Felted Vests
Years ago, Theis started felting vests from bits and pieces of recycled sweaters to wear herself, and has since sold a few hundred of the one-of-a-kind wearable-art garments.
“Her creations are anything but boring,” DeSmith writes. “One has the fragments of a fluorescent ’80s pullover inset at the hips. Another has a sassy line of pewter buttons — plucked from an Icelandic cardigan — running down the spine.
“Many of the vests are colorful, teetering on the edge of gaudy. So far, the top sellers have been simple, solid black. But even these have a playful edge, as they’re made from contrasting textures such as cable and ribbed knits.”
Theis has been sewing since she was 15, but didn’t try selling her fashions until she retired from teaching in 2005. She took them to to various stores in the Twin Cities, but the response was disappointing.
Then, about a year ago, she went to a sewing expo where her vests caught the attention of Marcy Tilton, a popular designer for Vogue Patterns. Tilton suggested she send her vests to a San Francisco boutique called Kati Koos, where the vests were quickly accepted and sold.
The vests have since spread to upscale boutiques in California and Wisconsin, selling at prices upward of $270.
