About Motokitty

MOTOKITTY!

Motokitty has been a long time in the making. I've been sewing, creating, welding, knitting, painting, beading, weaving, metalsmithing, (this list is really endless... My only creative nemesis is the crochet hook) since I was old enough to know that "those are mom's scissors, and you can't touch them".

My Motokitty alter-ego was born in 2001 after (I'll be blunt) a shitty break-up. Around this time, I had purchased my first motorcycle (an '86 Kawasaki KZ600), and was working at a high-tech job here in the Silicon Forest. I found myself with a lot of time on my hands, and a lot of creative energy flowing. I dusted off my mom's sewing machine, started drawing my own patterns, and started getting down to business. Boy, what a fun distraction! I can make things, and have a pretty good looking finished product when I'm done! NICE! I was also making jewelry at this time (and still do to this day), after my Grandma Greta gave me a box full of her old junk jewelry from the 60's and 70's to cut up and work with. I used to pretend I was Mr. T as a kid with all of her necklaces on, so it was a fun reminder when I received this box 'o treasures.

I acquired a bunch of fantastic vinyl fabric from Michigan, and the fun didn't end. If you read my blog (which if you haven't, get snappy!), you'll know that many of these fabrics I was working with in "the early years" were automotive upholstery fabrics from cars straight out of Detroit. Here's where I got giddy.

Flash forward to 2005, and out of nowhere, I decided to quit my job. Well, it wasn't completely out of nowhere, but I had no plan whatsoever. I just needed to get out of that place. I spent that summer living like a rockstar, sewing, and doing a lot of soul searching.

In December of that year, I partnered with Modified Screenprinting and Design, and we opened a retail boutique in SE Portland, which is still open to this day. Recession and economy be damned.

Today, I'm still sewing. I've upgraded from the machine my mom gave me to a full fledged industrial machine. ooooh! My style has changed a little bit, and I have to admit, I'm obsessed with glitter. The majority of my styles today incorporate authentic Zodiac Naugahyde fabric, which has been in production since the 60's. You often see it on stools, chairs, bars, bumper cars, and other items which require a razzle-dazzle factor. I'm also working with authentic automotive fabrics still, straight out of the Motor City. If you want an accessory to match your Classic American Automobile, I'm your girl. Aaahhh. New car smell.

Contact me to set up a design appointment. I've got hundreds of options in regard to fabric, and would love to geek out and create a custom one of a kind piece for you. I mean, you're one of a kind, shouldn't the one piece you carry your life in be one of a kind too?

Thanks for checking out my online store. If you want to chat, email, or hang out, contact me!

XO
Cari