We LOVE Elsie Q.

There are a few designers we'd really like to get inside the mind of and top on everyone's list at Flirt is Angela Smith of Elsie Q. We never know what we're going to see when she comes in. She is always full of surprises! Sometimes it's tea towels with grizzly bears or billiard tables, sometimes tshirts with goldfish and googly eyes, and sometimes, when the stars perfectly align, there are Wiener Dogs. . .

Yes, Weiner Dogs. These amazing little guys are lovingly created by Angela from scraps of felt and flannel and you can't look at them without grinning. They are so colorful we couldn't help but put them all over the shop!




Of course Angela isn't limited to the canine variety of handmade delights. No, no, no!!! There are crocheted octopi and knitted teapots, too!


















In addition to these adorable creatures Angela produces silkscreened tshirts and home goods, dresses, bags, and much more.







What we love most about Angela is her willingness to infuse everything she makes with a lot of color and a little humor. For more Elsie Q. items stop by Flirt!

Flirt Gets Green at the Grand Army Farmer's Market

So we make clothing. And what happens when you make clothing? You make fabric scraps. Lots and lots of fabric scraps. We don't want to throw them away because, to be honest, it's wasteful and some of them are big enough for small projects but they pile up faster than we can quilt them. So we keep them.

Here is just a fraction of what we wind up with:

Recently Patti did a little research and found that, indeed, there is a place that recycles fabric scraps and it's close by. So this Saturday morning she staggered over to Grand Army Plaza carrying two huge Ikea bags (oh Ikea bags, we love you) filled with scraps and scraps of fabric.

What a relief to get rid of all those little pieces without having to add to any landfills. They not only accept fabric but also clothing, shoes, bedding, linens, hats, handbags, and belts. So if you have clothing, shoes, or fabric you just don't know what to do with lug it over to Grand Army Plaza next Saturday. And we all know what more closet space allows for. . .more clothing, shoes, and fabric, of course.

For more information check out http://www.cenyc.org/clothing