It's 2012, and I am rummaging around in the tunnels behind my grandmother's walls. Weird, right? My grandparents bought a unique house that was built in the 70s out in the middle of nowhere. The house, already peculiar from the outside, had an even more peculiar interior. Behind almost every wall was a space big enough for someone to walk in and store things.
If my grandma and I had one thing in common (which, as it happens, we have a lot in common), it would be our obsession with knick-knacks, trinkets, and memorabilia. Gosh, that woman keeps everything. My mom complains about our tendencies to be pack rats, but to me, the items I keep around are the bread and butter of my creativity.
Flashback to 2012: Grammie Alice and I are digging through her stored goods. She has a headlamp secured tightly around her head, and the light reflects off the speckles of dust in the air. There are cobwebs tickling my skin and an eerie darkness that sends shivers down my spine. It smells dusty, musty, and promising as we carry out a large box. Most people collect photos to remember; some people collect letters, and others collect jewelry. But my grandma, she collects fabric. Absurd as it seems, a collection of my dad's t-shirts that she intricately stitched into a quilt holds so much power and story. You would never have guessed that a piece of fabric from your past could store a piece of your life. The fabric that my grandma and I pulled out today was not old t-shirts; it was something a bit more special. The box contained a collection of handkerchiefs, hand-woven lace, and silk scarves from 4 generations back in our family. My 10-year-old soul did a front flip. I couldn't believe that I was touching none other than the same fabric that my great-great-grandmother handmade on the porch of her farmhouse. It was magical.
Moments like these stick in my head as I continue to use reclaimed pieces in all of my designs and creations. I've heard it all: "Why do you thrift? It's trashy!" "I can't believe you are using an old pillowcase; that's gross!" "You have no idea where that shirt has been!" "Look, the fabric is fraying in that corner; it's useless!" But to me, those pieces that I've found hold so much more story and character than a bolt of new fabric.
With a tiny piece of a button-down, a cutting of lace, and a square of jeans, I can make something fabulous and one-of-a-kind. Yes, it may be more predictable to use the same fabric over and over again, but if I have learned anything from my grandmother, it's that you can't make something talk unless it's been spoken to. And that's something I will never let go of, no matter how often I am told it's easier to create a brand the more traditional way.
As always, keep it on the sunny side up!
Thanks for reading,
Ana
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