I’m a Texas girl and sewing's in my DNA. My mother Nancy taught me how to sew when I was a young girl, just as her mother Inez, my grandmother, taught her years before. I learned on my grandmother’s Bernina, and when I graduated from high school, I used my graduation money to buy my own machine. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been designing and sewing up clothes and accessories for my friends and myself.
After graduating from college with a degree in fashion design, I moved to New York City and worked in the fashion industry. Walking home from work one day, I saw a beautiful baby blanket made with vintage handkerchiefs in the window of a fancy children’s clothing boutique, and I thought, “I can do that.” So I bought a bunch of vintage handkerchiefs at the 6th Avenue flea market, and whipped up my own baby quilt. I started collecting vintage handkerchiefs and linens; I’d find them in antique stores, flea markets, and on ebay. An old family friend’s grandmother had boxes of old linens she couldn’t bear to throw out so she gave them to me. My mom sent me vintage pillowcases she’d found at flea markets in East Texas. Before long, I had boxes full of vintage linens and my collection was threatening to take over. I’d seen an adorable infant’s dress in a magazine and decided to make one like it for a friend’s 9 month daughter by sewing one of my vintage handkerchiefs to a Onesie. My friend loved it, and encouraged me to make more. I bought a pack of Onesies, sat down at my Bernina, sewed up a dozen little dresses, each one-of-a-kind, and on a whim, took them to a children’s boutique in Dallas. The owner bought all 12, and a week later, called me and ordered 12 more. Then a week after that, she order yet another dozen.
And that’s how my company started. I’m a Southerner, and my husband is a Yankee, so I decided to call my company Southern Yankee. Since then I’ve been creating one-of-kind handmade accessories and children’s clothing using vintage linens and other up-cycled fabrics. I love making all sorts of new things from old things. I hope ya'll love my creations as much as I enjoy designing and sewing them.
Let me know what I can start stitching for you!
~Jennifer
203-423-3341
