Where are you from and where do you live now?
I’m originally from the American Heartland. After getting an art history degree I moved to France to teach English and ended up marrying a kind French gardener. We now live in Alsace together.
How did you start sewing?
I started sewing in order to get to know my Mother-in-Law a little better. She speaks French with an Alsatian accent and I speak French with a Anglo Saxon accent, but somehow we understand each other perfectly when we sew! She received her couturier degree in the 1940’s before World War II and she is a complete 86 year old wonder!
Eva Marie with her Mother in law
It took me a while to override an inner nagging that told me I shouldn’t love sewing clothes, that it was a superficial pursuit. I’ve come to terms with it and can now say confidently that I love it! It’s an art, a skill with integrity which holds the perfect blend of right and left brain stimulation. Working with fabric and color have been incredibly healing for me, too. I’m hooked and hope one day to be as skilled a seamstress as my Mother-in-Law. A favorite piece in my studio is the Borghese Gardens Dress. I employed rows of tucks for the first time. I’d like to master other detailing methods
Describing your personal style in 5 words or less!
Forest Nymph meets Hedonistic Etruscan
Flowering Bulbs Top
Do you have a style icon who inspires your sewing projects? Where do you go to get inspired?
Paul Poiret is straight-up inspiring. And Oscar Wilde because he designed fabulously eccentric clothes for himself and his wife according to what he liked, not by the fashions of the day. I get inspiration from fabric, from dreams, from a cool girl I pass on the street, from the internet, and especially from endless color patterns found in minerals, flowers, insects, and the sky.
Inspirations
What’s your sewing experience like?
My sewing experience takes the form of private lessons at my Mother-in-Law’s in the afternoons. She has a dedicated sewing room with a heavy duty wooden table. We use an old-school mauve singer and I keep my patterns in a wicker basket. Sometimes we listen to German Folk Music because she likes that.
Eva Marie’s sewing machine
What is your dream sewing project?
My dream sewing project is anything involving exquisite fabric! I’d also like to learn heirloom sewing techniques and eventually how to make my own patterns.
Albarosa Dress
How long have you been a member of BurdaStyle?
I’ve been a member of BurdaStyle since 2008 and I love this community. Sharing projects that I’ve completed makes them more real to me. I especially like seeing members’ results and interpretations of the Burda patterns.
Ikat Print Jacket and Liberty in Spring
What is the most frustrating thing about sewing for you? What is the most rewarding?
The most frustrating thing about sewing is my Mother-in-Law asking me why I’ve made such-and-such dumb mistake when I should have known better. She’s an unforgiving perfectionist and it’s sometimes hard to put my ego aside and swallow criticism. But it’s always rewarding when I do.
Check out evamarie’s top ten member project slideshow!
Jul 1, 2011, 09.59 PMby CIRQUEDUBEBE
Oh wow, you are totally living my dreams! What an amazing path you have taken. Your clothes are exsquisite, I’m glad you have found your sewing niche. Thanks for sharing this interview, very inspiring. Now I want to run away to france.
Jul 1, 2011, 08.16 PMby katecner
I love your style!
Jun 29, 2011, 08.47 PMby fayettebelle
Lovely outfits!!! and kudos for your dedication to being the apprentice of a challenging but brilliant taskmistress.
I just inherited trunks full of fabrics from the 50’s – 70’s. I just wish I had your talents to do something fabulous with them.
Well done!
Jun 25, 2011, 02.06 PMby ck-paz
I have studied your photos and I admire your matching of fabric to pattern. You have a charming sense of style, delightfully whimsical, and l like!! You know…my own mother was an exquisite seamstress of the old-school variety and so I understand your words completely. You are indeed a lucky duck!
1 Reply
Jun 28, 2011, 06.24 AMby evamarie
Very cool, ck-paz, thanks for your comment!
Jun 23, 2011, 01.54 PMby daughterfish
I really love your aesthetic, from the clothes to the way you photograph them. It’s so sweet that you get to sew with your mother-in-law, and that’s a shared interest. And that she knows couture techniques, the old-school French kind! Can’t wait to see your future creations.
1 Reply
Jun 24, 2011, 06.38 PMby evamarie
Thanks Sprucedoll!
Jun 23, 2011, 01.09 PMby zsyzu
Congratulations on being a featured member. I love your appreciation for eclectic patterns. And I agree, sewing does have that perfect blend of right and left brain stimulation. Your clothes are so cool!
1 Reply
Jun 24, 2011, 06.38 PMby evamarie
Thanks zsyzu!
Jun 23, 2011, 12.58 PMby turtlegirl00
Your creations are inspiring! And you are lucky to have a mentor—even if she is a bit harsh. I don’t know what I would do without the burda site—it is such a huge resource/inspiration to me! I am glad you were featured—I love your dresses!!
2 Replies
Jun 23, 2011, 03.06 PMby rachelnyc
Thanks for your kinds words about site, it warms my heart to read :)
-Rachel @ BurdaStyle
Jun 24, 2011, 06.39 PMby evamarie
Your words warm my heart to :)
Jun 23, 2011, 05.09 AMby Ariunaa B
I like your dresses. Good luck!
1 Reply
Jun 24, 2011, 06.39 PMby evamarie
Thanks Arlunaa B!
Jun 23, 2011, 03.01 AMby caramia-made
I’m so pleased you’ve been chosen as the Featured Member – I’ve been a big fan of your work for ages! And it’s nice to get to know a bit more about you. Bravo!
1 Reply
Jun 24, 2011, 06.39 PMby evamarie
Thanks for the encouragement Mia!
Jun 22, 2011, 03.25 PMby threadsquare
This is such a lovely interview. Your sewing and learning experience sounds very charmed…you should feel so lucky!
1 Reply
Jun 24, 2011, 06.39 PMby evamarie
Thanks threadsquare!