Creative cultivation
While most of my professional background is in mental health and applied psychology, my love of the creative process has had a leading role all my life, quietly weaving a thread into all I've done.
I've been smitten by textiles from an early age, learning to sew when I was very young, and always fascinated with the technical end of patternmaking and construction.
I grew up in a renowned high-end, custom woodworking shop in Vermont where my family, and a team of incredibly skilled craftsmen, took fine, raw materials and created all manner of stunning, bespoke architectural features.
I watched this unlimited process, end to end, countless times and the influence on me was profound. I was cultivated to believe - because it was demonstrated daily - that anything was creatively possible; that if they could dream it, we could build it.
The influence of fashion...
When I was about six or seven, one of my grandmothers gifted me a collection of vintage 1950's clothing from her past in the south full of debutante balls and coming-out events. Big, tulle gowns, hats, and accessories for days. I was smitten with them - the tulle, the boning, the molded velvet flowers. They were magnificent examples - which I promptly installed in my play, including bike-riding and treehouse-building. The collection did not survive but influenced me deeply.
Perhaps because my life involved watching things be built and re-built constantly - from the shop across the driveway to our 1787 farmhouse that was perpetually under renovation - I wanted to know how those gowns were made. I liked to see the insides of them, the seams, the literal bones of the bodices and the many layers and clever features that gave them shape. The same grandmother that gave them to me also taught me the love of craft, and to appreciate how much hand-work had gone into trims, purses, hats and more.
As I got older, I learned about and collected vintage clothing for years, from museum quality antique finery to contemporary collectible designers. Not only did I have a well-developed eye for exceptional textiles, quality workmanship and rarity, I has blessed with an uncanny ability to find textile treasures, from garments to table linens, from ancient tapestries to exquisite handmade laces.
When I became a mother and stayed home with my children, I became a vintage fashion dealer and opened a shop, YesterThreads, shipping textiles, clothing and accessories all over the world. I became a Vintage Fashion Guild member and learned so much from other collectors and dealers.
Psychology & Story
As my children grew older and approached school-age, I shifted gears to pursue a graduate degree in Psychology and become a psychotherapist. I earned my MA at Goddard College, in Plainfield, Vermont.
A primary draw to Goddard was its outstanding Expressive Arts concentration within the program, offering the integration of creative process with clinical treatment and trauma recovery.
Here, through learning, teaching and developing my own methodology, I brought my love of textiles, craft and story together in a process I call 'Narrative Stitching'. Externalizing, separating from and processing inner stories where words fail - through textiles - has been immensely healing for me, and for clients I served in my private therapy practice.
A creative home
In time, my creative loves: creating with and collecting textiles, building patterns for garments & accessories, and - my latest chapter - the art of pattern design itself - have all convened in one place.
Perennial Heart is my authored line of textiles, garments, accessories and patterns that interweaves my loves of nature, history and 'The Mystery'. My work alchemizes natural and botanical elements, women's remarkable stories, and the soulful, Sacred Feminine practices that have had a lifelong influence on my creative voice.
When I am not in the studio, I can be found in the woods, the water, museums, little-known antique haunts or chasing glimmers of the next creative thread. I live in Vermont with my two teenage sons and our beloved dog, Luna, where I also work in emergency mental health, operate a small consultancy & private practice, host women's gatherings, and serve on the board of directors at The Dorset Equine Rescue.
Thank you for being here to learn more about Perennial Heart. Please join me on Instagram to see process shares, to join me in the field & studio, and to stay informed of upcoming product drops.
All my best,