Catherine Karp

I’m a former Montessori art teacher who can’t stop teaching. I work with a variety of ages groups in many different types of settings teaching sewing, mending, dyeing, printing, among other things. I live in Massachusetts with my husband. We have two grown boys who live and work in New York City.

My passion for textiles, sewing and scavenging began in childhood. I vividly remember sewing the tail back onto a tiny mouse when I was just five years old. By the time I was ten, I was sneaking into my mother’s sewing room to create tiny clothes for my dolls. During my teenage years, I developed a love for recycling and upcycling (reusing clothing) and remaking vintage and used clothes—who didn’t have a jean skirt back then?

My current journey into upcycling started when I taught an “Upcycling Camp,” where students transformed various clothing items into new and unique wearable art mostly through hand sewing. This experience sparked a deeper interest in repurposing materials, leading me to start making stuffed animals from old sweaters. With the leftover scraps and the growing pile of damaged sweaters, mending became a natural next step. Using simple embroidery stitches and learning Sashiko has expanded my practice.

Indigo dyeing entered my life in a different but equally serendipitous way. As blue is my favorite color, I took a workshop out of curiosity, and I was immediately hooked. The rich color, the use of upcycled textiles, and the unique designs and patterns I could create captivated me. Since then, I’ve continued to explore this process, always using high-quality, natural fiber materials to craft beautiful, comfortable, and unique products.

I hope you enjoy exploring my website as much as I enjoy creating the pieces you’ll find here.