Samantha Verrone Textiles produces one of a kind and short run home furnishings, clothing and accessories dyed by hand with plants and minerals. Everything is handmade using antique, vintage and mindfully sourced materials. Our focus is on labor intensive rather than resource depleting production. In mending, patching, rearranging, refining, reclaiming, reviving and reconstructing the result is the creation of objects of use and beauty that are made from materials that would otherwise be discarded in many cases - for example, old blankets, antique linen, vintage cotton and silk, burlap coffee bean sacks. The artisans of Bojagi patchwork from 12th to early 19th century Korea and of layered Boro cotton and hemp from 19th to early 20th century Japan and American quilting traditions inspired this sensibility: the patience to repair, practicing thrift, reverence for textiles.
Manufacturing in this manner requires a slow, thoughtful process that values beauty in all its forms, challenging and transcending traditional ideas about beauty. Small flaws like stains or the occasional hole or tear are incorporated into the design or are carefully mended. Even decay can be a thing of beauty and value. Nothing is wasted. Micro scraps are used to stuff cushions or patch fabric. Loose threads are often used for hand stitching. This approach creates amalgams of dyeing and repairing, deconstructing and reconstructing, thrift and embellishment, preservation and reinterpretation. Each piece is crafted to establish a sense of permanence. The fabric has memory and history that can be preserved and revitalized. In this way, the napkin, placemat or table runner, for example, becomes a functional work of art. This is the essence of regenerative design.
Giving is a very important element of this mode of work. A portion of the profit is donated to local charities benefitting our community.