Not too long ago I was checking through the sewing news of the day and found this article about a woman from Maine who creates wearable art from recycled clothing. Being a bit of a scrapper myself, I was intrigued by the story and had to learn more. In the article, she was getting ready for a craft show up in her neck of the woods. The article went on to tell about her creative process. I was a fan.
Soon after the article came out, the DBL…Dreaded Bag Lady, was on Etsy and on Facebook. Yay! Her work is wonderful. I hope you’ll think so, too.
Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff)
My Name is Vicki or Vela Anderson, though on paper I am The Dreaded Bag Lady. I am currently from a small town near Orono, Maine. My bags can be found in two local shops. Maine Jewelry & Art in Bangor has carried my bags for over a year and I love working with them. Just recently Met Soul in Orono started carrying a few too.
Olive Tree Burlap Messenger Bag
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
What else do I do? Tough one. I am always sketching designs or thinking about my next project, but I love to read, garden, go thrifting, snuggle with my fur babies, and laugh like mad with my husband, who is really funny. And I always look forward to conversations with my son, who is still pretty cool and sometimes thinks I am too.
Vintage Burnt Orange Peekaboo Back Maxi Dress
Who was, or is, your greatest inspiration?
My greatest inspiration is my grandmother. The colors and textures of the things she had around when I was a kid are still my favorites. She was also really creative and crafty. She made quilts and stuffed animals and candy... she always had something to work on.
Handmade A-line Rainbow Skirt
What are your favorite materials? Your favorite color combination?
My all time favorite material is wool, preferably felted wool. The shaped it can take are fantastic and it's also a forgiving fabric. You can take stitches out and try something again if you need to without damaging the fabric. Earth tones are my favorites, browns, greens and oranges, though I have done some things with hot pink that I really love. Vintage clothing is the best!
Tropical Infinity Scarf
What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?
The first thing I made by hand was clothes for my Barbie doll. Sitting on the screen porch with Nana and my sister, Nana would be sewing and she'd give us a box of scraps to play with. My sister and I would make the coolest dresses for our dolls! Most of the time we sewed them right on her so you had to cut the clothes to get them off, but now and then something would come out so nice Nana would get us a snap or a button and we would save that outfit for a long time.
Oversized Hobo Dress Bag
How do you get out of your creative ruts?
I still get scared when I get into a creative rut. Like that might be it. All the creativity I had. You hear it in bands a lot. First album was great, everything else wasn't worth buying. I try to let myself enjoy the down time, work on other things, read more. Sometimes the dry spells have lasted for months! No sewing at all but I painted more, baked more, cleaned more. Thankfully, it always passes.
Describe your creative process.
Now and then I decide what I'm going to make before I sit down, but usually I go into my sewing room, look at all the fabrics and just pick something I feel like working with, and see what it means to be. I have been known to pull down a curtain because it spoke to me on that day and I needed to make something out of it. I am a messy worker. I am always getting up to do other things. I can't sit and work for hours at a time without stopping.
Handmade Cotton Striped Maxi Skirt
What is your most cherished handmade possession?
Most cherished, well my niece made a quilt of fabrics she made herself. I am still trying to get her to give that to me and if she does that will be it. But right now it is an amazing coat rack my husband made for me out of reclaimed scrap metal, welded and tristy with a clutch plate as the base. It's really amazing.
Handmade Flowered Vintage Homespun Fabric Skirt
What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists?
Lessons? take myself more seriously, keep studying and learning. Know when to leave a "flaw" as part of the handmade appeal, know when to fix a flaw because it should be made well.
Where would you like to be in ten years?
In 10 years I would love to have my own shop for my handmade things but also for select vintage finds that I can't pass up.
Vintage 60s, 70s Tesoro’s Embroidered Dress
What are the Web addresses for your work?
I am building a site at Thedreadedbaglady.com but it isn't finished yet.
I am also on Facebook….Just look for the Dreaded Bag Lady or follow this link, http://www.facebook.com/#!/dreadedbags
Are you offering my readers any specials?
Use the coupon code goofing15. It's good on all things in the vintage sections only.
Well, what do you think? Good Stuff! Love her work.
Post by Eileen Patterson…..MissEileen aka GoofingOff
