Jilly Atlanta: Clothing for Childhood

It all started with wanting to see what her mom was doing. She was 6. She’d sit in back of her mother’s sewing machine and take out pins as she sewed away. Her mother said she really never ever taught her daughter; she learned from osmosis. But she taught her. And what she learned stayed with her.

She kept sewing throughout childhood, college, and after. Right when she got married, she began working for Ann Taylor Loft. That one place made a huge difference in her skill. It was really the jump start to sewing a different way. It was at this point she began altering patterns. She wasn’t happy with just a sewing pattern as it was. She wanted to create the kind of clothing that she was selling at the Loft. She wanted darts, pleats, gathers, and tucks. Lining was essential, and she found this all exhilarating. Her husband thought she should start making her own patterns. That was 15 years ago. So with her sketching and his help in graphics, they created Jilly patterns. She doesn’t want to ever stop making clothing, so she continues to sew garments. Custom made. She loves it.

Recently, Jilly Atlanta has made its way into a shop on the westside of Atlanta. It is called Crafted Westside. It is home to many local artists. They pride themselves in delivering quality handmade items from individuals around the Atlanta area. It is “shop local” at its finest. There you can see and touch Jilly’s ready-made garments (and a few other things) for yourself. If you are not in the Atlanta-area, you can check out Jilly’s incredible work in her shop, Jilly Atlanta, on Etsy.

The words above were written by Jilly herself and I changed them a bit to fit this post. I stumbled upon her gorgeous work a few months ago & fell completely in love. The beautiful bonnet that Marina is wearing in this post was handmade by Jilly.

Over the years, I’ve heard the phrase “heirloom-quality” used to describe certain things. I’ve never used the phrase myself and I really never gave it much thought. Then this bonnet arrived in the mail. As I held it in my hand and looked it over, I thought, “This is a piece that is so well-made, it will stay in our family for generations. This. This is heirloom-quality.” Jilly herself never used that phrase to describe her work. In my conversations with her, she has been nothing if not incredibly kind & humble. However, I am happy to report that her work is, in fact, heirloom-quality. I am grateful to be able to feature it here and I look forward to purchasing more pieces from Jilly’s shop as my children grow.

(Marina’s faces kill me!)

Many thanks to Jilly Atlanta for teaming up with me to bring this post to you. You can check the shop out on Facebook and on Instagram, too.