Nestled in a cozy studio filled with rolls of brightly colored and patterned fleece, Caitlin Kennett, owner and creator of local clothing company Neighbor Hoods, spends a few idyllic days each week sewing fun, versatile and comfy creations.

Above Kennett’s sewing machine hangs a small, framed black and white photo of her aunt. Around 17 years old, Kennett’s aunt, Peggy Wight, sits at her own sewing machine, busy creating her prom dress. 

For Kennett, sewing is a family craft that was passed down through the generations. 

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“I’m from a rural place where a lot of people do their own stuff,” she said. “Sewing might be a lost art, but it’s not in some communities.”

Kennett has been sewing, tailoring her own clothes, quilting and creating unique projects, for over three decades. Her grandmother, an avid quilter, taught her how to sew when Kennett was a child. 

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“She had two sewing machines, and she used to take the thread out and give me and my sister a piece of paper with lines and have us sew the lines,” Kennett said, fondly reflecting on her earliest sewing memories. “Then she would hold it up to the light and see how straight we were going.” The love of sewing Kennett’s grandmother instilled in her is steadfast — she’s still excited to sit at her machine and create.

The instant gratification of making a product has Kennett hooked. “I’ve downloaded patterns, but I ultimately tweak them all,” Kennett said. “Instantly you can make something, and it’s not something that everybody can do.”

Although sewing has always been a part of Kennett’s life, it didn’t become a regular source of income until 2021, when Kennett decided to sew her own fleece skiing hood after admiring what others wore on the slopes. 

She freestyled the pattern and “As soon as I posted something about it, people were like, Oh, I would buy one. I would buy one. Can I buy this from you? Can I get one from you? Are you going to do more patterns?” Kennett said. “It took off quickly in early January 2021. It’s been cruising since then.”

Kennett wanted her business, Neighbor Hoods, to exude friendliness while highlighting its locality. “What’s the most friendly, local thing I can think of?” Kennett asked herself. “Mr. Rogers. So when I first started, my first slogan was, ‘It’s a beautiful day in your Neighbor Hoods.’ That’s where it came from.”

Her friends inspired her to branch out from ski hoods into beanies and skirts. Now, Kennett creates adventure dresses, crushable coozies, belt bags, hoodies and more. 

“I started with a hoodie pattern,” Kennett said, explaining how she created the adventure dresses, which are extra long hoodies. “I was like, I’m gonna make myself a sweatshirt. One of my friends only wears dresses, she doesn’t wear jeans. And she was like, ‘You know what you should do? You should make me a long hoodie that I can wear with leggings.'”

“Most of my ideas for making new stuff have come from people being like, I bet you could make something like this. Could you make this? Could you make that?” Kennett added.

Most of her products are fashioned out of the brightly colored and cozy fleece fabric that has become her brand’s staple. The fabric is also eye-catching, and Kennett often notices community members wearing her products on the slopes or around town. 

“It happened to me on my first day at Snowmass. I turned around on the lift line, and I had a hood on, and there was a girl behind me wearing one. She was wearing that neon mushroom print,” Kennett said. “I was like, hey, I made that. I know there’s lots of other people that make these things online, but some of the fabrics are fairly unique. So I can tell which one is mine.”

It’s one of Kennett’s greatest simple pleasures — seeing someone wear an item she handcrafted. 

“The most incredible thing is being somewhere and turning around and seeing somebody wearing something that I’ve made,” Kennett said. “It’s even more awesome if I have no idea who the person is, because I’m like, Oh, they either bought it from me online, or they bought it in a store, or they bought it at a market and or somebody gave it to them as a gift.”

Kennett’s ski hoods and other products are available at Deck the Walls Holiday Market at Carbondale Arts, 76 South Fourth St., Carbondale. Each year, the gallery space transforms into a festive shop featuring goods by more than 60 local and regional artists. Deck the Walls is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m, through Dec. 24.