The dream continues...

The Dad’s Rags Story

As a resale shop owner for many years, I would get boxes of men’s suits and ties and always wonder what stories went along with these items. Was this his lucky suit for job interviews, did he get married in this one and how did he pick his tie or was it his kid that did that part…..some of the ties were just beautiful and made from amazing fabrics.

As a little girl my Dad wore a suit everyday and commuted into NYC like lots of other dads. He wore a top coat and hat, carried his briefcase to the train station. When he would get home, I would hear his car drive up and run outside to greet him…..jumping into his arms and checking his front suit coat pocket for my treat…..he always had something for me….I was a daddy’s girl big time and he was my hero. I always remember how sharp he looked in his suits and would play in his closet with his ties….all the colors, designs and fancy fabrics were amazing to me, even as a little girl. Then my Dad retired and his suits and ties were donated never to be seen by me again....

Back to the suits in the boxes at my shop….they were made so well and if they came with a vest that was a bonus. As the time pasted I always wondered what could I do with these older pieces, why are they just sitting and being ignored by shoppers. Doesn’t someone have a great idea for these old wonders of true craftsmen….what ever happened to my Dad's box of treasures that were just donated?

My idea was just around the corner.......I just didn't know it, yet.

One slow day a lady came in a dropped off a huge box of beautiful ties…..after she left I grabbed a handful….dropped them on the counter and began to play with designs of fans, starbursts and then I grabbed a vest…..and Dad’s Rags was born, this was 2014.

On a random weekend day one of my regulars came in and she shared that she was a seamstress….so the conversation began and I showed her my vest idea…..she took it home and came back in 1 day with a finished product. She was excited because she felt the same way about ties and how pretty they are but just going to waste. So we began designing vests, added the suit coats next and then small shoulder bags were created too.

Then she moved away……and my dream stalled because I do not know how to sew.

Enter 2020, Covid and being stuck at home and having my job move to my home as well….The shop has been closed for a few years but my dream of dad’s rags was always in the back of my head, and all my left behind creations were hanging in the guestroom closet…A friend of mine came over and I showed her my old creations and she said I needed to learn to sew and start this project again, after all we all have a ton of time on our hands now. So my friend my Amazon delivery guy brought me a fancy new Brother machine and my new hobby of sewing began. So now I could begin my project again and be creative without waiting for someone else to help me ( she was right)….so my new Covid goal was to teach myself to sew. Off to the local craft shop and many toys to go along with my new shiny machine we purchased, along with my first pair of Fiskar scissors!

So needless to say the journey has begun and taking these old treasures and making them into one of a kind wearable art pieces is taking off again…..I find myself losing time in my craft room and creating such different and unique pieces each day…..one of these days this will be my main source of income…until then its my favorite new hobby. I get lost in thrift shops for hours digging in baskets of ties, hankies, pocket squares, window valances and misc. pieces of material....pure heaven for me.

So I have attached a few pictures of the original pieces and am working on new ones daily. This prize money would help me to reorganize my work space, get a real sewing table and help with marketing……this is such a joy for me to be creating my works of art now…..I love my new hobby!!

Thank you for reading my story……