Cut Out And Collect + Downtown Roasters: Solo Exhibit (With TWO Giveaways!)

I first discovered Cheyne of Cut Out and Collect when I put together an exhibit of fall purses. I was instantly smitten with her color sense and how she creates bags with a simple silhouette that are sophisticated and fun all at once. Like this teal bag she’s named Resting On Your Laurels.

Cheyne admits to being a bit of a fabric fanatic. Her Pastry and Sweets zipper pouch shows off not one but two fabrics in a delightful riot of color.

Did I mention the eye she has for color? This Wood Grain zipper pouch is bright, fresh, and would no doubt make you smile each time you pulled it out of your purse.

I’m a huge fan of the way she uses embroidery to add depth and detail to her designs. Look at the way her Love Bird clutch shows the little birdies singing their love, embroidery style!

Cheyne recently opened a second Etsy shop with her boyfriend, Thomas. Downtown Roasters is an offshoot of Coffee Haus Downtown initially opened as a tiny, family owned and run coffee bar and salon in 2002. Thomas has taken over the family business and continues to hand roast and blend the Fair Trade beans.

Here’s Thomas hard at work at the roaster. (Note Cheyne in the background taking the picture!)

Selling in three ounce sampler sets or full pounds, Downtown Roasters will send you whole beans or grind to your preference. (Curator’s Note: Cheyne sent me a sample of beans. They smelled so good, I couldn’t decide whether to grind them into coffee or sleep with them under my pillow.) (Second Curator’s Note: I ground them into coffee. Which was amazing.)


Cheyne has been an absolute delight to get to know. Read on to learn more about her work, her future plans, and the special bonus giveaway!

Curator V: You say you are “dedicated to finding the most adorable and awesome fabric prints on the planet”. Tell us more about your efforts to do so!

The only thing better than sewing and drinking coffee is sewing and drinking coffee in foreign lands. I know this because I did exactly those things while living in Bangkok, Thailand after graduating from college. Ever since, I’ve traveled whenever, however and to wherever possible, collecting fabric along the way. I gravitate towards very colorful, cute, or very strange prints.

Curator V: What is your favorite thing about working with fabric? Are there other materials you’d like to work with?

I love working in textiles because of the enormous potential for what it can create. Beyond the little things I make, fabric is literally everywhere and makes up a huge part of our existence. I’m simply a true fan of how artists and fashion designers can manipulate textiles and create wearable sculpture or a woven picture (embroidery).

Curator V: Your profile says you “dabble in clothing”. What else do you make besides bags and zip pouches and will we ever see them on Etsy?

For quite some time, I’ve been whispering about selling clothing on etsy, as I do in craft shows. I make a few dresses and tops here and there. I’d like to keep the clothing affordable and form flattering while not being completely fitted. Selling fitted, sized clothing online is tricky business and I’d like to be sure my buyers know that what they order will fit them even if they didn’t measure themselves the exact way I did. It’s in the works, I swear!

Curator V: Do you have a dedicated work space for your sewing? We’d love a pic, if you do.

Thomas and I both have dedicated workspaces. I’d say they’re our “homes away from home” but it has become apparent that we probably spend more time in them than our actual home. Here’s mine:

Curator V: You and your boyfriend recently opened Downtown Roasters which sells hand roasted coffee beans on Etsy. How did that shop come to be?

When I’m not at the studio, I’m working at Thomas’s family-owned coffee shop, where he hand roasts certified Fair Trade Organic coffee beans. The shop has been serving coffee and selling locally handmade gift items for the past 8 years. This past Thanksgiving, we suffered a life altering change when Thomas’s father passed away unexpectedly. We knew we wanted to keep the shop going and wanted to begin offering our coffee online. I chose to open with etsy because I know it well and I believed that the etsy community would encourage us to be ourselves: small, personal, and dedicated to hand-crafted quality.

Curator V: What can you say to people who may be wary of purchasing food items on Etsy?

I’d first note that coffee is it’s own brand of “edible” – you essentially boil it and unless you’re a huge coffee freak, you don’t actually consume the bean itself. I think that most people aren’t very in touch with where their food comes from unless they’re cooking with vegetables they purchased directly from a local farmer. The desire to purchase directly from a pastry chef shouldn’t be much different the desire to purchase directly from an artist. I think we’ll see hand-crafted edibles on the rise. I also whole-heartedly(bold) encourage buyers to read about edible shops and make sure they have their locally required food safety permits. Those exist for a reason, yall.

Curator V: What coffee blend or roast is your favorite? If we could try just one kind, which would you recommend?

I’m particularly partial to the Papua New Guinea and the October Blend. They’re both super smooth and I just melt when drinking them.

Ok, Stalkers, here’s the deal…it’s a little different from what we usually do but I have faith that you can follow along! We have two separate giveaways this week. First, Cheyne is giving away a $25 gift certificate to Cut Out and Collect. This is open WORLDWIDE. To enter this, visit Cut Out and Collect, then tear yourself away long enough to leave us a comment with you favorite item. Second, Thomas is giving away a pound of coffee beans of your choice. Due to the customs on a grocery item, this one is open in the UNITED STATES. To enter this one, visit Downtown Roasters, then leave us a comment letting us know which bean or blend you’d like to try. So, if you live in the USA you can leave two entries, one for each giveaway. International Stalkers can enter once for the gift certificate. Got it? Go!