Studio Tour
How Renee Started Renewing
My Spark
My love for sewing started when I was a little girl, watching my mother and grandmothers turn fabric and thread into art. Their hands taught me the basics, and by the time I was a teenager, I was making my own clothes as a way to express who I was.
As a teacher, I found new joy in creating costumes for my middle school drama students, turning thrifted finds into princess gowns, creatures, and kings. Later, quilting gave me calm and beauty during the early years of motherhood. Through it all, sewing has been my way to create meaning from scraps, and to stay connected to myself and the women who taught me where it all began.
From Masks to Meaning
I started upcycling during the pandemic, when masks and basic supplies were hard to come by, especially for folks in my community who were high-risk. I gathered donated fabric, vintage sheets, and gently used clothing and stitched up a storm, sending masks to the elderly, shelters, retirement homes, local ERs, and friends near and far.
To stay grounded during quarantine, I’d disappear into my sewing room and just start crafting. It gave me calm, focus, and a sense of purpose. But it wasn’t until things began to reopen and when a friend invited me to join her Open Studio and sell some of my makes that I felt something shift. I began trying out different garments, and eventually landed on the kimono-style jacket. Its simplicity and the way it let different fabrics come together into one piece spoke to me. That became my first real line of upcycled apparel. And as I keep going, I’m still discovering new designs that feel both practical and true to my style.
A Life Sewn Together
Sewing out of need has its place—but now, I get to create from a place of freedom. I’m learning to trust my instincts, to follow the flow between idea and outcome. Sometimes it starts with a scrap of fabric that sparks something unexpected; other times, a design just appears in my mind, ready to be made. Either way, I step into each project with confidence, knowing that what I create through upcycling can carry joy, usefulness, and story. My hope is that every piece I make honors the love of simple stitching, the beauty of color, and the power of renewal.
