Today in New York: Malarie Burgess

You all know I love geekeries. That’s why, when I stumbled upon Malarie Burgess’s Embroidery for Geeks line it was love at first sight.
When Malarie, a preschool teacher with a highly developed creative and (may I add) geek side, founded her It’s a Stich shop on etsy, it was all about (very pretty) jewels. But lately a new and funny side of her came to life, and she started manufacturing tons of funny, ironic and nerdy embroideries: from the lemonade code to the most used instant messaging abbreviations.
Great to hang in your office, home or even in your Millenium Falcon walls –if only you owned one.

::Why and when did you started It’s a stitch? A little over a year ago, I was working full-time as Preschool teacher in my home-state of Maryland. I absolutely loved my job, but I found that a big part of my life was missing: creativity. I remembered hear about Etsy from a very good friend of mine, and decided to try it out. I launched my metal jewelry line, knowing I wanted to branch out in the future. After creating my jewelry for a while, I took up a second art – embroidery. I absolutely adore both mediums! I love that I create things for people and their walls to wear. Just recently, my boyfriend and I decided to move up to New York City (we’ve been here since February 2010) with our kitty Banjo. We’re both city-folk at heart, and really wanted to, “go big or go home”, so here we are! I don’t think we will be here forever, but we are loving it right now.

:: Where do you get your inspiration from? It’s no secret to anyone that even slightly knows me: I am a huge geek, a definition that I totally embrace. I know there are millions of other geeks out there who want cool things for their house (and their jewelry box), so I let that speak to me. If I know anything about geeks it’s this: they are a passionate group; I always design with them in mind.

:: Who is your ideal buyer? Anyone who wants to buy! My customers are absolutely awesome, and range from little girls to their grandmas, and I love that my items can speak out to that many people. Plus, anyone who can appreciate artists hand-making goods is cool in my book.

:: What is your favorite NYC place? I have so much to still see here, being a recent transplant. I must admit, I am a major foodie, so I love checking out new and new-to-me restaurants, corner bakeries and mom-and-pop shops. Since there are people from, literally, all corners of the world, you could eat something new for each day in a year. The food in this city is incomparable!

:: Do you think New York can still be considered the place-to-be for young creatives? Well… I moved here, didn’t I?LOL. But I absolutely think this is the place to be for young artists! This city is full of energy, inspiration, history and all around excitement. It’s a wonderful place to experience, especially in your youth.

:: Where do you shop in NYC? Anywhere that suits my style, I don’t really have a favorite spot. I live in Brooklyn and there are so many little shops, thrift stores and boutiques that shopping is endless, and won’t completely drain my back account like shopping in Manhattan would!

:: If I say Italy, you say…? Yes, please! Italy is #1 on my places to visit. I always say, if I ever get rich and famous, I’m just going to travel the world, immerse myself in other’s cultures (and their food!), and truly see the Earth and it’s people in all it’s awesome glory. If I ever get to that point – Italy is going to be my first stop.

Francesca Masoero

Francesca Masoero
Francesca Masoero non è la campionessa di canottaggio che appare se digitate il suo nome su Google. È l’altra, la multitasker. Ha un (in)utile dottorato in cinema e marketing; racconta in modo non convenzionale e creativo New York, Torino e Bologna su NUOK e scrive di eventi, lifestyle e cultura per Lookout Magazine; si occupa di marketing, comunicazione, pr e web 2.0 tra Torino (la sua città natale) e New York (la sua città ideale). In più, a volte fa la stylist e a volte la cool hunter. È creativa, ma pignolissima. Sembra zen, ma è perennemente sull’orlo di una crisi di nervi. La salvano le piccole cose della (sua) vita: il rock’n’roll, la pasta al pesto, internet e il suo nuovo bellissimo frigorifero da 300 litri, pieno di quello che il suo fidanzato chiama “cibo da conigli”.