For the love of Fabric!

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On this Valentine's Day, an ode to one of my greatest loves, beautiful and unique fabric! 

And then I saw it - peaking out of a rack at a thrift store - this gorgeous, unique chunk of fabric. It was love at first site, a dress from the 70's I surmised. There was this beautiful, crinkled, watercolor fabric with so much potential! The existing dress was quite sad and falling apart at the seams. I had visions of possibilities in my head...!

I love working with denim, and I felt like it would be a fun way to make this piece more wearable and season-less. I envisioned someone wearing this piece as a wrap dress, a casually glamorous swimsuit coverup, or over shorts or jeans etc. 

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I draped, and draped and draped...

Sewed, sewed, hand-sewed and hand-sewed....

I often get attached to the pieces I create and this one was no exception. I sold it as I am typing this post and so guess it is time to let it go to it's new home in Dallas, TX! The love story carries on... 

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This piece is a little bold, but reminds me how we often get intimidated by clothes or just getting dressed, and we shouldn't be! Try rocking some bold colors and/or little glamour in an unexpected way! 

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And as I cannot bear to waste beautiful fabrics, I handmade these pretty earrings out of the remaining remnants :)

shop

Happy Valentine's Day Friends, if and however your celebrate - cheers!

xo,

Erin

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A Farewell to Fall (with an Upcycled, Vintage Tablecloth, Wrap Dress Project!)

A Farewell to Fall 🍁🍂

(with an Upcycled, Vintage Tablecloth, Wrap Dress Project!)

 Of course I would make a dress out of a vintage table cloth...

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving everyone. As the holiday season is here, I thought it only appropriate to share this farewell to fall, upcycling project with you!

I originally picked up this fall-feeling, oversized tablecloth while on a thrifting adventure with my mom in my Louisiana hometown. Pictured above with some of the other fun items from that thrifting trip, you'll hear more about the other fabrics from that trip in spring/summer! 

It was huge and covered in a cornucopia of fall foliage. I immediately knew I wanted to create a whimsical dress out of it! 

 I'm really excited about how it came out! It's a super easy to wear, generously sized wrap dress. While the print is super fall feeling, I think the heavy dose of green would also make this dress beautiful in the spring! The sleeves have a little bit of drama, and are trimmed in recycled denim, along with the neckline. I also tried to use a lot of the original green trim from the table cloth. 

The back has a gathered detail with a generous amount of fabric. It drapes so beautifully. 

Also, change the dress up by wearing it as a statement making kimono.  

Shop this dress

As our harvest season comes to a close, for most, the holiday season is full on. If you're going to be gift shopping, please try to patron makers via online shopping sites like Etsy,  your local shops, or hand-make a gift!

Happy December Everyone! Thank you for stopping by,  

xo,

     Erin 

Also, save 25% Off on all ErinElsie items, like this dress with the offer code KindnessAlways25. Lots of great, one of a kind gift items popping up in my online shop everyday! 

Click here to shop ErinElsie!

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Bed Sheet Beauty - My Latest Upcycling Project!

 Clothes with Stories: Bring on the Sunshine!

I'm in the middle of making a lot of more fall feeling pieces, but the stressful vibes of of the past weeks drew me to this latest project. I halted the other projects, and pulled out this bold yellow fabric that I had previously put away for the season. 

My dear friend Emilia was packing to move to California, and she gave me one of her old bed sheets. She had these fancy, beautiful organic cotton sheets with a rip in them. I think in most circumstances, this sounds super weird for someone to give you their old bed sheet; but not in my world! I love that she was discarding good fabric, and thought of me! Also, I miss her and now I have this little commemorative project. 

The fabric was great, and instantly I had design ideas popping into my head. I wanted the designs to be a little ode to the idea of being wrapped in a bed sheet and I'm excited about how they came out! 

Emilia Sunshine Super Skirt

I love a maxi skirt, and I love the idea of wearing them all year long. you don't have to put them away for the winter - just throw a sweater on top! The waist of this skirt is full of soft and stretchy elastic, making it one super generous size. The slit adds a little bit of sexiness and keeps the bold color and layers of fabric from being to overwhelming.

Click on the images or here to learn more and shop this skirt!

Emilia Sunshine Wrap Dress

It's about to be that time again, where people escape the winter months to enjoy a warm and sunny resort. I hate fussy packing. I love a dress that you can just roll into your luggage, shake it out, and throw it on! This is a perfect resort dress. The generous elastic and wrap style translate into such easy glamour. Throw it on and go from the beach to dinner!

Click on the images or here to learn more and shop this dress!

Also, this reversible top was the first piece I made during the summer and it's already sold! 

Color makes me happy, and I hope it this brought you a little joy too! Keep living in the light everyone!    

xo,

     Erin 

Also, save 25% Off on all ErinElsie items with the offer code KindnessAlways25. 

Click here to shop ErinElsie!

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Ready, Set, Spring!

Hi friends! I'm trying to think spring, even though it's cold and rainy outside today in New York City.

 At least there are still beautiful sunny moments and flowers are starting to bloom. I feel like I've been hibernating creatively during these past winter months and collecting some super vintage fabrics and ideas along the way.  

I'm feeling inspired and anxious to get to work on a new ErinElsie summer collection. Here's a little preview of some of my fave fabrics.

It's all about the details. Handmade finishes and just the right buttons are part of what truly sets a special garment apart. 

I love using denim. It's such a great fabric to recycle. It's become a sort of neutral that connects my pieces to one another amid all the prints and fabrics.

My current fave in my vintage fabric stash is this most unique hand-dyed and hand embroidered one.

I still have buttons from my grandmother Elsie and I love hunting around for more. I also still receive some from family and friends a I love that! 

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Okay, time to get busy! New pieces coming your way!

Have a lovely Monday!

xo,

     Erin 

Shop one of a kind items in the ErinElsie shop!

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Weekend Wrap Up- A Few Good Things + a Box of Inspiration

Weekend Wrap Up! A few good things...

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I've got mail!

On one of my last trips home to Louisiana, I visited with one of my parents' neighbors who decided to get rid of most of her sewing supplies and wanted to offer them to me. She, an artist herself, had worked at a fabric store and had quite the organized collection of fabrics and notions. Going through her things, if felt like I was going through her memories. She had stories connected with the fabrics and piles of beautiful lace, some of which dated back to her childhood. I had to leave the goodies at my parents house as I had minimal luggage space, so my mom recently shipped me some of the items. 

I feel a little pressure when people pass their things on to me, but touched that they think of me and trust that their old things will live on in special new pieces! It's the heart of what I love to do, create new items with vintage materials - unique clothing with stories that can be passed on for years to come.

Yards and yards of beautiful wool plaids have already got me thinking of fall. 

Lace, Lace, and more Lace! 

She also had quite the stash of thread, something I can always use!

The best thing about getting a box from your mom? She always includes a sweet note and a sweet treat! My man has a thing for jelly beans in particular :)

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New Thrifted Threads

This past week I was able to squeeze in a treasure hunt at one of my favorite thrifting spots. I was lucky to hit the store on a special sale day, so the prices were even cheaper than normal! I found so many great things and you'll hear more about them in the future!  

Most of the finds I am using for the fabrics, but this wrap skirt may be an exception. I originally grabbed it for it's yards and yards of printed and pieced silk for $4 (such a steal!)! It's made with 2 layers and completely reversible. Considering the quality of this silk fabric and the yardage, this original piece would have been a couple hundred dollars! It's quickly becoming one of my favorite summer pieces and I've already received compliments! 

The Greater Good

Lastly, I recently watched a powerful documentary that poignantly explains the fast fashion industry. I have included the preview below and it is now available on Netflix and Amazon. 

 When most people grab a piece of clothing at a store, they often don't think about the fact that it was made the world over, by human hands. Some of the largest companies such as Walmart and H&M are getting away with questionable business practices while earning billions of your dollars in their pockets. There's absolutely no excuse why workers anywhere should be battling for safe conditions and living wages while working for companies worth billions. I've worked in various parts of this industry and this is the kind of powerful information that you can't un-know. It's why I want to my own little company to be one I can feel good about. There are more and more companies doing the right thing and I hope to share and highlight them in the future.  

Cambodian factory workers protesting for safer working conditions and a living wage.

“There are hands, physical human hands that touch the things that we wear, and those hands are lives, and they matter... when we buy something, it is a moral act, and there are a chain reaction of consequences, so let’s begin to be more mindful and choose things that support life, not take it away.” - Andrew Morgan.

Rent or own the film today! Visit http://truecostmovie.com for more details.
Available on DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes, Amazon, or VHX.

Please take the time to watch and be informed about the purchases you make. when you spend your hard earned money, do it for the greater good!


Alright friends, wishing you a lovely week ahead!

xo,

     Erin 

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