I love NY...

I do love New York . . . but thrift shopping in the big apple recently proved frustrating. Before I left home I mapped out my route for a morning of NY thrifting. I did find three or four shops on 23rd Street near Lexington. What a major disappointment they turned out to be! The prices here are crazy. A long sleeve man's dress shirt was $12.99! Ditto for a girls skirt. And I thought the prices in Southern California had become outrageous. Oh well, I guess for now I will stick with going to flea markets when in NY . . . I just need to be there over the weekend.

Photo I took of the view from the balcony of a client's Upper East Side Condo

Sew Eco Chic is...

Sew Eco Chic is the clothing line we started while we were re-branding our 5 year old retail store. Sadly, At Home on Main Street closed due to the declining economy in 2009, but we still make fabulous items using re-cycled clothing, accessories and other sustainable materials. Currently I focus on sewing aprons. My main source for materials are men's shirts, women's skirts and accessories like belts, ties and lace. They've proved to be the most popular category in the line because size is not an issue.

After collecting my finds, I bring them home and wash everything in luxury laundry soap.  My favorite is The Good Home Pure Grass scented detergent.  

Then I mix and match the shirts with the skirts as the first step in creating an apron. I have two sewing dress forms, making the designing phase much easier. For me, designing aprons is a lot like the process of selecting materials when I design a room. I might choose a floral, a plaid, and a solid to create an apron that has a lot of interest.