Amanda Wagstaff

Imperfect Textiles

What’s your story?

I grew up in rural Southside Virginia, and I come from a family of creatives. My mother was a textile designer and to this day she always has some textile or fiber project going on. My father is a builder and a woodworker. As a child, I was always building or making things. I think I had a deep desire to be an artist, but did not think it was something that I could actually pursue. I was very lucky to meet mentors and art teachers in college who encouraged me to give myself permission pursue art seriously.

I studied painting and drawing for several years, but eventually realized that I wanted to work more directly with raw materials and my hands. In 2014, I started "drawing" on paper with hand-sewn stitches and slowly transitioned to hand-sewing and hand-dying salvaged fabric.

My art practice continues to evolve from one year to the next, as I try to reconcile having a full-time day job with a deep need to spend time in my home studio. In 2019, I decided to open up my solitary studio practice in a way that allowed me to directly interact with friends and folks in my community. My teeny tiny business Imperfect Textiles was born, with the goal of offering my sewing and mending skills to the public. Besides sewing services, I also have a small online shop where I sell small artworks & functional textiles objects.

What are your values?

The mission of Imperfect Textiles is to encourage more thoughtful consumption of textile goods by offering affordable mending and sewing services to the greater Charlottesville area, so that community members have the option to alter, repair, and personalize their clothing and household items.

Why "imperfect" textiles? Because I want to resist the ever-present cultural pressure to achieve ‘perfection’ and to reexamine what it means. Imperfections, flaws, scars, mistakes - these words have some negative connotations, but they also imply experience, time, humanity, stories. Imperfections in textiles, whether it’s uneven stitches, faded dyes, or handmade patches are part of the character of the object, not a reason to throw it out. Embracing imperfections is a practice of being more thoughtful, less judgmental, and more curious about ourselves and the material world.

All of the fabrics I use are salvaged (used clothes or household textiles) or fabric scraps that have been donated to me. I also hand-dye fabrics with natural dyes, like indigo, madder, and goldenrod, some of which is grown in my garden or near my home.

Are you open to collaborations or custom work?

Because I have a full-time day job, I can only take on a few projects at a time, but I am open to collaborating on projects and custom work! By nature, I love to problem-solve, so I am also available for consultations or advice about sewing or textile projects.

Where are you located?

Virginia