a wintering (a break, a turning in, a pause)

Have you heard of the phrase “wintering?” It’s a concept by author Katherine May. My husband and I discussed wintering a lot when we brought our then newborn home last fall. The difficulty of the newborn phase and all the changes that came with our new life brought us into a state of turning in during a time of, quite honestly, deep difficulty. Thus the phrase “wintering.” Wintering is an intentional break taken during times of darkness. I feel as though a wintering is upon me.

As you might know, I’ve been operating Eli & Barry as a made-to-order clothing brand for quite some time. This has worked fairly well for me as a young business. I’ve been able to keep costs lower by having a customer purchase an item before producing it. It’s also been wonderful market research for me to see what items customers are interested in.

One of the pitfalls of this model for me is that when I lose an employee, who is often my sole employee or one of two employees, the wheels fall off the bus, so to speak. My business comes to a screeching halt. When I need to find someone new to fill a position, it is an intense experience to find and train that person. We offer so many styles that it’s a huge undertaking to get a new hire comfortable with all of our offerings. And recently both of my beloved employees, Audrey and Bri, have notified me that they need to phase out of Eli & Barry. So here I am. Wheels off the bus. Screeching halt.

It has me thinking about how I run my business and, frankly, how so many things in my life feel like they have to happen at light speed. What I mean by this is that when I lose an employee, I have to find them ASAP, train them ASAP, and try not to interrupt our production schedule too much. All of that is hard enough, but we also happen to be in a global pandemic which has also caused a significant labor shortage. The task of finding suitable replacements for my all star team seems a bit insurmountable…at least in terms of a fast solution. Did I mention that I also have a 1 year old at home?

So, here’s my next move: we’re taking a break from the made-to-order shop starting Tuesday 10/19/21. My plan is to finish out the pending list of orders and then to take a pause. Then I’ll take the rest of fall and part of winter to just be in my studio space alone to work, create and figure out my next move.

My plan also is to offer you, my beloved customer, some unconventional-for-us options during this wintering season. I have a beautiful cold-weather fabric coming in (in very limited quantity) so I will be able to take a few orders in that fabric that I will likely sew myself. I’m hoping during this period that I’ll have more time to work on some new styles, to finish some projects that seem to linger on my to-do list, to write and to overall just to be very intentional with the next phase of my brand. All of this honors my well-being and mental health. All of this sounds really, really good.

So, like I said above, please get your orders in before Tuesday 10/19/21 if there’s something you absolutely need before the New Year! If you have a pending exchange happening, I will fulfill your replacement order for you outside of this deadline! As always, feel free to email me with questions.

Happy wintering!

layering dress 2 for fall

I wanted to share an outfit with you all that’s been in my head for months now. When I pattern drafted dress 2, I had summer in mind. But if you’re anything like me, you don't tend to swap out your entire wardrobe when the seasons change. I wear mostly the same things year round give or take a layer or two. And although dress 2 is oversized, I definitely imagined being able to layer it. Think pullover 3, a handmade sweater (cropped or oversized) or smock 1 as pictured below. Also imagine tights and boots and a warm wool jacket with a scarf when things really start to crisp up. September and October can’t come soon enough.

dress 2 in navy stripe hemp organic cotton (os 1), smock 1 in deepest blue hemp organic denim (os 1), shoes like pottery sneakers purchased second hand from Poshmark

dress 2 in tea stripe hemp organic cotton (os 1), smock 1 in foam organic cotton (os 1 ) and martiniano glove shoes

meet Amanda (and happy Fashion Revolution Week)

I wanted to take the opportunity during this very special week, also known as Fashion Revolution Week, to tell you more about what goes on behind the scenes at Eli & Barry. What's Fashion Revolution Week, you ask? Well, the movement known as  Fashion Revolution (or Fash Rev) was born after the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh. Rana Plaza housed five buildings that were manufacturing clothing for major brands. An estimated 1,138 people were killed and many more were injured. The Fashion Revolution movement encourages consumers to ask brands the question, "who made my clothes?" While also sparking dialogue about the ethics of fashion. Eli & Barry would love to participate in this conversation.

So, with all that being said, I'd like to introduce you to Amanda, seamstress extraordinaire. She is the one responsible for sewing most of Eli & Barry's online orders these days. I asked Amanda few questions about her sewing journey. Read on below. 

Eli & Barry: Where did you learn to sew?

Amanda: My mom taught me at our kitchen table. I was fascinated with the process. In general, I think I love knowing how things are made. I made my first dress from a pattern in 10th grade. I've done every craft since then including ceramics, beading, stained glass, quilting, and crochet, but sewing always felt right for me. And lately, it serves to keep me sane, provides a creative outlet and allows me to give back to myself.

E&B: I know that you make clothes a lot outside of our work together! What is your favorite thing about clothing making?

A: For me, sewing is the perfect blend of art and science, utility and magic. It requires both sides of the brain and challenges me to be in the moment, sometimes to just watch my hands do their work. I love that it's practical; to use something I've made is deeply fulfilling. Also, garment sewing is my favorite and only post-zombie apocalypse survival skill. 

E&B: Is there a garment you’re striving to make one day? A sewing pipe dream?

A: My next set of goals involve outerwear (anorak, trench, jean jacket, wool coat). Maybe I'll tackle one of them this fall? I sewed my first pair of jeans recently and I'm still riding that high!

E&B: What do you do when you’re not working?

A: I have three young kiddos who keep me quite busy, but my favorite ways to relax include sewing (of course!), hiking, tending my garden, playing in creeks, weekend thrifting, dog snuggles and porch sitting. 

E&B: Do you have specific inspiration you look to when creating clothing for yourself? Other clothing makers in the community or brands you love? How do you choose what to make?

A: I'm inspired very much by indie sewing pattern designers including True Bias, Grainline Studio, Hey June Handmade and Closet Case Patterns. I try to do a good bit of seasonal planning, as well, to keep things as cohesive and intentional as possible. Learning what I like and what I'll wear has been a long process.

Be sure to follow along on Amanda's self-made wardrobe journey on her instagram, @ac_makes. Also, follow the Fashion Revolution movement here. I'll be posting more Fashion Revolution related content this week on my Instagram. 

a shift

I don't know about you all, but my own personal wardrobe is pretty season-less. Meaning, most of what I have in my closet is worn year-round. I tend to layer things up in the winter and keep things linen-filled in the summer. Realizing this about my own wardrobe has had me thinking about a change I want to make with Eli & Barry. I will no longer be offering seasonal collections. I want the pieces that I've worked so hard on, the pieces that I wear deep in winter with a hand-knit sweater or alone in summer, to stay. I don't want to let styles go that are working just for the sake of adding something new and "exciting" to the shop. I want Eli & Barry to exist much like an old friend: there for you consistently no matter what stage of life you're in. 

But that doesn't mean that things won't continue to evolve! I have a launch planned in the next three weeks that will include a few things: current styles in new fabrics, returning styles and a few new styles. Moving forward, I'm looking to add tighter collections of 2-3 pieces when the time is right. That might be as a season transitions or it might be when a piece has been perfected and is ready to be out in the world.

There's a couple of reasons for this change. For one, I'm just one person. And while I have help with sewing online orders these days, I'm still the only one in charge of moving this business forward. I feel like it's a real stretch for me emotionally and physically to push myself to keep up with the traditional fashion calendar. A recent overuse injury in my right wrist has further validated this choice. I also feel like this will promote a slower model of consumption. Meaning you don't have to rush to buy something in case it goes away, but you can really take your time before you make a purchase. Less noise, less clutter. 

Let me know what you guys think and thank you for your love and support! 

dress 1, a style I had available last spring, will be coming back in an organic linen cotton