sometimes it starts with a book. or a dance. or both.

I've always been a crafty person. As a kid, I took every chance to I could to create. If I could make a school project into an art endeavor, I would. I once made a cut paper book report of Gone With The Wind. That was insane. I would not ever want to repeat that little project.

I got into vintage clothing in high school and would scour thrift stores with my friend Jim. I eventually ended up with a very practical degree in graphic design, an impractical wardrobe of vintage and an rediscovered love for dance. (I picked up where I left off as a kid for soccer with ballet and added a number of other disciplines, along with developing a (semi-un) healthy habit of long distance running.

I moved to NYC immediately after graduating. I continued with the things listed above, and added lindy hop to the mix of dance disciplines. It was a natural progression and combined lots of things I love: dance, old music, old clothes and athleticism. Sadly, the combination was a bit deadly when it came to maintaining a certain girlish freshness and my pretty vintage dresses. As the athleticism increased, so did the likelyhood of armpit stink from beyond the grave and shattering fabric.

I decided I was going to sew.

And that same week, I found a superb vintage sewing book on the street in the trash, which I took as a sign that I was going to be able to save myself from social doom. I found ebay and rustyzipper.com, vast resources of old patterns.

Then I bought a sewing machine.