to me usually around the holidays and early spring or summer when I’m at my busiest. At this time of the year, I have no time to play with ideas because I have to produce as much I can and as fast as possible. I recently, however, got back into exercising daily; I try to do various types of exercise to keep me excited. It feels like recess as an adult and has really seemed to help!
RESILIENT PARTNER
I have this Singer chainstitch machine from probably around the early 1900s that I am in awe of. I feel like every day I learn something new about it, and I cannot believe that it is still running perfectly. It’s a constant reminder of how important quality is in making products.
My studio is primarily setup based on necessity. I found a beautiful Amish built table online, which served as my desk for a long time; however, I quickly added a few sewing machines and my dying station so needed more. It gets pretty messy with the dying most days, which I love, but it’s by no means a spotless organized space. Most of the decor and dried flowers in my studio are also my photo shoot props. I have all my dyes visible on the wall as well. I need things to be in my sight; otherwise, I forget they are there!
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
— Dolly Parton
My advice to others in creating your functional studio is to give yourself time to collect the things you really need. The biggest challenge for me within mine was finding enough space and natural light. I used to want and envision this beautiful bright white open space as my studio, but I quickly learned that my craft wouldn’t allow for that (also New York real estate wouldn’t allow that). Now I love my space—dye splatters on the walls and all!
It gets pretty messy with the dying most days, which I love, and it’s by no means a spotless organized space.
Today, I am proud that I have learned to work within the studio space restrictions and limits I have faced, and I love my studio. When I have studio visits, people typically ask, “So where do you do it all?,” and I say “Right here!,” which blows people’s minds, particularly considering the number of products I make.
My studio is located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in an old factory building. I grew up outside of Philadelphia with two sisters and a lot of pets over the years. One of the first memories I recall of creating entailed winding yarn balls with my grandmom at a very young age. After that, I have memories of making clothes for my Barbies out of whatever I could find! I have always wanted to learn how to do everything, so when I see something I like I mentally deconstruct it.
My parents regularly encouraged my sisters and me to make things, and my dad definitely wanted us to be his mini-mechanic assistants in his garage where he worked on old cars. As a kid, I went to a lot of classic car shows with my dad and being around those big beautiful designed cars engrained something in me, particularly with regards to style. I have loved vintage clothing and simple silhouettes ever since. My mom was very into composting and not letting anything go to waste; she still has a designated “rag closet” where old T-shirts, socks and underwear become cleaning cloths. This mixture of creative and conscious parents has shaped what I try to practice in my daily life and business.
I think creativity is necessary, and doing any kind of daily practice will help you find your path. Even if you don’t have the vision to make your creativity into your job, it will become an important part of who you are and how you think.
I have come to realize with time that I have a natural understanding of the construction of garments and products, and this is a gift that I never want to let go to waste. I believe that while designs in cars, clothing and accessories have been oversimplified in a way now, a good design will be accepted into fashion and not thrown away as fast as its more trendy counterparts. This belief, combined with my ongoing curiosity, eventually led me to discover the natural dye world, and I now look at items such as plants not only as of the typical lawn and house decoration, or a crop, but also wonder what colors each might create on fabrics for my next good design.
When I started my business, I was fortunate to have met a group of women who have now become my core, creative friend group. When we first met, we all were on the same timeline of starting in an unknown, and we needed people to bounce our ideas off of. We all make extremely different things but understand the trials and tribulations we each go through. These strong connections, I want to point out, were made in real life and face-to-face, not through social media. I do believe social media can be a great way to network with other creatives but going to events and meeting people in person is my favorite way of connecting.
One universal struggle which I, and my creative friend group, have run into, is that we all, at one time or another, face burn out. It typically happens to me usually around the holidays and early spring or summer when I’m at my busiest. At this time of the year, I have no time to play with ideas because I have to produce as much I can and as fast as possible. I recently, however, got back into exercising daily; I try to do various types of exercise to keep me excited. It feels like recess as an adult and has really seemed to help!
RESILIENT PARTNER
I have this Singer chainstitch machine from probably around the early 1900s that I am in awe of. I feel like every day I learn something new about it, and I cannot believe that it is still running perfectly. It’s a constant reminder of how important quality is in making products.
My studio is primarily setup based on necessity. I found a beautiful Amish built table online, which served as my desk for a long time; however, I quickly added a few sewing machines and my dying station so needed more. It gets pretty messy with the dying most days, which I love, but it’s by no means a spotless organized space. Most of the decor and dried flowers in my studio are also my photo shoot props. I have all my dyes visible on the wall as well. I need things to be in my sight; otherwise, I forget they are there!
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
— Dolly Parton
My advice to others in creating your functional studio is to give yourself time to collect the things you really need. The biggest challenge for me within mine was finding enough space and natural light. I used to want and envision this beautiful bright white open space as my studio, but I quickly learned that my craft wouldn’t allow for that (also New York real estate wouldn’t allow that). Now I love my space—dye splatters on the walls and all!
It gets pretty messy with the dying most days, which I love, and it’s by no means a spotless organized space.
Today, I am proud that I have learned to work within the studio space restrictions and limits I have faced, and I love my studio. When I have studio visits, people typically ask, “So where do you do it all?,” and I say “Right here!,” which blows people’s minds, particularly considering the number of products I make.
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My studio is located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in an old factory building. I grew up outside of Philadelphia with two sisters and a lot of pets over the years. One of the first memories I recall of creating entailed winding yarn balls with my grandmom at a very young age. After that, I have memories of making clothes for my Barbies out of whatever I could find! I have always wanted to learn how to do everything, so when I see something I like I mentally deconstruct it.
My parents regularly encouraged my sisters and me to make things, and my dad definitely wanted us to be his mini-mechanic assistants in his garage where he worked on old cars. As a kid, I went to a lot of classic car shows with my dad and being around those big beautiful designed cars engrained something in me, particularly with regards to style. I have loved vintage clothing and simple silhouettes ever since. My mom was very into composting and not letting anything go to waste; she still has a designated “rag closet” where old T-shirts, socks and underwear become cleaning cloths. This mixture of creative and conscious parents has shaped what I try to practice in my daily life and business.
I think creativity is necessary, and doing any kind of daily practice will help you find your path. Even if you don’t have the vision to make your creativity into your job, it will become an important part of who you are and how you think.
I have come to realize with time that I have a natural understanding of the construction of garments and products, and this is a gift that I never want to let go to waste. I believe that while designs in cars, clothing and accessories have been oversimplified in a way now, a good design will be accepted into fashion and not thrown away as fast as its more trendy counterparts. This belief, combined with my ongoing curiosity, eventually led me to discover the natural dye world, and I now look at items such as plants not only as of the typical lawn and house decoration, or a crop, but also wonder what colors each might create on fabrics for my next good design.
When I started my business, I was fortunate to have met a group of women who have now become my core, creative friend group. When we first met, we all were on the same timeline of starting in an unknown, and we needed people to bounce our ideas off of. We all make extremely different things but understand the trials and tribulations we each go through. These strong connections, I want to point out, were made in real life and face-to-face, not through social media. I do believe social media can be a great way to network with other creatives but going to events and meeting people in person is my favorite way of connecting.
One universal struggle which I, and my creative friend group, have run into, is that we all, at one time or another, face burn out. It typically happens to me usually around the holidays and early spring or summer when I’m at my busiest. At this time of the year, I have no time to play with ideas because I have to produce as much I can and as fast as possible. I recently, however, got back into exercising daily; I try to do various types of exercise to keep me excited. It feels like recess as an adult and has really seemed to help!
RESILIENT PARTNER
I have this Singer chainstitch machine from probably around the early 1900s that I am in awe of. I feel like every day I learn something new about it, and I cannot believe that it is still running perfectly. It’s a constant reminder of how important quality is in making products.
My studio is primarily setup based on necessity. I found a beautiful Amish built table online, which served as my desk for a long time; however, I quickly added a few sewing machines and my dying station so needed more. It gets pretty messy with the dying most days, which I love, but it’s by no means a spotless organized space. Most of the decor and dried flowers in my studio are also my photo shoot props. I have all my dyes visible on the wall as well. I need things to be in my sight; otherwise, I forget they are there!
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
— Dolly Parton
My advice to others in creating your functional studio is to give yourself time to collect the things you really need. The biggest challenge for me within mine was finding enough space and natural light. I used to want and envision this beautiful bright white open space as my studio, but I quickly learned that my craft wouldn’t allow for that (also New York real estate wouldn’t allow that). Now I love my space—dye splatters on the walls and all!
It gets pretty messy with the dying most days, which I love, and it’s by no means a spotless organized space.
Today, I am proud that I have learned to work within the studio space restrictions and limits I have faced, and I love my studio. When I have studio visits, people typically ask, “So where do you do it all?,” and I say “Right here!,” which blows people’s minds, particularly considering the number of products I make.
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