I am not a professional photographer by any means but through the past several years of sharing photos on IG I have taught myself how to stage and take photos for sharing. I enjoy taking photos of my sewing studio, home, and scenic views from our 8-acre property in east Tennessee.
I have had a passion for décor for as long as I can remember.
As a child, I asked for shelves for my bedroom one Christmas. I decorated those shelves with my trinkets and treasures for years as a young child and into my teenage years. In college, my friends would often comment that my dorm room looked “cooler” than theirs. After I married and started a family of my own, my love for home décor really started to blossom. I now had a home of my own to decorate for the seasons and holidays. I have a specific love for vintage and antiques and enjoy incorporating these pieces into my home decor.
One year for Christmas, my husband’s grandmother gave me a working vintage Singer sewing machine. That sewing machine sat for several years only serving as décor until I had my daughter, Naomi Grace. After having a little girl I finally decided to teach myself to sew on that vintage Singer so I could make Naomi her very own, one-of-a-kind, dresses and clothing. I made dress after dress for my daughter for years until one day I decided to combine my passion for sewing and vintage home décor into something I could share with others.
With the help and advice from my husband’s grandmother, who’s been an avid sewer and crafter for years, I begin to sew with vintage quilts and linens, repurposing them into new items for seasonal and holiday décor. I search for these worn and weathered linens from flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores. I think of it like a rescue mission. It puts a smile on my face to turn these forgotten pieces into something others will enjoy and treasure in their home.
Some of the seasonal and holiday items I make from vintage quilts include hearts for Valentine’s Day, bunnies and other animals for Spring/Easter, pumpkins, cats and owls for Fall/Halloween, and trees, stars, and candy canes for Christmas. My favorite season to create items for is Spring. I just love all the colors and florals that go along with the season. I also make oven mitts and potholders for use and décor to add what I call “vintage country charm” to the heart of a home, the kitchen. I use not only vintage quilts, but also vintage embroidered linens to create items such as darling little coin purses. I get satisfaction in knowing that the items I create are not only handmade by me, but someone else first, someone from the past, and in doing what I do I’m preserving their history and passing it along to be treasured in others’ homes.
I love older things that people have used and cherished. They have personality, character, and soul. —Anna Hillegass
For years I worked from a small corner of my children’s playroom. When we moved to east Tennessee in the summer of 2020 I had an opportunity to have a sewing space of my own. My husband and I, along with the help of family and friends, converted a 16 × 24 foot shed into my dream sewing studio. It was important to me that it did not feel like a garden shed. We painted the entire interior white and I filled it with many of my treasured antique pieces. To me it now feels like I get to sew in a vintage cottage. Not only do my antique pieces provide me with a visually pleasing work space, but they are also functional. I use an antique dresser and Hoosier cabinet to store vintage linens. I also have many vintage baskets and suitcases that store items such as buttons and other sewing supplies. I also have a dedicated space for packing my orders for shipping. My sewing studio is about 40 feet from my home and my children, when not in school, often visit and spend time with me while I sew. Our family pets, especially our dog Jedi, will also stop by and give me company while I work. I enjoy having another space other than our home to decorate and work from during the holidays. I often miss working from inside my home with my children running around me, but I thoroughly enjoy having a quiet sewing space to myself.
I have hopes that there will always be a want for bringing things from the past into peoples’ homes.
The items I repurpose from vintage quilts and linens include home décor such as pillows, stuffed animals, ovenmitts and more. I sell my items in my Etsy shop, named after my daughter, MyNaomiGrace. I share the items I create, along with my vintage cottage sewing space on my IG @OurLittleBlueFarmhouse.
