Welcome To Maxine Makes
Bringing Maxine Makes to life has been a labor of love and I am thrilled to finally share the story of it with you. Maxine Makes started as an idea when I found myself on a path filled with unrelenting creativity. Every day I was wanting to make something new. I was designing my own needlepoint canvases, creating art out of handmade papers, sewing curtains, and upholstering benches. I was always dreaming up the next project I could start. It did not take long for me to see that I needed an outlet to direct all of the creativity I was feeling towards. Soon, I discovered my love of sewing beautiful items. It started with pillows and quickly grew to other elements. Sewing is an art my mom taught me when I was much younger. Many times she made the draperies and blinds for our home and I was always eager to assist. Learning by her example is how I went on to start sewing my own projects.
Creating things for my home comes naturally to me. It is where I spend most of my time, and as someone who has always loved to surround herself with beautiful things that inspire and bring joy, it made sense to create for the spaces I love most. The enjoyment I felt making these elements for my home, and then catching glimpses of them throughout the day, is what led me to think about making them for others. At first, I thought I would only make pillows but after being surrounded by beautiful fabrics I was inspired to make other pieces. I started small with headbands and bows as a way to utilize the remnants from the pillows. It is important to me to use as much leftover fabric as I can. Through striving to be unwasteful I created some of my favorite pieces.
Every Maxine Makes piece is hand made by me at my home in Florida. I sew everything on the Brother sewing machine my mom used and taught me to sew on when I was younger. It has served me so well in bringing joy to form. Before I get to the point of having a finished piece though, every item started as an idea. I would play around with fabric, create a rough design based on what I was envisioning, sew a sample, and then refine what I created before making my own pattern piece. To get to the point where I could launch Maxine Makes I had to learn many new things. I had never started a business before so everything that goes into one was all new to me. I started with my branding because it was important to me that Maxine Makes have a distinguished identity. I found a wonderful brand designer, Shelby Boston Art and Design, who brought to life a beautiful and feminine design I could only dream of. I soon after started designing an e-commerce website on my own. That realm was foreign to me, but through patience and Googles help, I created a website I am very proud of.
As you get to know my brand, I hope you feel the love I put into every aspect of it. I take my time in creating every piece, paying attention to little details, and intending each item has a timeless quality about it. This first collection is the introduction to Maxine Makes. I have many more ideas I am excited to share of pieces reimagined in new fabrics and new ideas I'm looking forward to bring to fruition. As you adopt my pieces into your world I hope they become elements of your treasured life. I create every piece with the intention of bringing joy to form and hope the pieces bring you as much joy as they do me.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know more about Maxine Makes. I am excited for all that is here and yet to come.
-Maxine