Meet the Creative Team Behind Sew Dandelions Studio

Founder/Owner. Fashion Designer and Instructor of Sewing, Draping, Fashion Illustration, Embroidery, Fashion + Accessory Design.

With a passion ignited at the age of four, I began drawing and sewing alongside my grandmother. By eleven, I was illustrating my own designs.

Armed with a visual arts degree, I ventured to Parsons School of Design in NYC, specializing in women's and children's fashion, earning the prestigious Golden Thimble Award.

My journey led me through diverse design realms, from delicate bridal gowns to commercial textiles for hotels and boats. However, my heart found its place in children's wear, where my little dresses graced national retailers, from Nordstrom to TJ Maxx.

During the beautiful chaos of raising my family, I delved into teaching. From fashion and sewing programs at art museums in Massachusetts, to costume making in Boston, my expertise expanded. Maternity leave became a canvas for sharing knowledge, including fashion portfolio college prep, private art and art history lessons, and sewing classes.

While I don't label myself as a seamstress, I embody the essence of a fashion and art creator. Proficient in hand sewing, couture finishing, and the intricacies of both home and industrial sewing machines, I'm here to impart wisdom and awaken your creativity.

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I don't miss commuting to NYC. Now my commute to Sew Dandelions Studios is under five minutes by car, yet somehow I'm still capable of being “fashionably late”.

Both my adult sons and my husband know how to operate a sewing machine with “ease” and are able to mend clothing and sew on buttons. I'd say I've done OK.

Sewing Instructor

Cristina Phaneuf, aka Bumbleroot Design, has been creating and publishing bag patterns since 2019. She focuses on developing construction techniques that reduce bulk and don’t require special tools or machines, making this an accessible and affordable craft for home sewists. She’s no stranger to teaching, as her patterns are accompanied by full-length step-by-step video tutorials for visual learners. She also has a passion for vintage sewing machines that she rehabilitates and maintains on her own. You can see some of her vintage industrial sewing machines at the Sew Dandelions studio.

You can find her other patterns online at bumblerootdesign.com, or follow her on TikTok at @bumblerootdesign and on Instagram at @bumbleroot.design.

She lives in Summit with her husband, two teens, and two cats.

Sewing Instructor - QUILTING

Malathi Ananthakrishnan is an architect and textile artist who lives in New Providence, NJ. She develops beautiful designs, experimenting with creative methods to work with fabrics.  

Malathi dyes fabrics by hand, sometimes employing a cyanotype printing process with light sensitive emulsion on fabric. She has also worked with resist methods, such as batik dyeing with wax resists, and Ikat or shibori methods, which use stitching or tying as the resists to the dye.  

After preparing the fabrics, Malathi cuts and sews them into original patterns, experimenting with geometry and exploring different methods and mathematical solutions.

Color has always fascinated me from a very young age. Vibrant saris and striking tropical flowers surrounded me while growing up in India. At home, there was always colorful fabric and yarn around as my mother would sew, knit, and embroider. My great-great grandmother had learnt to sew and embroider from English missionaries in the late 19th century and passed it down. I learnt the creative arts from my mother and grandmother, making me a fifth-generation textile artist. Once I started working after college, I had time in the evenings, and I started experimenting with fabric and developing my own style.

In the beginning I made quilts with strips, squares and half squares using traditional patterns. Then, I started to make my own patterns taking inspiration from nature. I learnt to dye fabric so that I could get the exact colors and gradients I wanted.

Each piece, or sequence, takes a lot of time to design and execute. I start with an idea or inspiration and then design my own piece. I work out the methods of construction. I have to either find the right fabric in the store, or dye it myself, depending on the colors and designs I have in mind. Then comes the work of actual cutting and piecing the top in the most efficient way. Learning new things and enjoying the process are my main goals.

Business Operations Manager

I am a rising senior at Case Western Reserve University studying Statistics and Economics. At Sew Dandelions, I work behind the scenes managing operations to ensure everything at the studio runs smoothly. I enjoy listening to music, spending time with friends and family, and spending time outdoors.

Intern

My name is Lorena, I’m 15 years old, and I love fashion. I enjoy sewing, sketching out designs, putting together outfits, and listening to music. My favorite color is navy or cherry pink and my favorite textile is either silk, cotton, or cashmere.

Intern

Hi everyone! My name is Anika, I am 14 years old, and I have been sewing since I was 8 years old. I love working with cotton and jersey knit, and I love floral fabrics. As well as sewing, I play ice hockey and field hockey, enjoy baking, and love listening to music.