VERMONT
The Work I Do
After retiring from a successful career in 2017 in Design and Marketing Communications, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to start my own design and sewing business, focusing on wonderful cottons, unique colorways, bold contrasts, and color-blocking.
My first line of products was cotton canvas handbags, that I meticulously hand-dyed using many of my own color dye formulas.
Original designs, meticulous attention to detail, lots of topstitching, pockets where you need them, hand cut and hand sewn. Sustainable 100% plant-based fabrics and recyclable metal hardware, no plastics or polys...materials I am proud to use.
As the business grew and I enjoyed working with Indonesian 100% cotton prints, I started to focus my efforts on designing and sewing reversible sunhats in glorious prints, quality fabrics, unique designs in lots of sizes. All one-of-a-kind. Each one is a piece of art!
All my products are made in my design studio by me - no outsourcing. I design, cut, sew, and finish all my products using several different sewing machines for different processes. No assembly lines, no automated machinery.
My Credentials
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Fanshawe College School of Design, London Canada
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Masters degree in Professional Communication, Royal Roads University, Victoria BC
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Owner of the Small Batch Design Studio 2019 - present
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25 years experience in various design specialties: fashion, urban, graphic, industrial, and landscape
In the Beginning....
Are you my Customer?
One day I asked my sister-in-law, Betsy, to describe our customers. She's been working craft shows with me for 5+ years so I figured she'd have an opinion, and here's what she said:
"Our customers are attracted to the color. Impressed by the quality and excited by the colors, they decide to invest and/or treat themselves to something fun and happy yet there is no guilt because it's high quality and practical".
I 100% agree with Betsy!
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I am one of four sisters. We all learned to sew from our mom, who in turn learned to sew from her mother, who was an excellent seamstress. The sisters all bailed on me in our sewing journey. My kids? I have high hopes for my son because I think sewing could be something he'd enjoy, but my daughter? Nope, she prefers baking. My granddaughters? Maybe, but chances are I'll be the last sewist in the family.
When I was eight, my mom purchased a sewing machine for me for Christmas. What a beauty it was! Red, white and chrome, it could sew both straight stitch and zig-zag. She took me to the local Fabric Land store (which still exists but in a different location) and she let me choose my sewing pattern and fabric. I chose a dress pattern with set in sleeves and cuffs, a gathered waist with belt, a peter pan collar and back zipper. It was fantastic!
Let’s face it; that was a pretty complex project for an eight-year-old and I confess I didn’t finish it. My mom knew I wouldn’t but she was curious to see just how far I’d get. I learned how to do various components: pinning, marking, cutting, a gathered cuff, attaching a collar, attempting a zipper, and a gathered sleeve. The most important lesson I learned however, is to figure out what you want and then figure out how to do it. Keep trying until you succeed. My work is a result of 60 years of sewing and tenacity.