Monday, July 7, 2008

Tante Mie

I'm always on the look out for new, precious baby clothes. One of my great Etsy finds is Tante Mie. The whimsical lines, colorful vintage fabric, and attention to detail make this vivacious Norwegian's shop really stand out in the crowd. I can really relate to Marie in one particular way, our children helped inspire us to take the leap and start our own business.

Marie is the mother of two young kiddos, yet she finds the time to hand craft these precious outfits to share with us. Her favorite material is natural fabric, cotton and wool. She spends a good deal of time oneline looking for the perfect fabric with personality, much imported from the US and Japan, and some really great vintage finds from the 60's and 70's.

“I think children should look like children with lot of colours, lot of figures and flowers to inspire the imagination! Watching childrens TV from the 70-ties really gets me inspired. Astrid Lindgrens classics such as Pippi Langstrømpe is just such a lovely film to watch. Apart from that, I can't help myself from making some princess-like hoodies, but I tell all the girls that wear it to be bad Pippi-princesses finding their own treasures and princes, not to just sit in their castle and wait for the prince! I'm not so sure my daughter fully understand what I mean, but I tell her again when she gets bigger :)”

Marie finds her time to create after the little ones have gone to bed. She spends 3-5 nights a week sewing, then wakes up early every morning for her part time job. “Why do I do this? I don't really know. I started when I got my first child, and I just find it more and more fun. Now I am totally addicted to my sewing machine and after getting a lot of positive feedback on a craft fair in December I got even more inspired to make and make and make.. Also I think it gives a meaning to life to make things by hand, you appreciate more the product whatever it is, and handle it with care.” I don't think I could have said it better than that!

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