Interview with Sirop du Ingenue
I was scouring etsy for hot items and came across Virginia Paine’s shop, Sirop du Ingenue, which has d.i.y. handmade clothing and these adorable earrings:
Silly Girl Heart Earrings
Here is more about Virginia Paine:
What is your business & what do you do currently?
I run a very diy handmade clothing and accessories company called
Milky Boots Comic
Sirop du Ingenue. I also self-publish comics. I don’t have a ‘real’ job right now, but I always have plenty to do!
How did you get started crafting?
Both of my grandmothers are very crafty, so I think they were my initial influence. I spent a lot of my childhood trying to make realistic tack for my model horses. In high school I worked at a bead shop, which is where I learned how to make jewelry. I didn’t do much crafting after high school, until I took a year off college and moved to Philadelphia. The handmade/DIY movement was really taking off there and it rubbed off on me. Well, that and the fact that I was usually pretty broke! Crafting was a cheap alternative to shopping on South Street. I started knitting and altering shirts and haven’t stopped since.
What are your influences?
My friend Laura Patterson has been both a mentor to
Laura Patterson on Etsy.com
me and a huge influence. I love the sense of whimsy in her designs, and their practicality. My friends, too, are a big influence. I’m very lucky to have a lot of creatively fashionable friends. I always like traditional
Napoleonic dress
cultural dress and historical costume; I have an especially soft spot for1810s Napoleonic dresses. However, I would say that my biggest influence is simply my materials. I use as much recycled and vintage stuff as possible, which limits me but also forces me to be more creative.
What is your favorite thing to make?
Anything that doesn’t have a zipper or buttonholes!
Does your city influence what your make?
I’m a pretty recent arrival in Portland, so I feel like it might take awhile for its influence to appear in my work. The one way Portland has influenced my designs is where I’ve been getting my fabric and beads – from a little vintage/resale store called Rerun a couple blocks from my house.
Thank you Virginia for sharing a bit with me!
Glade