We're excited to feature another Etsy seller with you today ! Sammy's Grammy is a lovely shop full of beautiful re-fashioned and transformed vintage pieces that have been handcrafted into new works of art. Rita, the shop owner, is such a thoughtful person who finds beauty in so many things, I think that's how she creates such beautiful and timeless pieces. You can find her stop here: SammysGrammy Etsy Shop. I personally love her refashioned vintage jewelry and lace headbands. She has also made a lovely pair of earrings to giveaway to one of our awesome readers, find out below how to enter to win! Take some time to get to know Sammy's Grammy!
A little bit about Sammy's Grammy: My name is Rita and I am Sammy's grammy. She's 8 years old. I live in western New York, on the shores of Lake Ontario, in the fingerlakes region. It's wine country, loads and loads of grape vines. And along Lake Ontario's shores is a fruit belt (apples, mainly but also peaches, pears, pumpkins, lotsa corn) Lots of maple trees tapped in springtime to boil up maple syrup.
What do you create? I do "needlework". Therefore whatever I make, I use some kind of needle. it's usually hand sewn or hand knitted, hand beaded. I love using a vintage component in my creations thus repurposing - leaving as small a carbon footprint as I can. I'll repurpose a bunch of old jewelry into one new smashing piece. With the vintage linens - they are completely transformed. A vintage towel will become an angel, a vintage doily will become a purse or a shrug, a vintage pillowcase will become a child's dress.
I have just opened a second shop, called "needleworx" to showcase all the things I love to make but do not have a vintage component. They may have an upcycled component, like the silk pillow I made from a second hand men's shirt.
When did you start creating? I started to create as a small child, watching Grandmom stitching on her Singer foot treadle machine. I wanted a turn. She let me. Pretty soon I was making clothing, nothing complicated, of course. Halter tops for my sisters and myself. As I grew up, I continued sewing because I always wanted the latest fashions and usually was unable to afford them, so I made them, often reusing fabric in the process.
Why did you choose your medium? As a young wife and mother, the draperies I wanted always cost more that I had so I had to make them too. This habit of wanting to be surrounded by beautiful things is what led me to "estate sailing". And the rest is history.
Why did you choose your shop name? I have a granddaughter named Samantha (Sammy).
What inspires you? Because both my grandmothers did handwork and were patient with a little girl who wanted to learn, these were skills that I grew in as I matured. We are experiencing a renaissance, presently, of these arts but the actual items that the Victorians used by necessity are not needed any longer, or modern materials have replace the old. For example in a Victorian household, every piece of linen (dish towels-bath towels-sheets-pillowcases-napkins-tablecloths-underclothing) was embellished with hand crocheted lace!!! Just not so any longer. I, personally love the luxury of a lace trimmed pillowcase to sleep on rather than a polyester and cotton mass produced, no iron, one.
What are your most cherished handmade items? The hand crocheted tablecloth my grandmother made for me for a wedding gift and a small doll coat made of wool crepe with a lace collar (which I now have on a teddy bear) which my other grandmother made for me.
Just leave a comment below with your email address!
Extra Entries and chances to win (Leave another comment for each additional item for extra chances to win!):
1. Follow this Blog
2. Leave a comment stating your favorite item from Rita's Etsy Shop
3. Become a fan of Sammys Grammy on Facebook
4. Share this Giveaway on Facebook and Twitter!
Thanks so much for joining us today - you have until Sunday night to enter and we will announce the winner on Monday! Winner will be picked from random using random.org. Have fun!
