Ventures into Glove Making

I have always had an interest in fancy gloves. I’m not sure why or where it stems from but they sparked a sense of curiosity as well as confusion. Why did women wear gloves? Was it just the proper thing to do? Were their hands cold? Or maybe they just wanted to keep their hands clean. Funny enough my interest peaked during Covid. Not sure if it was all the hand washing, the desire to wear something fancy and unnecessary, or if I just fell into the general self-exploration of bread and glove making.

By the time I was at my sewing machine starting on my first pair, I was thrilled by the challenge. Of course my first pair was a muslin sample to test the fit. From there I was all over the map with any fabric I could get my hands on. I became obsessed with sewing them and excited about how they could be embellished. Luckily, I have a lovely supply of fabrics and embellishments so I really went wild with this creative pursuit.

If you’d like to check out an instagram reel I made to display my work, click here.

Bag Lady

I love thrifting. Even as a kid I remember going to the thrift store with my dad. He would also take me to estate sales which shined a unique perspective into someone else’s life. Both outings always came with this feeling of infinite possibilities.

It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I really started making way to the fabric section at thrift stores. Not sure why, it just never occurred to me that this could be a good resource. But when I took a turn down the forgotten isle, I was shocked at how many cool fabrics there were. I especially loved the seeing all the vintage patterns. Of course there are typically a handful of less-than-wonderful options, but that’s where the art of hunt begins!

Given these fabrics were often small cuts, I decided to experiment with making bags. Once the first bag was completed, I could hear a voice calling for something extra… hence the ostrich feathers! This became a nice refugee from the tiny seam allowances of the gloves and I kept making more. I even experimented with hand-embroidering sequins. I mean, bags should be fun right?!

I also enjoyed experimenting with shopper bags and beach inspired bags. I even thrifted bamboo handles. One of my favorite bags is The Hand Bag. You’ll know it when you see it.