Meet Michaela Shammas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michaela Shammas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michaela, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
The abundance of excess clothing in the world. In the last decade, fast fashion has taken over the clothing industry and created an insane amount of waste. Many people think that donating to thrift stores makes up for overconsumption, but the reality is that many donations don’t even make it to the racks. I’m trying to do my part to remedy that by rescuing garments and giving them new life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My business is built on upcycling clothing. Each garment is 100% unique and comes with an original piece of artwork on the back, hand-selected, cut, ironed, and stitched by me. If you find something you like in my shop, you will never “find it in another size” because there will only ever be one. Because of the unique and personal nature of my work, I have recently moved away from online sales. You have to find me, or a place that carries my work, to feel it, connect with it, and try it on.

I’ve gotten to where I am today through a slow and natural progression. After high school, I did the hippy thing, chasing music around the country, selling my wares for gas and ticket money. As I settled down, my work got more complex and diverse. I began to find stores to carry my work, starting with Kind Mountain Collective in Idaho Springs. Next were small music festivals, and then I moved on to bigger festivals and art shows. I have to credit my husband with some of this. Whenever I get comfortable at some level of creation, he pushes me to go further and deeper into my work.

My most recent challenge was losing my job. It was like a security blanket of a side gig that didn’t take up much time, but covered the bills. I’m coming up on a year from that loss, and I’m gaining confidence that this endeavor will support my life!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live on the Western Slope, so out here it’s all about the outdoors. Paddleboarding at our local reservoir, or up at Lost Lake on Kebler Pass, and a hike and a pic-nic at the Black Canyon. We would definetely check out one of the nearby mountain towns like Telluride or Ouray. For food, we would go to Slow Groovin BBQ in Marble, and drinks and dancing to some local live music at Big Bs in Paonia. For me, it’s less about excitement and more about just being outside and connecting with each other.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When I was in high school, I got grounded for a month for drinking at a party. Less than a week into my sentence, my stir-craziness started to get to my mom. She knew I needed an activity, so she took me to a liquidating Joann Fabrics, which helped me start my fabric collection. She got everything I needed to get started – materials, patterns, notions, etc. I spent the next month tinkering around with it all, and that’s pretty much where it all started.

Website: https://www.astitchintime.shop

Instagram: @astitchintime000

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aStitchInTime000/