Hello there, and welcome to my blog.

My name is Katy. 

I grew up in Berkeley, CA and now live in Oakland.

I learned how to sew by hand when I was a child from both my grandmother, and my mother. In high school I created costumes for dance performances, but made my friend do all the machine sewing because it scared me so much! In college she finally made me learn, and I will forever be grateful to her for that. Later, I learned this craft much more completely when I went to FIDM and earned a degree in Fashion Design. While in school I learned that I was good at explaining my craft, and ended up teaching small classes and private lessons to adults and children at Stitch Lounge in San Francisco (it is sadly now closed).

I went to design school on a whim. I have never really had dreams of fashion. I don’t know many designers, and definitely don’t own any designer clothing. BUT I love art, and your body is just as important a canvas as any other, if not more so because you see it every day. I have always loved putting together an outfit, and find joy in being comfortable and feeling attractive because of how I look. Before going to school, I knew the basics of sewing, but knew very little about construction. I started out by altering most anything I bought in a store. I still do this. It is quite rare to find something in my closet I haven’t altered in some way. Sometimes it’s simply a little tweak here or there to make a piece of clothing fit better; sometimes it’s dying the fabric to change the color. But, sometimes it’s a little more.

At FIDM I learned all about construction, draping and pattern-making. Now I know how to make just about anything, and love doing so. My favorite thing is to make someone his or her dream article of clothing. I have had the honor of doing this a few times, and I cannot tell you how amazing the experience has been. I pride myself in working well with people, listening to their ideas, and executing a final product that results from a collaborative effort.

I make jewelry as well!

I have things for sale, and things I have made that I would like to show you, but most of all, I want to show you as best I can how I do some of the simple things I do that will change your life.

Please take a look around, there is lots to see and please let me know if you have any questions!

-Katy