The birth of Elan 7 Design.
My mom, Lynn, has been an inspiration to me with her creative sewing. She raised seven children and found ways to stretch every dollar out of the clothing budget for our family. She sewed many of our clothes and altered others as they were passed down through the ranks. The years spent trying to outfit a small army honed the skills that she wields today making fantasies and dreams come alive. She got the chance to work as a seamstress with a designer in New Orleans who became a very dear friend. She and I dreamed of designing clothes with many hours spent talking together about the latest from the world of fashion. My mom has an uncanny ability to look at what her customers want from pictures/photos/drawings and re-creating their visions. She has spent several years in New Orleans dressing the colorful and creative characters that roam the streets, perform in the clubs that are the beat of the heart of the city, and the rambunctious performing artists in the city's dancing troupes (a.k.a. krewes). She has even helped outfit one of the city's burlesque troupes when my sister danced with them.
I am a professional hobby collector. My grandmother gave me that legacy when she introduced me to her love of ceramics at a young age. I fell in love with this art as she and I spent hours upon hours creating whatever her molds and our imaginations could muster. She taught me lapidary skills to turn a rock into a piece of jewelry. She could crochet, knit reversible sweaters, leather tool belts, and wallets, create beautiful covered photo albums out of satin, velvet, ribbon, and silk flowers. The list goes on. Whatever she put her mind to, she could figure it out and do it. I'll cherish every memory that I have of working with her on some new craft idea and that is the fuel that drives me.
When my mom told me about Etsy, we brainstormed many ideas but as is the nature of life, we never quite seemed to pull it together enough to ACTUALLY turn it into an Etsy shop. With the world turned on its head by COVID-19 and many people seeking alternative avenues for income, Elan 7 Design was born.
This year has been exceptionally hard on my family. We lost the matriarch of our family, my absolutely, stunningly awesome grandmother, Rena June. Devastating cannot even begin to describe the loss my family felt over losing her. Then my crazy step-dad Brian, the man that many in New Orleans knew as Santa, succumbed to the ravages of COVID-19 in a matter of 3 weeks. So unexpected and devastating. We are recovering and taking each day as it comes. Slowly, like the strong women that we are, we are picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves off, making tamales, kolache, and cookies for Christmas. We will come back in 2022 with a clear vision of what we want to accomplish and create with our combined skills.
We are a creative group of women that have a voice and have something to say through artistic expression in material arts. Stay tuned as we begin to share our new stories.
