SELENA ZHEN
Craft and Seam: Resource Conscious Products for Social Good
Portrait courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Bachelors of Architecture degree with a Minor in Human Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University
Junior Designer at David Cunningham Architecture Planning
Founder of Craft and Seam
Selena Zhen is a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.Arch and Minor in Human Computer Interaction. Her interests in narrative and experiential design extend to architecture-adjacent fields like UI/UX design, graphic design, advocacy, and an Etsy shop for social good. In July 2020, Selena started Craft and Seam as an effort to make small “resource conscious” products, and donate its proceeds to non-profits and organizations in need. As of March 2021, she has donated over $2,100. Selena is newly based in New York City as an Junior Designer as her first step into the professional field of architecture.
Inspiration
What inspired you to start a publication, photography and jewelry?
I have had the opportunity to work on a lot of textile and clothing projects over the last few years, starting with the Lunar Gala fashion show at Carnegie Mellon (a huge student run runway and design show)! I worked on two lines with my friend Michael Powell, which was a really great way to jump into learning how to make clothes and work with different fabrics. Then in my 5th year, I helped make + sell handmade scrunchies to raise money for an event I was planning, the Beaux Arts Ball for our College of Fine Arts. All of this led into the start of our COVID-19 quarantine in March 2020, which really accelerated and inspired my crafting interests.
Like many of my peers, I graduated in May 2020 and moved home with no job prospects. Social justice movements around the world were escalating (and still are!) which inspired me to try to help from my small hometown. I have initiated and participated in many school and AIAS advocacy efforts, which also was a strong influence. Eventually, I decided to start an Etsy shop for social good, starting with the collection of materials I had gathered from old projects. I began with making masks for myself and friends, which then escalated quickly to other reusable items like scrunchies or produce bags.
The time spent on building up my shop was actually a great distraction when I needed it most; plus, I am fortunate in that I do not need the profits, so I chose to donate or reinvest whatever I make. 100% of the proceeds from every mask purchase and a portion of the proceeds from all other items go to an non-profit or organization in need. I am incredibly lucky to have had many friends, repeat customers, and (surprisingly) strangers support the shop, and have donated over $2100 to 50+ different organizations so far.
Lunar Gala 2017 - Surface. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Lunar Gala 2020 - Coated. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Scrunchies Pack - Craft and Seam. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
“All proceeds from EVERY purchase of masks will be donated to a charity or organization in need”- Craft and Seam. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Time Management
Congratulations on starting your own shop! Through your creations you were able to donate over $700 to various NGOs in need from the reusable mask initiative - what inspired you? How were you able to maintain/organize your time especially as a designer?
Maintaining a job as a new designer, a part-time web developer, and an Etsy shop has certainly not been easy. As a new entry-level architectural designer, I’m learning so many new things every day, and adding new tasks after a long day can be hard. Most days I work until 6:30pm or 7pm at my firm, then try to spend about an hour on my contract web design work if I have the mental bandwidth (luckily, they’re super flexible).
I utilize my weekends to work on Craft and Seam, so in order to avoid delaying orders to customers, I try to make my items in batches that can be quickly packed + shipped, rather than making every item to order. Sometimes I’ve recruited family and friends to help pack, but I sew everything myself. Maintaining quality and a consistent standard for my items is very important, so I try to avoid overwhelming myself with with more orders than I can handle. I’ve had times where a custom order is rather large and time consuming, so I set my Etsy shop on a break and focus on my custom order until it is complete. Along with the sewing itself, I split my weekend time among other Craft and Seam tasks, like creating fabric labels, ordering materials, prepping fabric, and researching donations (the most important). Though it can be a lot to handle, I am always more than happy to put in the work, as long as it goes towards a good cause and people keep coming back!
Selena Zhen wearing a B&W striped Craft and Seam mask. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Produce Bags (2020) - Craft and Seam. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Halloween Care Packages (2020) - Craft and Seam. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Halloween 2020 Care Packages - Custom Order - Craft and Seam. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Ideas
What inspires your works? What tools do you use the most for your work?
For learning to Sew: Google + Youtube!
Fabric: FABSCRAP (rescued fabric non-profit that is awesome) or look for local fabric stores that carry deadstock materials.
Influence: A big part of the mission at Craft and Seam is to be ‘RESOURCE CONSCIOUS’: Try to reuse everything: fabric masks are washable and reusable; scrunchies are reusable + are harder to lose compared to cheap elastics; fabric produce bags are reusable; shipping materials can be reused; the patterns I trace are made from a light cardstock (the back of a Ritz cracker box!); and I even save my scraps to recycle or stuff into small items (like the Halloween pumpkin décor items in October 2020).
Places to donate: I give the option to all of my customers to provide a preference for where to allocate their donation - but most of the time, that task is entrusted to me. I lean heavily towards climate activism orgs, and am constantly searching for other NPOs that are relevant to the global social movements. I always research and check the org for its legitimacy and its recent work or efforts. See the Craft and Seam Instagram for posts of all of my donations - DM if you have a suggestion!
Process
Can you show us a step by step guide?
pick/wash/cut fabric
sew label onto lining + sew lining pieces together
sew together decorative fabric
machine embroider “NOSE” label and trim
sew lining and decorative fabric, right sides together
trim excess fabric and flip right side out
press seams
sew straight stitch to secure layers together and hide raw edges (basically a french seam!)
thread elastic
finish elastic by knotting + burning edges
Fin! Images courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Resources
What are the bases to make a mask? What kind of fabric do you use? What tools do you use?
Fabric: For the items in my shop, I try to be material conscious by mostly purchasing rescued/deadstock fabric, or gather scraps from past projects and friends/family. Because masks need to follow CDC guidelines, I always use 100% cotton with at least 2 layers designed with a filter pocket. In rare instances, I have purchased ‘new’ cotton fabric from places like Joann Fabrics or a local fabric store to accommodate certain color or pattern requests. I always try my best to designate ‘new’ fabric as the visible pattern on the outside, and use rescued or scrap for the lining. In other cases where I have received a large custom order (25+ masks), I have worked with the client to choose or design a specific cotton fabric that fits their occasion. For products like scrunchies and reusable bags, 90% of the final products are made from rescued fabric that would have otherwise gone to the landfill!
Accessories: There are accessories required for items in my shop that simply aren’t practical to source from rescued or reused material - like elastic, wire, thread, buckles, etc. I buy these in bulk or as needed. Shipping materials also fall in this category, but I always aim to buy minimal packaging that can be recycled/reused.
Tools: My most commonly used tools: my patterns, sewing machine, fabric scissors, thread scissors, measuring tape, pins, safety pins, seam ripper, iron + ironing board, t-shirt transfer paper + twill ribbon (for labels), printer, pens/pencils, and a good show or podcast!
Tools + Thread + Things - Craft and Seam. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Assortment of fabric, lining, + scrap - Craft and Seam. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
Custom (homemade) Craft and Seam Labels. Image courtesy of Selena Zhen.
In terms of rising concerns and problems (in the architectural profession) over the past year, what is one change that you wish would happen and it did not?
I haven’t seen enough architects and schools that held advocacy meetings about BIPOC, mental health, equity, unpaid internships, etc, actually follow through with change — empty activism is not effective activism.
