Old Made New Again

It was definitely love at first sight when we first crossed paths with designer Beth Delehaunty and her clothing line,  Elisabethan, in 2006.  Beth makes clothes out of old clothes (or “experienced textiles,” as she puts it), and her creations are charming, fanciful, and fun. When I wear one of her skirts or tops I feel playful and light-hearted.

Beth herself is smart, funny, compassionate, kind, and a little mischievous. She and the clothes she creates inspire me to not miss this life as it zips by! If she lived closer I’d meet her for coffee every Tuesday.

Beth also has an extraordinary eye for design and color. She finds color and pattern pairings that no one else can see. This stripe goes with that stripe which also kind of matches that print with the little stars… a hodge-podge that doesn’t seem to match at first glance, but her wiser eye knows they’re perfect for one another.

Many times over the years I commented to Beth that it sometimes seems a little odd for Nest in Maryland to sell items made out of event t-shirts from Colorado (her home base). Without fail, she always replied, “Well, you could collect Mid-Atlantic shirts for me!” This fall we finally had a t-shirt collection for Elisabethan.  We shipped off a big box full of T’s, including shirts promoting the Redskins, Howard County Bike to Work Day, Save the Bay, and to our delight, Roots Market and Great Sage.  We couldn’t wait to see what Beth and her crew of sewers would do with them!

 A couple of days ago our spring order arrived and it felt like Christmas. There they were, the shirts we’d sent off, re-envisioned with fabulous new personalities. Roots became a star, Great Sage a flower, Bike to Work Day the body of a ruffled top. One of a kind creations reflecting our Nest community!

 We’re definitely going to hold a spring t-shirt collection for Beth – we’ll keep you posted on the details!