“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ― Lao Tzu That quote was on the little tag attached to my bedtime tea a few nights ago. Of course it felt timely with spring around the corner, but it also felt fitting to my type of designing and making. I can sometimes get rattled by the fast pace of the fashion industry, always feeling behind. The reality is that I don't make fast fashion items. The world is already full of so much stuff. I get inspired by the challenge of hunting for beautiful vintage fabrics, near and far. This process is not the fastest, but I want to make pieces that people treasure, keep, and even pass down to others.
Before I work with any fabrics, I wash them all and often by hand. It's tedious and involves some testing, but then I can figure how to tell the customer to take care of the end garment.
The beautiful colors and prints may all seem random at first, but they eventually form little collections and it's my favorite part of the process. I make a huge mess, and then the ideas and stories starting coming together in my head. I'm currently in the "huge mess" part of the process with my latest batch of fabrics for spring, so stay tuned for new pieces ahead. All in good time! *** These are some of my current favorites! ***
Happy Spring friends, hopefully these New York temperatures warm up soon! Live in Color 🤗!
xo,
Erin
Follow along the journey of ErinElsie and *Textile*Repurposed*Style.* Subscribe by email in the sidebar of my blog or sign up for Bloglovin!
I've been swamped with freelance projects for about the last 2 months and have spent too much time away from creating and my sewing machine! As hard as it is to step away from my design work, I look back and see that it was a much needed break. I can sometimes get burned out and put too pressure on myself to turnover new work quickly. The reality is that that is not the kind of items I make.
When I'm away from my workspace, I day dream ideas with the fabrics I know I have waiting for me. By the time I actually can get back to it, my mind is overflowing with inspiration and I can't wait to begin.
It's always about the fabrics for me; finding and collecting unique textiles that inspire me, and breathing new life into them. Here's a little spring preview of some of the materials I'm about to dive into. *** Friends and family give me old fabrics and discarded clothes when they clean out their closets, and I love it! I often receive materials in the mail. I love that the people in my life take part in the work that I do, making it seem even more sentimental and interactive. My friend friend Jessica hunts estate sales with her mom in her native Iowa, and they send me lovely little curated boxes of goodies. I love every little piece in the most recent box!
She always includes notes. Handwritten notes are the best, I include one with ever order to my customers. A recent favorite from her was this little silk bundle they found at the estate sale of Lois Rayman, a fifties model and actress.
When friends clean out their closet and think of me... I love incorporating denim into my work, and these old Levi's from my friend William will find their way into some new spring ErinElsie pieces.
While visiting my Louisiana hometown, I collect fabrics here and there. Sometimes from family, old neighbors, thrift shopping with my mom. It's often too much to carry back, so my mom sends little care packages and packs the goodies with fabric. USPS flat rate boxes are the best :) These items below are from my cousin Jamie, perfect for spring.
I've been collecting a lot of beautiful vintage lace, and I want to try and work them into more modern pieces. This lace comes from a neighbor in my hometown. She owned a fabric store and has passed on a lot of beautiful items to me.
The last care package I received from my parents came complete with a Rouse's king cake - it didn't last long!
These beautiful embroidered bits came a while back from my Aunt Delsie & Uncle Mike, and I've been anxious to incorporate them into some spring summer pieces.
Finally time to get back to my lonely sewing machine!
Thanks for stopping by. Hoping you all have a lovely weekend and week ahead friends! Live in Color 🤗!
xo,
Erin
Follow along the journey of ErinElsie and *Textile*Repurposed*Style.* Subscribe by email in the sidebar of my blog or sign up for Bloglovin!
I hope this finds you all well! I am busy, in part trying to prep for an upcoming Brooklyn market called f.a.d. weekend. As I still sell most of my items online, it's wonderful to get out and sell items in person! If you live in the NYC area, come check out my booth (and lots of others!) on Sunday, May 1, where I will have some new ErinElsie items for sale! More info about f.a.d below!
f.a.d. weekend is a pop-up fashion, art and design indoor makers’ market & flea that is held weekly on Sundays in Brooklyn. We will begin our journey on May 1st at 22 Boerum Place, a McKim, Mead & White 1926 Renaissance revival style theater. f.a.d. weekend will move around in its first year to awesome neighborhoods and unique venues in Brooklyn.
f.a.d. is an acronym for fashion, art and design and we at f.a.d. weekend aim to create a curated collective space that brings together a pool of emerging and mid-career artists and designers from all backgrounds, representing the talent of the city and beyond, together with vintage, antique and collectibles.
Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you soon ;) xo,
I hope your Monday is starting off okay. I got myself some uplifting $5 flowers from the bodega around the corner to brighter mine! (I love that about NYC, even the funniest little convenience stores always have fresh flowers). Just sharing a little ditty about about what's going on with ErinElsie and I lately.
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This weekend I finally watched the documentary, Dior and I. This one is definitely staying on repeat for whenever I need a little maker inspiration. To my detriment, I really love hand sewing. It's not fast or practical always, but it's those details which truly make a garment special. If you want to appreciate or even just understand true couture craftsmanship, check it out! Every single person working behind the scenes crafting these garments is truly an artist and technician.
I was asked to participate in an upcoming Brooklyn market called f.a.d. weekend. It is taking place in a beautiful venue in a beautiful neighborhood. As I still sell most of my items online, it's wonderful to get out and sell items in person!
f.a.d. weekend is a pop-up fashion, art and design indoor makers’ market & flea that is held weekly on Sundays in Brooklyn. We will begin our journey on May 1st at 22 Boerum Place, a McKim, Mead & White 1926 Renaissance revival style theater. f.a.d. weekend will move around in its first year to awesome neighborhoods and unique venues in Brooklyn.
f.a.d. is an acronym for fashion, art and design and we at f.a.d. weekend aim to create a curated collective space that brings together a pool of emerging and mid-career artists and designers from all backgrounds, representing the talent of the city and beyond, together with vintage, antique and collectibles.
If you live in the greater NYC area, come check out my booth on Sunday, May 1, where I will have some new ErinElsie items for sale! More info and flyers you can share below!
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I'm so grateful to be featured with my design work in the latest April issue of InRegister magazine. InRegister is a lovely publication from my home state, Louisiana! The opening photo of me in the article is not the most glamorous (eek); but much like the article, it is a very real portrayal of about my life as an artist and entrepreneur. It's always great to be recognized for my hard work, but this was extra special coming from my homeland! I am a Louisiana girl at heart and aim to sell more of my work there in the future. Pick up the April issue in person if you are in the Baton Rouge area or check the article online by clicking here.
My parents, because they are awesome, headed to Baton Rouge as soon as they were released and picked up some copies. They sent me this one with a sweet note. Even for the smallest of things, hearing your parents say they are proud of you never gets old.
Alright, back to work for me. Thanks for reading along and have a super week!
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!
