The Beginnings of the Hand-Folded Map Dress
My name is Meghan Wilkens, and I’m a creator and purveyor of fantastical paper artwork. I work full time as a United States Naval Officer but run my Etsy business during my free time from my home in Norfolk, Virginia, where I live with my husband and our daughter, who is expected to arrive in May 2015.
I’ve always had a love for artwork and crafts. Growing up, I always found a great excitement out of taking a simple medium like paper or fabric or clay and turning it into something amazing; I loved watching my mother put together quilts or scrapbook and I found a calm happiness in painting and drawing and I still do to this day. I studied Advertising in college, hoping to get into Graphic Design, and after I earned my degree, I changed my plans and decided to devote my time to serving my country. When my sister told me she was going to have a baby girl, I started brainstorming, wanting to give her a meaningful gift, something handmade and one of a kind. I created my first map dress out of a nautical chart, as both my sister and her husband had ties to the Navy. The dress turned out beautifully and I was asked by friends to make more for them and their families. With the pushing and prodding of my my mother, my biggest cheerleader, I started my Etsy store, working on map dresses in the evenings in my 600 square foot studio apartment. This led me to design for several customers and my sales started to grow! My husband and I began thinking about having children of our own and now, with the arrival of our first little girl this coming May, we've moved into a larger condo where I have more space to spread out my designs.
My inspiration comes from many sources, but I usually find myself studying the map I'll be working with, taking into account the special characteristics that each map presents, such as the colors, the borders, the imagery, the typography, etc. I do everything I can to let the layout of the map and all of its characteristics guide the design while still taking into account the needs and desires of my customers.
When I begin a new dress, I visualize the story around the person who is going to hang my artwork on their wall: I think about where she’s been, what she's experienced and why the map she has chosen is important to her. I've had a customer who was married in France and I took special care to make sure the town she was married in was placed over the heart of the dress. Oftentimes, my clients will tell me what locations are important to them and why, and I do everything I can to capture that with my artwork. My main focus is always what will be most important to the customer and what locations will hit close to home.
Etsy has been an amazing platform for me to build my brand and grow in my business. I’ve been on Etsy for just over a year, I've been featured in two different magazines for my artwork, and it has become an amazing hobby and such a wonderful way to keep my crafty hands busy. I’m so lucky to have such an amazing hobby while still doing what I love and serving my country at the same time.
***WANT A DISCOUNT?***
If you are ordering multiples, let me know! You can have a discount for being a Map Dress Lover, like me!
