Sometimes all it takes is a Singer sewing machine from the 1950’s to start your own line. That’s exactly what Julia, owner of Jeeze, Julia!, did with the hand-me-down that both her Mother and Grandmother once used.
A New Hampshire native, Julia first got interested in selling clothes while working at Club 21 here in Portland. She opened her own etsy shop in June 2008 where she started to sell simple sewn bags. “It took me awhile to find my groove and figure out what I really wanted to sew,” she says. Then came the apron. A class from Z Fabrics taught her how to make them and from there she created her own pattern. She showed us one of her recent designs, a “paper bag skirt” crafted from her boyfriend’s old shirt.
Surprisingly, her biggest seller to date are the fabric growth charts she created on a whim as a gift - and since then have sold like crazy in her shop. ”My desire to start sewing really came from wanting cool things on a budget. Now when I see something I like, I just make it.”
(click on photos to enlarge)
It’s me! Mentioned in a blog post by Fore Front Fashion! This is such a wonderful week :)
