The 1,200 sq-ft. studio we sit in is full of sewing machines

Nothing fishy about this Sardine



In the heart of the old factory district of Roxborough, there is something special being sewn up. It is quite the cottage industry as the work is, in fact, usually done by hand. Sardine Clothing Company started in 2008 with one woman and a sewing machine.



“I started by making clothing for my son, well, I made clothes for all my kids,” said Maryanne Petrus-Gilbert, owner of Sardine Clothing.



Besides Halloween costumes, when Petrus-Gilbert’s son was potty training, she wanted trousers that the boy could easily pull up and off. Since store didn’t have what she was looking for, she made her own. What makes Sardine clothing unique is from what is it made. Sardine Clothing is a great example of recycling, which was born out her search when making clothes for her son.



“I went to the fabric store to buy cotton knit and they had ugly colors,” said Petrus-Gilbert. “Typical boy colors: red, black, navy, gray, ugly and I was very disappointed.”



It was at her local thrift store that she was inspired. The multitude of colorful t-shirts stoked the fire of creativity.



“Here was every color knit color on Earth,” said Petrus-Gilbert.



Besides trousers for her son, Petrus-Gilbert made skirts with the excess t-shirts for herself. While walking back in the Wissahickon, people would frequently stop her and ask wear she got her skirt. She then made a bunch for her friends…and people kept stopping them, inquiring about the skirts.



“I had a girlfriend who decided to take to a few stores and they got into a few stores locally and it just took off, and now I make tons of them all the time,” said Petrus-Gilbert.



During the recent Manayunk Arts Festival, the Sardine Clothing Company booth had two to four customers when Review reporters passed by on both days. Sardine booth has also been seen at the Chestnut Hill festivals, Firefly, Doylestown Arts Festival, Newport Folk Festival and many others.



“If there’s a festival, I am pretty much there,” said Petrus-Gilbert.



Petrus-Gilbert is no stranger to artisan craft. She is a Tyler School of Art graduate in metals and along with her clothing company also still produces jewelry. She is metalsmith for ford/forland.



“I’m always making something, but I love this” said Petrus-Gilbert as she sits in sews a skirt.



The 1,200 sq-ft. studio we sit in is full of sewing machines,Buy cheapreplicawatches for men and women here. threads, materials, scissors, tapes. Materials are sorted by size and color. Final products are on display near the entrance. It’s a far cry from the 8 by 12 bedroom where it all began. Petrus-Gilbert is considering moving into the space recently vacated by Three Potato Four.



There are no regular hours. But appointments can be made



For a decade, she made her own jewelry, design she describes that “she thought would sell” instead of what she wanted to make. She had a hard time selling that jewelry. It was lesson that she took to heart with Sardine.



“I make what I want to make and I never deviate,” said Petrus-Gilbert. “I get people who come in the booth who ask, ‘Why don’t you make pants? Why don’t you make that?’. Because I make skirts. This is what I do. This is what I do well. There are people who make great pants. Not me.”



Petrus-Gilbert spents most of her time in the studio aided by her ‘minnows’. Each shirt is handpicked before washing and then hung to dry. It gets sorted, cut and assembled, which is where besides festivals, the minnows help. Minnows start off as interns and work their way up. There are three minnow helping Petrus-Gilbert; two part-time and one full-time.



Petrus-Gilbert is most appreciative of her customers, which built from seeing her product and word of mouth. Many of the skirts have an applique or t-shirt logo design. Petrus-Gilbert said that for many customers it is the nostalgia that these images invoke for customers.



Environment is also a concern for Sardine. Since many t-shirts in thrift shops eventually end up in landfills,The louboutinpum is one amongst the foremost in style international models. turning them into a different item of clothing is one way of keeping them out.Here you can take your pick from a wide selection of wintert-shirts.Find the perfect cheapcanadagoose1 for your bridal party.



“I am turning something that is essentially worthless into something that is “Hey this is the best thing in the world and keeping it reasonably priced because I don’t believe that eco-friendly should be expensive,” said Petrus-Gilbert.



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