Artist Interview: Mae Vitali Turned Vintage Quilts into our Latest Collection of Ties

WIth pieces of fabric strewn about and multiple quilts hanging on the wall, artist Mae Vitali welcomed us into her Chicago studio space to discuss our latest capsule collaboration. 

Consisting of deconstructed vintage quilts, Mae transformed these into 20 wearable works of art. The beauty of the collection? Beyond her masterful hand-crafted style, you don’t know which tie you’re going to get. Variations in pattern, width, and length are part of the story — giving new life to textiles that were meant to last generations.

Mae sat down to discuss the collection with us and why quilting is so rooted in her own family traditions.

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The Tie Bar: Could you introduce yourself and your work?

Mae Vitali: My name is Mae, I’m from Oak Park, and I now live and work in Chicago. I'm a textile artist, and I'm a quilter full-time. 

I went full time about nine months ago after working in the service industry for a long time, and after leaving that job, I was just like, “I should just try this. I should just see if I can make it work.” And it's been working so far, and I do a lot of markets and in person events, which is where I sell most of my stuff.
 
Lately I've been traveling for events as well, kind of trying to expand the people who see my work. It's been going well so far. It's kind of scary and exciting, but I don’t know. It feels right. 

The Tie Bar: How would you describe the main medium you work in? 

Mae Vitali: I would say fabric. “Fabric artist” is how I would describe myself, and that encompasses quilting and appliqué and the construction of bags and garments and stuff like that.

TTB: Were you always artistic growing up, or is this something that kind of came a little later? 

MV: I would say I was. My mom taught me how to sew when I was a kid, and she had an apron-making business, so we would make aprons together. She taught me how to make bags, and we made a quilt together. 

Then when I was growing up more, I didn't sew as much, and I was sort of drawing and painting, and then I discovered sewing again as an adult — and it was great, because I already knew how to use the machine, and I already was just applying those skills that I had learned when I was a kid. And every time I have a question about something, I just ask her. 

TTB: What do quilts mean to you? 

MV: I feel like they can mean so much within a family. It can be an heirloom that’s passed down for generations. It can mean something more on an individual level, if you make a quilt out of personal garments that you have or special fabrics that you have, it could be a way of storytelling. It can just mean so many things. 

TTB: Are there any quilts or hand-me-down heirlooms that have been passed through your family?

MV: I have a few quilts that my mom made at my apartment. One of them is on my bed, and one of them I keep hung up on my wall. They're both cowboy-themed, actually. One of them is just of cowboys, and the other one is of cowboy boots. 

My grandma has a quilt that she made. It's just the top, but it's an alphabet quilt that she made in the '70s. 

And then I also have one from my aunt that she made out of thicker materials, like denim and corduroy. And it's just like, really, really cozy and big, and I love it. 

I feel like a lot of people don't know how much work actually goes into them. If you actually sit down and make one or look at the process of making one, it's so labor-intensive, but so many people just have them in their house, not even thinking about all of the work and love that went into it. 

TTB: Is “quilt” a verb to you?

MV: It's funny because “quilting” is technically just like one step in the process of making a quilt. Quilting is the act of taking three layers of fabric — the quilt top, the batting in the middle, and then the fabric on the bottom — sandwiching them all together, and then stitching on top. That is quilting. 

But I also kind of use it as this overarching act of what I do for work. 

TTB: Could you describe the collection and what you created for us? 

MV: [The Tie Bar President] Michelle sourced a lot of really cool vintage quilt tops for me. And then from those, I made and constructed the ties. And when I was looking at the quilt tops, I was really interested in showcasing different pieces of fabric that were already incorporated in it. 

I was really careful about placement for where I was cutting and which pieces were going to be showcased in the front. I thought that was really important. It was really just about showcasing what was already there and making it look extra nice. 

I'm not even sure how she came across my work, but Michelle reached out to me and asked to commission a curtain, so I made a piece for her a couple of years ago. And then she reached out last year, and was like, “I have this cool idea for a collection that I want to do, and you’re quilty. So this could work.” 

TTB: Was this your first time making traditional menswear like accessories like this? 

MV: It was, yeah. It was definitely a challenge at first, making something I had never made before. And I made about five before I actually started and just gave them to friends. I was like, “Let me know how this fits, let me know how you like it, let me know if it's bulky. Just give me some feedback.” Because I just wanted to make sure that it was going to work. 

And all of them are also like, almost completely hand-sewn. With my machine, I inserted the lining, but then the whole back is all hand done. So, lots of lots of love.

TTB: What kind of pieces are you open to commissioning in the future? And if someone wanted to find your work, where should they go? 

MV: I'm always at the Renegade Craft Fair, which happens four times a year in Chicago. I'll be there again in July and again in September. I always post about any events that I do, as well. 

I feel like I'm open to doing anything I've already done before, or, if you have a specific piece of fabric or a specific quilt in mind that you want me to utilize, then we can talk! I think then I can get a better picture of the final product if I can see the fabric. 

But you can just reach out to me on my Instagram (@mae_vitali) or my email, and we can chat and you can come to the studio and you can just talk about it. I like having people come here because I feel like it's more intimate, just getting to talk with someone about what they want in person, and they can look through my fabric, I can look at what they have. 

It just, like, gives me a better idea, and I think gives them a better idea of what the final product is going to look like. 

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