Meet Catherine Jones | Seamstress, Patternmaker, and Leatherworker

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

Hi Catherine, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
am from a small town in the panhandle of Florida. The school I went to growing up was about a 30 minute drive from our home, so I didn’t have a ton of friends that I played with in my immediate neighborhood. That meant that I spent a lot of time with my parents.

My mom is a seamstress, and I grew up watching her sew all the time. She had a separate craft room that was nearly one quarter of the house. When that wasn’t enough space, it wasn’t unusual for her to have a garment rack full of bridesmaid dresses or other alterations right in the middle of the living room. She allowed me to watch her sew, but I wasn’t supposed to touch any of her machines. But, it was hard for a kid to watch someone doing something that looked so fun and not want to give it a try. I would wait until she went on errands like a grocery store run or a doctor’s appointment, and then I would sew until I heard her car pull back into the driveway. I think she knew all along I was secretly sewing. Even though I made sure to put everything back exactly the way I found it, I made the rookie mistakeofthrowing away my extra fabric in her main trash can. I suspect my dad was the one that talked her into letting this continue over the years.

My dad loved to tinker with things. Sometimes it was old televisions, computers, or his 1963 Cadillac de Ville. I remember this car so vividly. It was pretty unusual to still be driving something like this in the 80s and 90s. But, he did all the maintenance himself and kept it running for what felt like forever. He taught me how to use tools, and showed me that if you buy good quality items and take care of them, they can last a long time. His garage was full of all this wild equipment that looked like it was out of a sci-fi movie. He was a calibration specialist at his civil service job, which makes so much sense to me now. He was always a very precise, measured person and that definitely spilled into his professional life.

Early on when I was making things on my own I saw that I had nearly all the same creative habits as my parents. I moved my bobbin thread out of the way just like my mom does. I bought all the same types of tools she had in her workshop, too. I love fixing old, broken machines just like my dad used to do. I seek out older tools that were meant to last a lifetime, instead of buying newer, cheaper tools that aren’t built as well. Even now, years into my creative career, I catch myself emulating their habits and workflows regularly.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started sewing because I was fired from nearly every other job I had. Even though I have a bachelor of arts from Emory University in Theater (costuming focus), I still thought that would never be a practical career option. So, I applied for front desk jobs at various law firms. My heart wasn’t in the work, and my bosses could tell I didn’t want to be there. I’m sure it was an easy decision to fire me. At the time, I was upset, but ultimately this needed to happen. I needed an outside force to push me into what I really love – creating.

I began doing private costume commissions while I was in college, so I began to slowly pick up more of those jobs. Most of the work I did in those first couple years were mostly for drag queens. I would bring a rolling suitcase full of wig caps, makeup, hair pins, and other consumables to clubs in midtown hoping to sell to the performers. After a while, I became friends with a few and started making costumes for them. Through word of mouth, I started to get more and more clients. These amazing drag queens were patient, enthusiastic, and so creative – without them, I wouldn’t be the seamstress I am today. Their excitement was contagious! I loved making their wild outfits and I learned a lot about fitting unique body types – stuff I would have never learned in school. In fact, the name of my business – God Save the Queen Fashions – came to be because of my time working with drag queens in Atlanta.

Eventually, I ended up working at a car upholstery shop. This wasn’t the type of sewing I was used to doing, but I figured that sewing was sewing and I would at least learn something. I ended up working there for a while, making shift boots and steering wheel covers for Subarus, Miatas, and other zippy fun cars. My boss and co-workers were amazing, and being there showed me the power of being in a positive, uplifting workplace. I’m still good friends with my old boss, too.

But, costumes began to really call to me. During this time, I had started picking up cosplay work as well. I found an online forum, and asked the owner if I could pay him a little money each month to advertise there. He agreed, and that is how I got my first cosplay customers. Just like the drag queens, they told their friends about my work, and I started to grow my customer base.

I had enough customers that I didn’t have as much time to do upholstery, so I had to make the difficult decision to leave that shop. My boss, Joe, was amazingly supportive and even helped me to find better equipment so I could succeed in this new venture.

Fast forward to 2013. I was making cosplay full time and working with other local artists. I started to outgrow the basement I was working out of and my friend Harrison was outgrowing the garage he was working out of. We started to think, “What if we just got a commercial space together?” This would allow us to ease in to the new (substantial) expense and it would give both of us separation between home and work. We got a space in Doraville and while Harrison eventually moved across the parking lot into his own space, I’ve been here ever since!

The next year was the same year we got our first tv job. We made a super hero suit for a show that was filming downtown. We only had 10 days to make it, which seems like an eternity now. At the time, it seemed like an impossible task. But, I’m stubborn and I like a challenge (just like my mom) so I said yes. I knew my team and I could figure it out, and we did. The costume designer loved the costume and it looked great on screen.

Shortly after that, we got our first movie job. We got to make some custom vests for a movie that was going to be on Netflix. After it came out, I bought a poster for my shop and put it in a huge frame. It is still hanging in our hallway.

Those first two industry jobs would have never happened if I didn’t make friends through cosplay and crafting. The contacts who recommended us were both good friends I met at Dragon Con. Something I think about often is the idea that every interaction is an interview. You never know who you are going to meet, or how you can help one another later. Always be polite, Always have your contact information ready. Always have a portfolio at your finger tips (with phones these days, there’s no excuse).

I started to meet more and more people in the industry, and we’ve been doing tv/film work ever since. There are some months where I felt like I barely had time to sleep and eat, we had so much work. But, there are other times where work is very scarce so we spend that time learning new skills or improving the shop. There are definitely a lot of feast/famine cycles, so you have to always plan for that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When friends visit, they are usually creative types like me so our days typically goes like this:

– Wake up and get breakfast at either White Windmill or Taco Veloz in Doraville. White Windmill has fantastic coffee and breakfast sandwiches and Taco Veloz has my favorite egg items in the city which are egg tacos, breakfast burritos, and divorced eggs (two eggs over easy with two different salsas).
– Work on a crafting project in the shop. I have 4000 square feet of space and equipment, so pretty much anything someone wants to sew, paint, silkscreen, embroider, etc…it is all possible at my shop.
– Grab lunch around 2pm somewhere on Buford Highway. You can throw a rock and hit a great restaurant in that area. My favorites are El Rey del Taco, Zam Zam Market, Java Saga, and Gu’s Kitchen.
– Craft until about 7pm, then go to the Buford Highway Farmer’s market to grab some ingredients for an easy dinner and cook at home.

I’ll usually take them to a few great fabric/leather shops as well. Fine Fabrics in Doraville is a must, as is Gail K Fabrics in Norcross. On the way back, we’ll usually check out District Leathers and Tandy Leather as well.

Visiting other nearby artists is always fun, too. There are actually a lot of amazing shops close by. Gano is a wardrobe supply shop. Their selection of paints and dyes is a costumer’s dream. KaliCollection is a vintage clothing rental house. The amount of items they have, and the quality of those items is incredible. Their shop is arranged beautifully as well. It feels like you’re in a fun clothing museum. Two great prop shops nearby are Wooden Leg Studios and Volpin Props. Whenever I need hard pieces like armor fabricated, they are the shops I go to.

I also usually try to talk visiting friends into doing something good for their body and mind, and for that, my favorite place is Joiful Yoga in Sandy Springs, GA. The vibes there are great, and the classes are always exceeding my expectations. It is really easy for me to get lost in my sewing and overwork my hands or shoulders – keeping up with some sort of physical routine has been amazingly beneficial.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Two groups:

First, my parents; They constantly encouraged me, and gave me the tools I needed to succeed when I was growing up.

Second, the Crayola company:
I remember getting a Crayola Fashion Designer kit when I was little. I’m sure the decision to buy that came from my dad, recognizing that it aligned with both my and my mom’s interests, and was a full package that included everything a child needed to stay busy for a few hours (which I’m sure was a relief for them). What he probably didn’t realize is that the kit was literally going to keep me busy for years after and taught me the importance of planning designs.

Website: gstqfashions.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gstqfashions/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/gstqfashions