Maker’s Monday

It is time to start spotlighting some of our local makers and to kick it off, why not the woman A Sea of Bloom Owner, Karen Stones, refers to as “The Queen of up-cycling,” Gillian Gravenor of Urban Gypsy.
 

Gillian is the creator of the beautiful, eco-dyed, up-cycled from vintage handkerchief, banners that adorn the walls at A Sea of Bloom with stencil art of foxes, ravens, mushrooms, owls and hearts. She is also the artist behind many pieces of re-purposed,up-cycled jewelery, stuffed animals, tablecloths and hair clips that can be discovered throughout the store.

For Gillian, the desire to create was nurtured from the start. “I learned to sew by hand when I was eight, sitting on my grandmas knee and I still have her old hand crank sewing machine,” she says. “My mom never yelled at me for making a sewing mess and the lady across the street let me dig in her huge scrap bin,” adds Gravenor. “Sewing is my passion.”

 

In her teens, Gillian added patchwork and eco-dying to her roster. Thrift shops became a world of wonder and treasures that she could turn into something new altogether like kimonos from scarves. She still utilizes this craft with, “fancy fabrics like vintage cottons,” she says. This is highlighted in the patchwork tablecloths found at A Sea of Bloom.

 

The eco dying was inherited even earlier. “My great grandfather ran the Bombay Dye Works (in India, yes), at the turn of the last century,” says Gravenor. “I think it’s in my DNA.” While she is inspired by plants and leaves found throughout the island, Gillian steers towards the use of those she finds at her home in Sooke. “I love using the yellow dock and alder leaves at my place to accentuate the eucalyptus from A Sea of Bloom,” she says.

We are so grateful to our local artists who help make Sooke and A Sea of Bloom such a beautiful place to visit. Thank you for sharing your talent Gillian!