Since not much fabric is actually grown and processed here in this country anymore, I buy it from “converters” who take large quantities from overseas and parcel them down so I can buy 15 to 50 yards, depending on the converter’s minimums. The linens are mostly from Belgium and Ireland, silks from India and Thailand, English wools. I use vintage fabrics when I can find them unused, still on the bolt, and inexpensive, usually Ebay and Antique malls.

Who taught you to sew?

I taught myself, with Barbie as my muse (see profile). I honed my skills working with Little Rock dress designer Connie Fails, then spending twenty years designing costumes professionally for Regional Theatre companies. Sarcastic answer- “Would you ask me that if I was a woman?”

I actually supported myself that way for many years, but one client has to absorb all the costs to figure out how to make it, pattern it, fit a mock-up, then cut/ sew/ fit the real one. It gets pricey, and being soft-hearted, I don’t charge what I put into it. If I make people choose from designs already patterned, they pay for time and fabric, not design time. A friend of mine wants to open a business doing nothing but copies, calling it “Knock it off!”

What’s your dog’s name? Is she a Corgy?

Luna, like the moon. Corgy/Jack Russell-they call it a Cojack.

I’ll always make it right somehow, but it’s hard to refund money when the business is this small and personal. But that makes it easier to find a solution, too. If it’s something you ordered by guessing at size without trying on, we can probably make another size or one like it, but shorter, longer, whatever. If it’s something made for you with a lot of alterations that make it hard to put on the rack and sell to someone else- well, it hasn’t really happened yet, so I don’t know.

What’s your favorite color from your fabrics?

Cilantro, hands down. Next-Tomato and Mustard. Sounds like I’m making a salad, doesn’t it?

We wash and press every yard before we cut. That means nothing should shrink. It also gets out any chemicals from the dying process so we stay healthy working with it. Linens and cottons go into the washer, cold preserves color. Dry-cleaning is Ok, if you’re into that. The clothes last longer that way. Anything silk and wool is dry-clean only.

I hate to iron and don’t like linen because it wrinkles so badly.

That’s how you know it’s linen. Mid to heavyweight linens are drapery-weight, which keeps them from wrinkling as badly as what you’re used to from other companies. Take them out of the dryer while they’re still a little damp, and hang to dry. Or line-dry and throw 'em in the dryer on “air” to soften. I never iron my Drawstring pants, I just hang them up.

They are natural fibers, but I can’t certify they are grown in an organic situation. I am a strong supporter of natural and sustainable fibers, but certified organic fabrics are generally out of my price range. I now carry Hemp fabric for pants and jackets, a truly amazing fiber with a notorious reputation. Google “hemp fabric” for more information.