Rochester's Lilac Festival Was Awesome!

We're just back from our first "big" show outside of Cooperstown - we went to Rochester's Lilac Festival with our tent, our refashioned wearables, and some butterflies in our stomachs! It was really a fantastic experience - we worked super hard, and experienced just about every weather disaster, including hail, torrential rain, and huge gusts of wind, one of which actually blew the top of our tent AWAY!!!

BUT....people loved our clothes, and they bought a lot, and it was great feedback and encouragement for us. We absolutely love Rochester, and will try to go back soon. Here are some pictures of our booth, and a few of the wonderful people we met:

Our favorite thing is when people find the perfect wearable among our one-of-a-kind selection. Don't these ladies look fantastic? (We think our customers are the nicest, and most fashionable, people in the world!)

Our next show is this weekend - we'll be at the Nyack Street Fair on Sunday - please look for us...we'll be in front of the Library!

Our Exclusive Cooperstown T-Shirts

at quirky works studio, every day is Earth Day!!

Today we are announcing our exclusive line of 100% recycled Cooperstown t-shirts! Each one is unique. Made entirely out of recycled materials, including thrift store shirts and vintage and remnant fabric, the shirts are hand-crafted by Martha and Karen. We purchase clean, sturdy used shirts locally, then match them with our fabric and thread stash, then stitch and cut. We have a range of sizes and styles – kids’, women and men. We even have sweatshirts that we’ve recycled. Our supply is based on what we can find in our local re-sale shops. We try not to buy anything new – even our thread! That means that our shirts are unique, and they’re affordable, because we can pass our frugality on to our customers.

The shirts feature two designs: one is "coop" which stands for Cooperstown, NY, where we live and work. The other is "local" for the folks who live here all year.

The t-shirt pictured below (and in the detail above) is a men's size XXL athletic tank that we think would be adorable as a tunic with a little white cami underneath. Unless you are a big man, and you'd like to wear it "as is" - that's fine, too. The orange jersey t-shirt is embellished with our exclusive cut out "coop" design, and the underlying fabric is a paisley in shades of orange, pink, red, light blue, and yellow. This t-shirt is priced at $25. (Click the Buy it Now button below to purchase.)

We just love this shirt - shades of Spring in stripes of light green, with our "local" design on the front. The underlying fabric is a happy vintage floral print of red, blue, and white flowers on a yellow ground. Women's size medium/large. $25 (Click the Buy it Now button below to purchase.)

This polo shirt is a kids' size medium (12), although it would fit a petite woman, as well. We've refashioned this polo shirt with the "local" design cut out of the back. The underlying fabric is a great geometric vintage print, suitable for boys or girls, in black, red, and white. This shirt is priced at $20. (Click the Buy it Now button below to purchase.)









This long-sleeved henley t-shirt, a women's size medium, features the "local" design cut out of the back. The underlying fabric is a happy, floral vintage print - faded blue background with sprays of yellow, orange, and pink flowers. The front of the shirt has been left in its original state, with a row of 9 pearly buttons. SOLD

Martha and Karen never outgrew the whole "hippie chick" thing. We could not resist this great tie-dyed t-shirt. It's a women's size medium/large. Tie-dye is shades of gold, turquoise, and red, and the "local" design is cut out of the front. The underlying fabric is a paisley on a white background - shades of red, turquoise, gold, and pink. Peace and love. SOLD

This kids' size medium polo shirt features our "local" design on the back, with an underlying vintage fabric in tones of turquoise, tan, and green. The shirt itself is a beautiful, soft leaf green. Priced at $20. (Click on the Buy it Now button below to purchase.)

More Items For Sale

March 1st! To quote Karen's mom, "The back of winter is broken." We've had a little bit of melting, although it's back to being cold today, but spring is definitely close by. Don't even try to remind us of the May snowstorms in Cooperstown...we can't hear you!

So, here are a few more items for sale - bright things that remind us of Spring!

This grey jacket started out as a plain-Jane top. She cried out for some embellishment, which she got it in the form of fabric covered buttons, vintage and found trim, and some creative purple stitching, which, we're afraid, probably won't show up in the photos. This is a soft-structured, sweatshirt fabric jacket. It is a size Medium/Large (will fit loosely on a size 8, and will fit up to a size 12). Recycling never looked so good! SOLD.

This embellished denim jacket reminds us of Spring, with lots of floral ruffles, and an extra treat: a vintage enamel floral pin, which is included! A great denim jacket (Levi's), size Large, has been treated to a healthy dose of vintage lace and found fabric ruffles in shades of Spring: pink, purple, orange, red, and green. Vintage orange rick-rack brightens the jacket, as does an appliqued patch of multi-colored birds on a fruit tree. The awesome vintage enamel floral pin is included, because it just looks so darned good on this jacket! SOLD







This apron really makes us think of Springtime, because it was designed as a gardening apron (but you could wear it for cooking, crafts, whatever...). It started out as a thrift store dress, but you can tell that it's much better as an apron. In shades of pink and grey, this garment is ready for work, but doesn't mind being a little gussied up! Her pocket is a nice, deep one made from a vintage kitchen towel, and she has an appliqued flower on the front, plus a fabric-covered button fastening the back. Cut to fit all sizes, nice and loose - and meant to be a beautiful over-garment! SOLD

Buy Our Stuff!

We've been promising to offer our Quirky Works for sale, so here they are! (And we'll try to add more every day...including accessories and jewelry)



First up, What Women Talk About, an altered denim jacket with hand applique, hand embroidery, vintage fabric, and a fun theme! This jacket is sized large,which should fit from a size 12 to 14. The two women on the back of this jacket are talking about lots of topics, such as dreams, politics, and friendship. Bright reds, yellows and blues with splashes of orange and green adorn this jacket. $85.00 (shipping is $5.00)

Check out this lovely Floral Fantasy purse, pictured below. It is created from a melange of found and vintage fabrics, specifically an old throw pillow lined with a church sale placemat and a vintage button for fun. Bag measurements are 14" wide x 11" tall; the strap hangs down 15". Simple, basic construction, no pockets or zippers. A great everyday bag, and the ultimate recycled accessory! $24.00 ($4.00 shipping)

Below are photos of an altered denim blazer - a wonderful, medium-sized blazer with some stretch to it. The jacket has been embelleshed with a great vintage needlepoint tapestry of a rose or peony, plus vintage trim at the bottom edge and cuffs. The needlepoint flower is in tones of red, pink, and cream, with gold accents. This blazer will fit, because of its stretch, sizes 8 through 12. SOLD

Here's an altered skirt - size 8 - in a lovely, soft brown denim, designed to sit a little low on your hips. The skirt has been embellished with vintage curtain fabric, in shades of pink, red, purple, and green, plus some big, plush, purple rick-rack, and vintage lace trim. A great one-of-a-kind, recycled wearable from Quirky Works Studio. SOLD