Large distressed denim bucket hat, denim patched.

What I do:

Textiles. Creating. Repurposing. The things that I am passionate about are here.  As a sewer, maker, and creator....I offer one of a kind creations using up-cycled textiles, imagination, and respect for materials. 

Fabrics come from thrift shops, auctions, donations, etc. It is time intensive to find, 'harvest' and prepare fabrics for reuse.  Being aware of the textile waste in our world has prompted me to reuse all that I can (and soap box about fast fashion at every opportunity).  Google 'Fast Fashion'...you'll understand my passion.  

No new fabrics are harmed in the making of any items in this shop!

Ridiculously fun to make, LOVEpiecefully Bucket Hats are a walking billboard for reducing textile waste while you look great!

The start:

I started sewing as a child. Creating something useful out of fabric and thread was just amazing to me! Colors and textures? Thrilling! That's not to say I was successful from the beginning. Hardly so, but it was a fun ride to make and learn and remake and learn some more!

By High School, I was making my own clothes.

Later:

Through out my adult momhood, I sewed. Not as much as I would have liked, but, life, you know. I did make costumes at Halloween for my kids from their (sometimes outlandish) ideas. I created costumes for many school plays because it takes a village.

I was not making my own wardrobe due to time restraints, but I often bought from second hand shops for myself and my kids. I am an eco aware person in many small ways--no plastic wrap, paper napkins, paper towels in my house. It only makes sense that some of those sensibilities would find their way into my clothes closet.

Now:

Rewind to the beginning of the pandemic. I thought I could help in some small way, so I dug out my sewing machine and started sewing. Soon, my husband and I were making and donating masks....lots and lots of masks. We worked at this full time 'job' for months and months. Working with the AUNTIE SEWING SQUAD on FB, he and I made and donated nearly 9,000 masks and sent them to people in need all over the country.  Un-homed persons, migrants, our indigenous population...the forgotten folks. I was reminded once again that we are all only as healthy as our most vulnerable neighbors. It was a good feeling in the dark days to do something to help someone else.

The thing about making 9,000 masks is that you create a TON of fabric scraps.I knew that I could not just toss these pieces of fabric out. I made many, many things and finally landed on Bucket Hats. I'm sort of stuck on them probably because of the endless design possibilities.

Since then, I have also become keenly aware of and disturbed by, the monster that is known as Fast Fashion. We buy too much junky stuff that we throw away too quickly and replace it with more junk. In my space, I am repurposing textiles in all of my products. I only purchase thread, needles, and interfacing new. Everything else I purchase is second hand. Tremendous resources are used to create fabrics, we need to use them to their fullest before we are done with them. It's just the right thing to do. Enter Visible Mending. Mending can be a lovely design element! Through embroidery techniques directly on a garment or adding a decorative patch, the life of an existing garment can be extended with beauty and added style.

I walk the walk in all areas of my life and business. My sewing machines are vintage, my dog is a rescue, and my husband is repurposed. They are with me for the long haul!

So, wear a reclaimed fabric hat....no doubt friends will ask you where it came from. You can start a great ECO-centered conversation, and you will be an environmental hero!