About MelisaDesignsStudio

First I make one for myself.

Welcome to MelisaDesignsStudio — a place where fabric, color, and a slightly unreasonable number of ideas come together

There has always been something satisfying about taking a piece of fabric and turning it into something useful, or taking a pile of seemingly unrelated materials and figuring out what they could become. That drive to make more is at the heart of the Studio.

I love pretty things. I love ridiculous things. I love things that make me stop in my tracks because the fabric is just that good.

But I especially love making things that do something.

I make things because I want them. If it isn't useful, I probably won't make it. A bag in exactly the size I need. Something for the kitchen. A quilt because I have an idea I can't stop thinking about. A little something made from a fabric I absolutely had to have. Sometimes I start with a pattern, sometimes with a pile of scraps, and sometimes with nothing more than “I wonder if I could make that?”

The result is a shop that is always evolving. Some MelisaDesignsStudio pieces begin with an original design and are carefully planned from the beginning. Others happen because a particular fabric simply had to become something — a great look, an irresistible idea or a customer request, a favorite pattern, or a material that deserves a second life.

There are limited runs, one-of-a-kind originals, made-to-order designs, and plenty of experiments along the way. The collections move between quilting, sewing, embroidery, upcycling, and other creative pursuits, so there is no single “one look” — and that's intentional.

The common thread is simple: if I wouldn't want to use it myself, I don't make it.

These are things meant to be used, loved, lived with, and enjoyed.

That's part of the fun.

Now I want to make more!

Somewhere along the way, this little studio became a shop. 

That's where you come in. This is your invitation to come in and look around.

Welcome to my house. Welcome to my Studio.

Find a bag. Peek into the quilted things. Find something useful. Find something completely unnecessary that you nevertheless suddenly cannot live without. Choose a fabric. Customize something. Or just wander around and see what I've made.

Have fun looking around. I'm glad you're here.

— Melisa