Modified Butterick B6895 pattern made with FS Parchment Midweight linen
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into sewing?
Hey! My name is Krissie, I’m 31, and I live in Oklahoma with my husband, and our two little girls. Before I became full time as a stay at home parent, I was photographing weddings. I’ve always had my hands in something creative, and now sewing has been a wonderful creative world to step into in this season of life.
I grew up watching my mom sew for my sisters and I – costumes for our ballet company, Easter dresses, some iconic 90’s matching plaid sunflower dresses, and so much more. She prided herself on making things neat and perfect, and I have that same sense of pride each time I sew something beautiful.
Why do you sew?
I have so many reasons, but here are my top few. I’m very passionate about slow fashion and sourcing my clothing ethically. Not only does sewing tick off these boxes, but I also love knowing who made my clothes (me!) and it gives me a greater appreciation of the effort it takes to make something well.
I sew because it gives me something that is just mine – not a “mom” thing, not a “wife” thing, but just a Krissie thing. It has helped me so much as I’ve become a mom to have something that is completely removed from that role.
I also sew because I love that I can make garments that fit my body as it changes throughout my life. Oh, that one top is a hair too small? Donate it, give it to a friend, and make another in your current size! Too big? Take it in and sew a dart, baby.
Modified Butterick B6895 pattern made with FS Parchment Midweight linen
Where is home and how does it affect your creative practice?
Right now, my life is in Oklahoma. But really, my heart is back in Washington, where we lived for a while and plan to move back to. I felt so inspired and refreshed there as a creative person! I’ve been through my ups and downs with not living there, and how it affects my creativity. Ultimately right now though, I’m happy with where my creative practice is and I think to some degree that’s taken my mind off of not being where I want to be with “home”.
As a child, what was your first encounter and memory of beauty?
This is going to sound so cheesy, but I’m going to say the first thing that’s coming to my mind. I remember swinging on our swingset in our backyard growing up. And I remember closing my eyes and feeling the sun on my face and being really amazed at that warm, exceptionally bright feeling coming through my eyelids at that moment. I’m sure there are other moments that I can’t remember with my post-it note memory, but this is the one that I keep coming back to as a beautiful moment very early on in my childhood.
Modified Butterick B6895 pattern made with FS Parchment Midweight linen
Has your sewing practice changed your relationship to your body image and self- acceptance?
YES! I was going to gush about this earlier when talking about why I sew. Ever since I had my girls and was postpartum with them, and then learned how to sew for myself, I’ve gained so much self love for my body. It’s given me grace upon grace to love who I am, to love my body, in each moment I have with it. Sewing is already therapeutic, and this has added another level of therapy to undo a lot of belief systems I used to have about what my body “should” be. (Don’t get me wrong; sewing does not replace real therapy haha)
Even though patterns we sew have sizes on them, it fluctuates and there isn’t much of a steady through line on what size you are between pattern designers. That has helped me immensely to let go of having to be a certain size or number. There’s no longer an ideal in my head since I’m sewing on my current measurements each time I sew, and not an industry standard.
Modified Butterick B6895 pattern made with FS Parchment Midweight linen
What are your seven favourite sewing patterns?
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The Eleonora Dress by silversage patterns. An absolute dream of a dress!
Do you have a community of makers around you or do you find you are on your own?
My creative bubble is quite small, with a friend or two that share the same interests as me. So I am on my own, for the most part. I’m really wanting to start up a crafting night once a month in my area though! That’s probably the next big thing I’m planning up right now. I’d love to see a sewing/crafting community take form here.
Modified Butterick B6895 pattern made with FS Parchment Midweight linen
How important is it to make something with your hands?
Very important! If I’m not doing something creative with my hands in my down time, my default is to be on my phone (and I hate that!). Sewing, and now sometimes knitting, has been very helpful to reroute that path in my brain.
What has been the most rewarding sewing project you’ve completed so far and why?
The Rue Quilt coat, 100%. In the words of Sadie, the designer, it was a marathon and not a sprint. It challenged me to go at such a slower pace than I’m used to, with all the quilting I did on it. And it’s been so rewarding to not only get tons of compliments on it, but also have a keepsake garment that I’m freaking proud of.
What is more important to you – the process or the final product (ie your garment)?
This is almost a toss up for me. But my gut is saying the process. I’m such a perfectionist and I geek out over the inside of my garments looking just as good as the outside. I’m not a fast sewist. I don’t cut corners and I love taking the time to make my garments look beautiful and be well made.
The process is also very special to me because it’s my “me” time. I can be in my own little world, taking a breath from anything else going on, and resetting my brain during that time.
Modified Butterick B6895 pattern made with FS Parchment Midweight linen
What does success mean to you?
This has been really heavy on my mind lately, so it’s coincidental that I’m being asked about it here! I’m still really working through this one, because I was raised with success having to do with finances. And it’s often hard to shake that.
However, success to me is that the people in my life know that I love them deeply and can feel that love each time they encounter me. If I can make the world better by spreading love to those around me, then that’s success to me.
What have you chosen to make out of FS linen and why?
I chose to make the Butterick B6895 pattern, and modify it into a dress. Lately, I’ve found myself going in deep with bright colors and filling my closet with more and more color. But for this, I was envisioning a neutral, sweet, delicate and feminine dress, which is why I chose the soft ivory color. I lined it with a cotton muslin and added in-seam pockets.
What is it like working with fabrics-store linen?
Truly a dream. The linen moved through my machine like butter! And it is so comfortable on my body. Some lines can tend to slip and slide while being cut, but not this one. It was perfect *chef’s kiss!*
2 Comments
Such a great source of inspiration! I run an e-commerce brand called Habibe London in the UK, focused on long linen dresses for women, and I’m always on the lookout for new ideas to refresh our collection. Your detailed breakdown of each pattern sparked a lot of creative thoughts for me. Keep up the amazing work—I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more articles like this!
Krissie, I love your interview! I grew up in Tulsa and moved back for several years as an adult. I can’t help wondering where you are in OK. I found many creative friends in Tulsa when I lived there, however, finding a community is a long process, isn’t it?
I love this dress! And I love your choice of buttons! I also took note of your ideas about loving where your body is. Thank you for sharing!