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SmrtArt

Seamstress of all kinds. Needle craft and paintbrushes expert! You wanna wear it. I can prolly make it just right for you! DISCLAIMER!

There is artistic nudity on this page, please be aware and do not visit if you are under 18!

11/26/2024

Another set of adorable bears to a family who lost their mum. Each bear was made from one shirt this time, not mixed shirts. When I do single shirt bears, I try to use different elements of the shirt to make them unique, cuffs and edges, pockets or button plackets, and name badges, to bring the personality of the person who wore the garment into the item.
As an artist that often gets tired of making the same kind of item, I honestly don’t think I’ll ever get sick of making these bears. They are too special when made from a loved one’s garments. They speak to the after and the on going of memory and love. They are not something that will be discarded easily and I can only hope they will be continually loved down the generational lines as mementos, like cherished photographs or jewelry or collections our loved ones cherished while on this plane.
There’s still time to get your own bears made before the holidays. DM me for deets.

11/05/2024

Working on a set of 6 bears from a gentleman Ben, who was quite the character from what I’ve been told.
This round of bears are turning out sooo cute when mixed with 6 different shirts! And I’ve made two adorable heart ornaments from scraps of the shirts!
If you’re wanting memory items to gift family/friends or self this holiday, message me soon!

10/15/2024

I always admired my grandmother’s hands. Clearly hands that have worked. Hands that get burned, cut, split, calloused. Hands that get lotion baths, massages from their partner hand when tired and sore. Skin tight with the loss of elasticity in older age. Scarred from knicks, cuts or breaks from accidents of a wandering mind, not necessarily careless, but preoccupied while trying to perform an important job. Chipped nails careful trimmed or filed so as not to snag the precious fabric.
I always longed to have those kinds of hands.
Makers hands.
Creationist hands.
The older I get I feel and notice and remember my scars more. I notice the strange callouses I grow from a differing particular kind of work I’m doing.
This week I grew some pretty painful ones on three of my knuckles while hand cutting “cabbage” for stuffing inside the dolls I’ve been making. This is prompting me to investigate how to use our paper shredder to do this work instead 🤪😅
Our hands hold the stories of our life that we forget to hide with makeup or surgery. And yet they are a part of us that everyone sees and comes in contact with first hand and secondarily (touching doorhandles or handing someone a coffee for example).

10/10/2024

These two beautiful boys are headed to a pair of brothers who lost their dad to cancer this year. I truly hope they bring the boys all the lovely memories and joy they had with their father before he left them.

10/01/2024

Finished up these memory shirt pillows for a client last week. She wanted to keep the collars like I’ve done before so I used a bit of the sleeves to close the head opening and finish the pillows up.

This week I’ll be making bears from a dad’s two jerseys for his children. I might cry doing this one.
Memories are hard, and I love making these kinds of items for my clients. It provides a tangible item for them to have to hug and love every time they think of their loved one who has passed through the veil.

I am available to do these items all year round. Pillows and bears/animals are not the only items that can be made for memory items. I can also make robes, blankets, handkerchiefs, you name it, it can be done.

DM me here to set up your memory makes.

08/29/2024

I just shared a great clip in my stories of an old Chanel sweater that was eaten by moths being repaired. It reminded me that I don’t share my own repairs that I do on our family’s clothes. And I had a client who had a bag that I would pick up monthly to repair items for him. Here is my most recent fix. My grandpa’s sweater had a run in it and I noticed it and told my gram I could fix it. So she washed it and packed it up for me to do. Before and after pics of both the outside and inside views. This repair was fairly easy using a small crochet hook and re-working the knit pattern through and then hand sew/tying the end back into the collar edge. I did not have grey yarn this thin to make the repair seamless, but I had a nice heavy thread to hold it all in place.
Do you have a bag/box of clothes you love but need repaired? I can fix nearly anything, and sometimes even alter the clothes if you’ve fluctuated in weight. Don’t throw your favorite pieces away! Message me and let’s fix it up and make it new again!

08/06/2024

In my 20’s I had an early morning desk job at a gym in the city and it was really boring 😅🤪
I often did my embroidery when I was at that front desk and I made friends with a girl who often ran on the treadmill next to the front desk and chatted me up. We became good friends and she invited me to a Stitch n B*tch group! I explained I didn’t knit or crochet. She said no worries, bring your embroidery! That evening I learned HOW TO KNIT!
Not clothes right away, I thought those would be too complicated. I started with dolls! I made A LOT of dolls! As my family was growing and my cousins and brother began to have a million and one littles, I found knitting was just the perfect gifts for all the little angels! Custom knitting is not cheap, but well worth the price as an heirloom present for generations to come! I’ve knitted ornaments, socks, gloves, mittens, hats, pants, dresses, trims, shawls, blankets and body sacks! For babies to adults! Send me a PM for quotes on custom knitting or crochet projects! Be sure to factor in time spans. If these are holiday gifts it’s always best to get your order in as early as possible, sometimes as early as January, depending on the size of the project. 😬🤪

08/05/2024

Did you know I didn’t start my art career as a seamstress?!
I actually went to college and got my degrees in illustration, painting and photography! When I decided I couldn’t work in a cubicle my whole life I started branching my skills out and was hired to do all kinds of painting in and outside of “cubicles” 😅🤪 From basic room painting to simple word murals and then to extensive scenes and themed rooms. I’ll make a future post about the Tim Burton bathroom that was definitely my favorite piece ever, showing more images of the different movies in it and how I joined them together. The murals and furniture painting I provided for is my most recent work over the last two years! For the warehouse doors to the inside of the shop and the furniture and doors there in as well! I can do indoor room painting as well! I’ll make another post of those jobs soon!
If you’re needing a refresher in or outside of your home or business contact me for quotes! Smaller murals can be painted in canvas to be removed easily for storage or transfer to another home if needed.

08/04/2024

Our homes are our sanctuaries. The places we come to to be our complete selves with no one watching or judging us (without our own invitation anyway😉)
And so, I always feel special and honored when I am invited into someone’s home to help them create a a more pleasant space for themselves. Whether it be the bedroom with functional curtains for your own special needs, or just enough cover with simple ancestral laces or privacy covers, or cushion replacements for your outdoor patio furniture; I can make it happen for you. I can make from scratch or repair/replace what already exists for you. Difficult or odd sizes are 99% doable. If I can fit it in my machine, we make your dreams happen! I have a plethora of fabric places(local to chicago or online) to find exactly what you’re looking for, even genuine vintage fabrics from the 60’s-90’s. Message me for your next home project!

08/02/2024

Huhwhut?! It’s almost Halloween!!!
Yessiree kiddies! My absolute favorite time of year!
And that means it’s time to schedule your custom costumes with me! If you wait til October, I’ll prolly be booked by then! This here is a tiny sampling of the costumes I’ve made over the past 15 years of making costumes for others and my own family! (Really I’ll make a second post showing off more of them or you can browse my page below!)
There’s no hiding that I absolutely love making costumes for anyone, from the tiniest hungriest caterpillar to a unicorn zombie, to Clark’s wife! 😅🤗💃🏻
I want you to look your absolute best, and these costumes are made to last, not like the expensive box store garbage that falls apart the one night you wear it. These costumes can be heirlooms that you either wear year after year or pass down to family or friends to wear too!
Also, it doesn’t have to be Halloween to get a costume made. You can have one for any occasion! Comic-con, a birthday party, a celebration of any kind! If you enjoy dressing up and want to be your favorite character, even for one night, I got you!

08/01/2024

With the holidays fast approaching, I felt I should share some of the memory gifts I’ve made for clients!
Memory bears and pillows are some of my favorite! Made from clothing of relatives passed away, they become a reminder of their love to us every day.
The Christmas embroidery piece was done for a client that had one in their home growing up and missed it dearly when they found out it was given away. And the Christmas stockings were all made by hand cutting and sewing all the tiny pieces to make gorgeous mementos to use every year. I still have mine that my mom made me!
Now is the perfect time to start these kinds of projects, as they take some time and are then completed in time for a holiday gift. You are never too old or too young to receive a memento gift! ♥️♥️♥️

07/31/2024

Hiya! Here I am again! Opening up space for commissions or repairs! 🤗✂️🪡🧶🎨🖌️
If you’re in the Chicagoland area and need custom garments for your daily wardrobe, ceremony dresses or suits, costume needs for the coming seasons or repairs and alterations to your already existing clothes, I’m here for you!
You can message me here on ig, FB or if you have my number text me! Please let all your dearies know that I’m open for work in any category.
My sewing skills are wide range and include extra fiber creations, such as hand knit, crochet and embroidery. I also have an embroidery machine to do more complex or multiples of what you need.
Not to mention I am a skilled illustrator, painter and muralist AS WELL as a photographer! 😅
So if you need art, I can help see your project from idea to design to creation!
I can’t wait to work with you and make your dreams come true!

06/22/2024

I am sooo behind on sharing my art on this page. And I have to admit I’m suuuuper wary now because of Meta’s AI implementations and their blatant disregard for artists’ rights to their work.
I’m moving my portfolio over currently. What I’m seeing over there as an artist community is pretty awesome so far! I’m also really enjoying to format for the portfolio posting, with media, type and programs used. Its helps everyone be aware of the work that went into the particular piece. Also the NO AI ever is quite a plus! Now let’s hope the site stays true to the artists and doesn’t become some corporate scheme.
Anywho! Every year I hire one of my artist friends to draw/paint a portrait of my boys and JVP for Father’s Day for my husband. This year I hired myself! Ha!
I did this in Procreate with only one kind of pen. ☺️ I’m partial to the replication of real pencils.
Enjoy!

03/11/2024

Working on my next cross-stitch piece. And realized I forgot to post the first one finished 🤪😅🤦🏼‍♀️
I’ll get that up soonish!
Also, while doing these it has made me think of a really cool “witch-crafting” project to post over on .camp So keep an eye out over there this next month for new posts on new projects in the works over there too! Woohoo! Back to work!

01/13/2024

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Address

Blue Island, IL

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.smrtart.com/

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