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ABOUT THIS PAST LIFE NYC
Adventure to Civility and Handmade Goods in Spanish Harlem, NYC
I grew up sewing. What started as doll pillows and blankets evolved into a custom denim skirt for my first day at a new school and then to making high-end pillows for an interior design firm in New York City. I remember when my mother bought me my first sewing machine. It was a white, plastic Simplicity from KMart in my early 20s. Although I loved sewing, I didn't love the domestic implications of the offering at that time. That machine became an extension of my body. I tailored clothing, added buttonholes, made curtains, make-up bags and then came the clothing. Oh, the clothing.
It wasn't until recently that I discovered that the craft of sewing is not only in my childhood, it is in my blood. My great-grandmother, Ms. Anna Orline Tate, attended Keister's Ladies Tailoring College and was a seamstress in the earliest part of the 20th century at the Broadmore Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO. From my great-grandmother, to my grandmother to my mom to me... sewing has always been a part of my family.
What began in early years as a necessity to buy second-hand clothes from the local thrift shop, Browse-n-Buy, evolved into a taste for the delicate bon-bon of vintage clothing. Moving to NYC somewhat crippled my consumption of beautiful mid-century clothes by price point alone. I started sewing my own dresses from vintage patterns I found on eBay. Which truly began my total vintage life.
By 2012, living in NYC had brought me to my knees with the overwhelming infiltration of technology. In a desperate attempt to reconnect with life I began a month living technologically in the 1950s. I called this adventure THIS PAST LIFE.
THIS PAST LIFE evolved toward finding someplace in between the 50s and today (and I don't mean the 80s!). A place where a handwritten note isn't the craziest thing you've ever received in the mail. Where you're not expected to keep a perfect house, but strive to make things better and a bit more civil in your crazy life.
I specialize in handmade products with a throwback to that golden era of home-cooked meals, dinner parties with the proper place settings and Emily's Post's rules of etiquette.
My products are carefully and skillfully crafted in Spanish Harlem, NYC in the the good-ole USA.
BE STILL MY BEATING HEART
The smell of handmade leather bags. Well loved old church group cookbooks. The whir of an old sewing machine. Heavy records. The smell of a library. The sound of high heels in a grocery store. Morning light on the Chrysler Building on an crisp spring morning. Coney Island. Coney Island. Coney Island. Fresh, warm baked goods. History. Burlesque. Lavender. Old cars. Good Manners. Heavy silverware. Handwritten letters. Surprises. '67 Ford Mustang. My mom's pineapple upside down cake. Well loved aprons. Cool Whip from the freezer. A mint-condition silk dress that fits like a glove. Antique lingerie. Mad Men. Fully-fashioned stockings. Presents wrapped with a satin bow. Well curated Etsy Treasuries. Mud. Just percolated coffee. My ukulele. The stories of strangers. Weddings. Fine stationary. Monograms. Ribbon. Rhinestones. The Mermaid Parade. Stirring photography. New Orleans. A painting of Roy Liechtenstein's. Renoir. The white rock beaches in Croatia. Dinner cooked over an open fire. The smell of Wyoming in the morning. Sagebrush. Indie film. The Blue Cave. Well-tailored clothes. Nashville. Train travel. Flower flavored candy. Hostess gifts. Spring's first magnolias. Perfect cake recipes. Balloons. The star that hangs over 5th Ave at Christmas. The Eiffel tower when it sparkles. Champagne. Stinky cheese. Truffles. Truffle pigs. Roadside attractions. New friends. Emily Post. Opera. Really messy BBQ. Movie popcorn. Responsible companies. Herbs from my window garden. Pretty cocktails. Just baked bread. Second-hand clothing. Typewriters. Elegant minimalism. Manners. Hot rollers. Bright colors. Thoughtful gestures. Kindness.
LOCATIONS
Our Creative Studios are located in the heart of Spanish Harlem, NYC. We also have roots in Jackson, WY and Nashville, TN and travel all over the country for craft shows and flea markets.
This Past Life NYC
PO Box 1417
NYC, NY 10028