Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Leopold.
Hi Chelsea, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a 5th generation sewist and Native American artisan, so I’ve been raised from a little girl with pattern making, sewing, hemming, crafting, etc.
As a child one of my first memories is my mom taking me to pick out fabric and letting me pick out a blue and gold cotton blend with horses all along it. She made me a skirt and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Growing up, whenever I needed a new outfit she was always there to help me make something. Some nights she’d stay up til 2am finishing up a project for me to wear whether it was for pictures or a dance recital.
It wasn’t all perfect though at home when I was a kid, I grew up with a lot of abuse around me and happening to me, but despite the chaos or maybe because of, Ive always liked to create things as a way to truly express myself.
As I got older, I was able to use my voice more and speak up for myself. I was no longer a silenced child but a proud woman fighting for justice and the right to live a peaceful life. After years of an inner emotional battle within myself (coupled with an ongoing legal battle against my abuser that I FINALLY got just for 3 years later), I could now set boundaries that helped me thrive and not just survive. And I didn’t feel guilty for it anymore.
A lot of of this personal growth led me to finally feel like I was free from family and childhood trauma that was holding me back, and I could confidently live a life that I felt had endless hope waiting for me on the other side the moment I stepped free.
As a native woman, I had gone through many changes as well. I felt the work I was now creating was getting better with new energy coming from the creator behind it.
I used this new found confidence to start creating traditional Native American regalia for myself and my daughter, and when I was done with our pieces, I just couldn’t stop. I started to feel moved to blend traditional Native Regalia art in a contemporary way as an homage to the growth I had experienced as a young g girl and woman through out my life.
Since then I’ve been able to connect with so many women and Natives across North America and I feel like lucky and blessed to have a community and home here in the art world.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not all perfect, I grew up in an abusive household and really struggled with what felt like two different versions of me well into adulthood.
I experienced a lot of hurt from the people I trusted the most as a child, and when I tried to speak up I was ignored and yet again left alone with my abuser who was a family member living who had been living with us since I was 7.
I often felt alone and seeked comfort from friends at school or the school counselor.
It wasn’t until highschool when I met my now husband that I really felt safe. I know it sounds crazy, but I was a wild teenager and he was a good student, quiet kid, and the total opposite of me. So I finally felt like I had some inner peace when I was hanging out with him.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in traditional Native American Regalia and also a contemporary blend of formal wear like gowns that really represents a different side of the history of North American culture across that many don’t know exist.
I love to create a story with color pallet and go from there. Sometimes a color needs a texture to tell that story. There’s a lot of elements that goes into dress making that I’m really in love with.
Most people just wear dresses the way they do underwear and don’t give it a second thought if the stitching is straight or not in the inside or if it’s finished off with a French seam. I pride myself in those little details when hand making all my designs.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
That I’m really into anime and Japanese culture! I’m obsessed with it, and i get VERY emotionally invested into characters. I had a Sailor Moon inspired wedding of course and I love nothing more than to sit on the couch and watch a good cheesy k or c- drama while I cry in subtitles and closed captions along with it
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sewleopold.etsy.com/
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/SewLeopold
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15nkg8fweaA/?mibextid=wwXIfr
