Sometimes when I am feeling stuck creatively I try to make something in less than 30 minutes without really thinking about the outcome as kind of a warm up to get things flowing. The instant gratification of a finished product will keep me satisfied so I can keep working on a longer more time consuming project. The other day I whipped up a pincushion from an old silk dress, some wool batting, and a tea cup and when it was done with it I was able to continue on with my embroidered drawing with a little more skip in my step (lilt in my wrist?). Anyways... curious to see what was happening in the handmade pincushion world, I got lost in Etsy land for a good bit and here are some of my favorites that I came across:
These are all just such sweet little treasures! Would love to find one (or more?) of these in my basket come Easter...
*A little history lesson regarding the origin of the classic tomato pincushion: Dating back to the 15th century, people believed that keeping a ripe tomato in the home on a mantel or entry way would bring prosperity and repel evil spirits. Since real tomatoes were not available throughout the year people would make them with fabric and fill them with straw or sawdust. The stuffed fabric tomato eventually began being used as a pincushion!
In continuing along the same lines of local economy and sustainable fashion, check out Charleston Garment Manufactory on Indiegogo. Heather Koonse, owner and creator of The Rose Knot (a clothing and alteration shop) is raising funds to turn The Rose Knot into a brand new resource center for existing and future designers. She plans to work with local designers and individuals to produce their clothing by offering design consultations, pattern drafting, sample garment construction and sewing classes, as well as strengthening and building the community through education.
Etsy posted a wonderful video last week on their blog about Alabama Chanin, a clothing line started by Natalie Chanin, that has employed women from her community in Florence, Alabama to create beautiful hand sewn pieces for the past decade.
I was so inspired that I continued reading and found this video of Natalie at Hello Etsy Berlin speaking about connecting your business to your community. I love everything about her story of arriving at this point of running a successful cottage industry run business that powers the local economy while staying true to her values - not to mention her down to earth southern charm and appreciation for the traditions of her heritage. I also love the idea of a woman run business using quilting and stitching techniques passed down from generations of women living in the rural south by women who otherwise would not be employed using a skill that is such a part of who they are.
I found the part in the video interesting when she was talking about how some people in the industry were referring to their company as being elitist because of the prices of the garments. The garments are made from organic cotton that is grown in the United States when possible and sewn completely by hand (not machine) and can take one person 4 to 6 weeks to complete (while also paying the artisan a living wage). She was approached to write a book and happily accepted the idea so that people would be able to create the garments themselves or could pay someone else in their community to make it. Once people realized what went into these heirloom garments and how time consuming it was to create one piece people could better understand and appreciate their worth.
You can order books here, as well as sign up for weekend retreats in their studio! I can't think of anything dreamier than a weekend in the south sipping cocktails, eating biscuits and stitching your own Alabama Chanin inspired garment...Sign me up.
