Photos courtesy of Koto Designs
Caustic Cross Stitch
Nothing says girl power quite like a Gloria
Steinem quote embroidered on a hoop frame.
That’s one of the messages the Etsy shop
Caustic Cross Stitch conveys through its embroidered
goods — women’s empowerment
through hard work and creativity.
“Feminism has always influenced my work,
though the influence has become more explicit
in the past few years. I enjoy subverting
people’s assumptions about traditionally feminine
activities, both by using sewing to express
feminist sentiments and by being a lawyer who
sews,” said Caustic Cross Stitch artist Katie, who
asked that her last name not be published.
No feminist could resist the set of dishtowels
Katie hand-stitched that read, “Femininity is not
fragility” and “Womanhood is not weakness.”
Another common theme in her intricate pieces
is an appreciation for the beauty and landmarks
of Queens and Astoria, like the Long Island sign
at Gantry State Park and the Sunnyside arch. Katie
also represents the borough by creating framed
designs of various NW train stops; she has one
specially made for those who reside off 30th
Ave., Broadway and Ditmars Blvd.
Panchita’s Bodega
Etsy vendor Briana Melendez scours secondhand
stores to repurpose fabrics and produce
tote bags and other accessories for her Etsy
shop, Panchita’s Bodega. Melendez’s current
obsession are the bags she makes out of men’s
T-shirts.
“I try to incorporate as much of the shirt into
the final bag, like utilizing a sleeve cuff as the interior
pocket. They are fun to make because each
bag is different and unique to itself,” Melendez
said. “Over the summer I found a Boy Scout’s uniform
shirt at the thrift shop and that was a blast
to repurpose. I played around with some of the
sleeve patches so that I could incorporate them
onto the front panel of the bag.”
Melendez’s incorporation of old and new in her
products was inspired in part by her Queens upbringing.
“Queens always felt like the ‘come-up’ borough.
With a history behind us of the Mets and Jamaica
and Queensbridge with its contributions to hiphop,
we have an attitude of making things and
situations work — something from nothing,” Melendez
said. “Working with repurposed materials
is about creating something new, so I approach
my designs with that same frame of mind.”
Photos courtesy of Panchita’s Bodega
Photos courtesy of Caustic Cross Stitch DECEMBER 2 0 1 7 48 EXPLORE YOUR BORO
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