I really like to start my day browsing etsy to see what other creative people are up to. As usual I have a ton of favorites and thought I’d share a few with you. Click on the pictures to be brought to the item listing.
necklace by indiama
scarf by pretty penny
necklace by bstudio
soap by bmbyx
terrarium by TallPoppyGarden
I’m in the middle of designing a completely new line of clothing but am still finishing and adding some of my designs from the past year to Tumbleweed & Poppleswamp. I also have a 20% off coupon up on the site so be sure to use coupon code grand20 for 20% off your entire order whether you’re purchasing handmade clothing, original art, or vintage items. Click on any of the images below for more details.
I have been seeing some gorgeous items on Etsy as of late and had to share some of these lovely finds with you all. Click on pictures to be brought to products.
Vintage Dress from traven7
Pinafore by noahandlilah
Tote Bag by epicenter
Pillow by plytextiles
Striped Jennifer Dress on Etsy
Discussing this idea with a friend recently is what made me decide to finally write about it. Many of my friends have a heightened awareness of eating environmentally and ethically thought out diets. The idea that clothing can have these same considerations and options often catches them off guard. I mean, many people have an idea that organic clothing & textiles are available (I’ll discuss organic fabric further tomorrow) but often organic clothing is prohibitively expensive so the idea of dressing in a more ethical way seems out of reach.
With the growing resurgence of handmade clothing in the United States dressing in a more ethical way, and often a more environmental way, is a more viable option. If you are lucky enough to live in a community with a boutique such as my Tumbleweed & Poppleswamp, you may even be able to find clothing made in your own community. Boutiques that carry a wide range of indie designers is becoming more common.
So what is the ethical benefit of buying a dress directly from the dressmaker? Just like when you go to a Farmer’s Market and can ask the farmer how a tomato was grown, with a locally crafted piece of clothing you know who made your dress. There is no question whether it was created in a sweat shop or by a child or by a person being paid pennies a day. When you support a maker of hand made clothing you are supporting an individual artist instead of a multi-national corporation. You also are reducing waste. Anyone who has worked at a chain store selling clothing has seen how each piece of clothing comes wrapped in plastic, often with a piece of cardboard inserted, just to be displayed where it will be stuffed into another plastic bag once sold (and possibly wrapping if it’s a gift). The actual production process of moving clothing through the global market is obviously full of further waste which I will spare you the details of here.
If you can find a local shop or craft fair where you can start purchasing some of your clothing great! If not you can search on Etsy for local artists or at least clothing makers who are still making it on their own, if slightly further afield.
Clothing purchased this way can be more expensive than purchased through chain stores. So many of us have a closet full of clothing that we never wear though. I think part of clothing ourselves ethically and environmentally is to reduce the amount of clothing we purchase and to focus on the quality so what we do purchase lasts longer.
An additional option for local dressing can be found in reuse. Supporting local thrift stores has the double benefit of supporting many local charitable organizations. If you don’t have the patience for thrifting there are many well curated Vintage shops located in communities and on-line through places like Etsy.
Just like local eating, not every choice for most of us is going to be be local. Every purchase we do make does give an opportunity to support an artist instead of a corporation who is more concerned with their bottom line than our ethical and environmental concerns.
In additiona to my own online & brick and mortar boutique, Tumbleweed & Poppleswamp here are some of my favorite lines of handmade and vintage clothing.
I have been going crazy with treasuries over the past few months through my various Etsy shops: Mellifluous Couture, my handmade clothing shop, Put Your Hands to Work, my shop of original drawings and my shop full of vintage goods. I thought I’d share the beautiful finds I’ve been assembling into various treasures. Click on any treasury to get more details about these beautiful items.
Envy, a treasury by Mellifluous Couture
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Rainbow Bright, a treasury by Mellifluous Couture
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Birds of a Feather, a treasury by Mellifluous Couture
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Art Through Rose Colored Glasses, a treasury by PutYourHandstoWork
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b&w, a treasury by PutYourHandstoWork
It has been busy here at Tumbleweed & Poppleswamp! I have been working on some big drawing projects, sewing a bunch and working with a ton of Health Coaching clients. Thought I’d give you a peak of what’s been going on around here.
I’ve been sewing up a storm stocking up Tumbleweed & Poppleswamp. I’ve also decided that I am going to open an Etsy shop for my one-of-a-kind sewing projects. I plan on opening a website with clothing as well but this will be more like my old Mellifluous Couture Build-a-Dress site. I’m hoping that summer in my sleepy town affords my enough time to work on all these lofty projects!
My daughter Isadora loves to go fabric shopping with me, as long as we’re picking out things to make her a dress. Some time back a friend gave me an old skirt that she thought I could perhaps find a use for. Isadora immediately decided that I would make her a dress with it. I told her that we would have to get some items at the fabric store to spruce it up a bit.
Our next trip at the fabric store found her assembling quite the pile of trim and fabrics for her dress. We refined and matched and discussed. In the end she had a selection of goodies that I was honestly quite jealous of. It took me a bit of time to get to actually making the dress but finally I did. Isadora wore it to school today and I made sure to snap a picture of her in it.
My last visit to the fabric store this week found me stocking up on lots more little collars and trims. I have lots of old skirts in my closet and think that I just found a new use for them.
