I’m Amanda, designer and sewist behind Blue Hours Atelier patterns and handmade lingerie. My atelier is named for the blue hour, my favorite time of the day, suspended between day and night, dream and awake, the time when “night has not yet found its star,” as Guerlain put it so beautifully a century ago.

I make sewing patterns, historically inspired lingerie, and reproduce antique ephemera related to sewing and domestic arts. Old paper, ink, lace and silk are some of my favorite things. I began sewing lingerie because, like so many people, my body proportions didn’t fit the standards that the garment industry uses, so it was almost impossible for me to find pieces that were comfortable and flattering. Being able to make bras and lingerie that fit my body and my aesthetic made me fall completely in love with the craft. I love to make things for people that make them feel good in their own skin.

All of my lingerie is handmade in my home studio based outside of Saint Louis, Missouri, and assembled using my collection of restored vintage sewing machines. I source laces and materials from New York, California, Canada and elsewhere around the world for my garments, and design my own fabric prints crafted in the US and UK as well. I am inspired by the colors and the way that laces and print can enrich one another, and often hand dye fabrics to get just the right rich jewel tone or delicate pastel I need for a specific design.

I attended university for philosophy and creative writing, and my romantic, nostalgic design sensibility draws inspiration from these disciplines. Visually, my aesthetic is informed by my longstanding love of all things Victorian, Art Deco and gothic. I strive to create pieces that are subtly inspired by historical fashion, but are sensual and comfortable enough for the modern wardrobe.

I enjoy writing, calligraphy and visual arts in my spare time. I currently live in the heartland of the US, with my son, significant other, and a multitude of cats.