Written by Becky Striepe
Published on June 9th, 2009
I met Brooke Bennett of So She Sews at the Indie Craft Experience last weekend and fell instantly in love with her designs.
Like a lot of crafters, Brooke grew up in a handmade household. Her mom even ran a crafty business in the 80’s selling handmade “hair poofs.” Mom’s craftiness didn’t stop there! She also made a lot of Brooke’s clothes, including “this crazy pair of poofy overalls” out of old curtains.
Now, Brooke makes clothes, accessories and housewares constructed out of repurposed materials, like vintage fabric and linens, for her own crafty business. She sees vintage and found materials as a way to avoid “contributing to the raw textile industries which aren’t always fair to their workers overseas.”
I’m also totally digging her clutches and pouches made from fused plastic bags that would have been headed for the trash bin. I couldn’t even tell that it was plastic at first glance!
Brooke says she draws her inspiration mainly from the materials she finds and her “love of indie style.” She takes some of her cues from “international street fashion blogs like hel-looks.com.” Put it all together and you get beautiful, unique pieces like this teal and black dress that I’m coveting:
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Written by Becky Striepe
Published on May 26th, 2009
Tracy Prince of Sea Find Designs transforms pieces of found sea glass into beautiful jewelry and jewelry supplies.
She and her family make daily trips to the beach near their Rhode Island home to hunt down bits of glass shaped by the ocean’s currents. Tracy calls Sea Find Designs “a family affair,” since the whole Prince family is involved in much of her process. She says she’s drawn to sea glass because:
It’s gorgeous, why would you throw anything usable away! It’s free, I get to go to the beach for my work! And…. the end result is… I’m doing my part to save the Earth for my kids….. It’s my responsibility!
What a beautiful way to do your part! Tracy also uses recycled packaging to ship her goodies. Check out some more of her lovely pieces after the jump!
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Written by Becky Striepe
Published on March 18th, 2009
Atlanta artist Stephanie-D uses vintage and scrap fabric to construct her beautiful Hip Bouquets
[Nuclear Picnic Hip Bouquet]
“But what’s a hip bouquet?” you ask. Stephanie describes her creation:
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Written by Becky Striepe
Published on February 10th, 2009
Atlanta crafter Emilee Heath started My Mom’s Basement as an outlet for her and her friend Justin’s zines. When her grandmother, also a crafter, gave Emilee a sewing box full of beautiful vintage buttons, her crafting turned to jewelery.
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Written by Becky Striepe
Published on February 4th, 2009
I can’t stop drooling over these cozy, upcycled houses from Snugville!
Artist Amy Larson creates each little snug from scratch out of vintage materials. She says that she is drawn to materials that give her the opportunity to reduce, reuse, and recycle! All of that scavenging for just the right vintage bits and pieces gives each snug a unique personality and charm.
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Written by Leslie Richard
Published on July 18th, 2008
This week I got a chance to catch up with Etsy’s eco lingerie designer Clare Bare. Clare has incorporated thrifted & vintage fabrics into all her designs, taking a once tablecloth, bed sheets, curtains or old granny’s nightie and transforms it into retro eco lingerie. If that isn’t earth hugs and kisses enough, she uses organic cotton to line her sexy & imaginative knickers. These are the kind of skivvies that a green crafter can get all gushy over. Clare is obsessed with her pet bunny, felt frustrated with pro-fur classes in fashion school, and gives advice about how to get started making your own upcycled creations.
Who taught you to sew?
When I was in sixth grade, I took a mandatory sewing/cooking class- we learned how to make nachos and duffle bags…need I say more? Our teacher was the biggest nerd- it wasn’t a very serious class, but I took it pretty seriously. I remember everything so vividly- I bought all this white cotton fabric with little blue cows and red hearts printed all over it and a pin cushion that looked like a mouse, and for my final project I made a stuffed animal rabbit! Even though it wasn’t considered “cool,” I secretly loved that class. I didn’t really sew again until high school when a relative passed away and left behind an amazing old Singer home machine with a sewing table and an entire sewing kit full of fabric, thread and trim. I had a friend whose mother is the ultimate homemaker and she taught us basic construction skills such as darts, hems, interfacing, etc. We were inspired at the time mainly by the Victoria’s Secret catalog (and our lack of funds necessary to buy their bikinis) so we would stay up all night sewing, thriving off of our creative energy, then drive to the beach and lay out all day in our creations. Ironically, now I think that Victoria’s Secret makes overpriced, poor quality garments that don’t fit well-I strive to do the opposite of what Victoria’s Secret is doing in so many different ways.
You went to Parsons School of Design in NYC, did your studies there influence your decision to begin designing lingerie?
While I was in school, I pretty much learned more about what I didn’t want to do than what I did want to do. Originally I went to school thinking that I would be a fashion design major, but after foundation year I felt that I couldn’t chose just one thing. Read the rest of this entry »
Written by Victoria Everman
Published on April 1st, 2008
The media has a new indie jewelry favorite – Ashley Hilton. Featured in press outlets around the world in just the past 6 months, Ashley’s creations embody a seamless mix of eco-appreciation and modern style.
“I try to reflect both the human and natural environment in my work by using symbols and materials that have meaning to me and represent where I come from. From street signs to native trees, my jewelery has always been a pretty literal representation of my surroundings,” he says.
Along with the natural theme of his creations, Ashley uses small scale mined metals from his home base in New Zealand. “I found that most of the gold from my suppliers in New Zealand is mined or recycled here and in Australia. Both these countries have a relatively good track record with regards to mining practices but the idea of using a local resource and streamlining the path of the metal from the ground to the customer really appealed to me,” he says.
It was my pleasure to chat with Ashley recently about his education of the art of make jewelry, sustainable metal mining, creative inspirations and more. Read on for our full conversation and all its “hand made” details.
What first got you interested in making jewelry? When did you decide to turn it into a career?
I was at a loose end really. I’d spent a few years traveling and working overseas as a chef and knew that that lifestyle wasn’t for me anymore. I did a weekend jewelery course and loved it, It just made perfect sense to me so I bought some tools and started experimenting. Originally I never thought it would be a career. It was never really a conscious decision, it just grew and grew until in about 3 years It was all I did.
Have you even gotten flack for being a straight guy in the jewelry biz?
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Written by Victoria Everman
Published on November 21st, 2007
Started by two former Detroiters living in North Carolina, The Stanley Family Lodge is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Jeremie and Melissa Stajda. Inspired by the abundance of wilderness around their new home, the duo was strongly influenced to change their lifestyle for the better.
“We both finally committed to practicing healthy and ethical habits through vegetarianism and veganism. We began recycling, limiting our consumption of new materials, and making a strong effort to be more environmentally responsible people.” Having a hard time finding affordable vegan and eco-friendly items, the two decided to start a new online store. “Our goal is to provide a shop where you can find a wide assortment of everyday items in one convenient stop.”
Melissa was gracious enough to battle through first-time pregnancy queasiness (congrats to the couple on welcoming little Clara June Stanley into the world!) to do the following interview with me.
Victoria E: How did the idea for The Stanley Family Lodge develop?
Melissa Stajda: Wow, so much was involved in the decision to start The Stanley Family Lodge! I had just closed my online shop April Fool Handmade, where I successfully created handmade accessories for a couple of years. I was kind of in limbo, trying to figure out what my next project would be. And I was getting really serious about being a Vegan and making some huge lifestyle changes. Also, my husband Jeremie and I were looking for a project that we could work on together. So everything just kind of aligned perfectly, and we came up with the idea to start the shop! Read the rest of this entry »
