Meet Judith of Rusty Cuts
Well, my name is Judith and I make dresses and other clothes out of vintage fabric. I'm originally from San Diego, but moved to San Francisco to go to school for graphic design. But, I've always loved sewing and started when I was about 8. So, that gave me a lot of years for heinous fashion crimes like my matching purple sunflower shirt and elastic waist pants.
Even my teachers made fun of me for that. I took sewing lessons for about 4 years, where I learned to follow patterns, but other than that, I'm self taught. I've always loved everything vintage, and am constantly scouring thrift stores and antique shops for cool stuff. So I basically just fused that and sewing into my dream job.
Sally Ann: How and why did you start Rusty Cuts?
Rusty Cuts: I started Rusty Cuts because I was always sewing as a hobby, making my friends clothing and selling at local boutiques. My little sister started a vintage etsy store, and I started one too. It was all vintage at first, but slowly it became more handmade stuff. Now, it's my actual job, which is the BEST THING EVER!
SA: What is your favorite thing to sew and create?
RC: Hmm, my favorite thing to sew has got to be one of a kind dresses. Or anything that has a lot of different pieces, because my favorite part is matching all the different fabrics together. I love stripes, polka dots, florals, and pretty much all other patterns, and am always trying to figure out good ways to mix them together without it getting too overwhelming or looking like a 70s patchwork quilt. (Which is hard!) And it's awesome to make something that can never be recreated.
SA: What kind of music do you listen to, if any, while you work?
RC: I listen to a lot of X, Black Sabbath, The Fall, Motorhead, mostly old rock n roll and punk, with the occasional splash of country in there. I also watch a LOT of movies. I collect VHS, and have a whole wall of them. I'm watching every episode of X Files right now in order. Mulder is such a babe.
RC: I listen to a lot of X, Black Sabbath, The Fall, Motorhead, mostly old rock n roll and punk, with the occasional splash of country in there. I also watch a LOT of movies. I collect VHS, and have a whole wall of them. I'm watching every episode of X Files right now in order. Mulder is such a babe.
SA: Tell me about you tattoos!
RC: Let's see here, I've got an X on my wrist for the band X. I do stick n poke tattoos (I've done about 80!) and this was my first one. Me and all my best friends have them. Then I have an amazing vintage singer sewing machine tattoo on my arm. I've got a knife on my side and one of my friends has a fork, because we love food. And then I've got a spade on my leg, since I love playing card design.
SA: So you live in San Francisco, what is your favorite thing to do there?
RC: My favorite things to do in SF are seeing my friends play music, going to the awesome thrift stores, going to diners for breakfast and eating burritos for dinner! There's a pet cemetery near the Golden Gate bridge that's pretty cool, too. There's a cocker spaniel buried there named Judy Faithful, so she's my spirit animal.
SA: What kind of machine do you sew on? (I love seeing other peoples machines!)
RC: My last sewing machine just took its last breath, so I'm on the hunt for a new one. But I have a pic of it - it's turquoise with red accents, 100% metal, and about 50 pounds.
SA: What do you do when you're not sewing?
RC: My friends just got a pool table so I'm trying to perfect my geometry. Trying to get good enough so I can hustle at the bar! I play a lot of card games, watch movies, mostly just hang out with my amazing friends who are all very talented musicians and artists. Oh, and I have another job, at a vintage clothing store where I get to stare at and try on amazing stuff all day.
SA: Tell me one interesting fact about you.
RC: I think I might be a hoarder. That's kind of interesting, right? I have a LOT of 'collections.' Oh, my hair is dyed red with white streaks and looks like bacon. And I can beat anyone at a fry eating contest.
RC: I think I might be a hoarder. That's kind of interesting, right? I have a LOT of 'collections.' Oh, my hair is dyed red with white streaks and looks like bacon. And I can beat anyone at a fry eating contest.
SA: What inspires you to create your dresses?
RC: I'm definitely really inspired by dresses from the 40s and 50s. I love all the details on them, you just don't see that anymore on all the manufactured dresses sold at Forever 21 and H&M. I love western wear, native american jewelry, tooled leather, embroidery, and vintage patterns.
Thanks for the interview, Judith! I bought one of her dresses for my last fashion show and she is amazing! Check out the links below and tell her what you think of her work.
And take 15% off ANYTHING in her shop with the coupon code "SallyAnn12"!
Links:
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