The Queen of Denim
"Love, Melody" by Melody Sabatasso
A few years ago I received a phone call from a woman asking if we carried needles for her Bernina 217. It’s not a common request, as the 217 is a rare industrial machine that does both straight-stitch and zig-zag. I was not sure if we carried those needles, so I put her on hold and went searching through the shelves where we stock all the industrial needles. My dad asks me what I’m doing and I tell him a woman wants needles for a Bernina 217. . . . . .
“The old Bernina 217 or the newer 217?”
”Why does it matter?”
”Because the class of needles it takes is different depending on the year the individual machine was manufactured. Go ask her what year the machine was manufactured.”
I run back to the phone, ask her if she knows the year she bought her Bernina 217. . . . . . .
"Why does it matter?"
"Because the older 217's made in the 1960's-1970's take one type of needle, but the newer 217's take a different type."
"Honey, I used this machine to sew a costume for Elvis. It's old."
"Elvis?" I asked.
"Presley," she said.
“Okay…… so the older one.”
I put her on hold again, go grab the correct class of needles, come back to the phone to get her shipping address and collect payment. . . . . . .
“You don’t believe me,” she says.
“What?”
“You don’t believe I sewed for Elvis.”
“I’m not saying I don’t believe you, but you never really know.”
"I made the last denim jacket Elvis ever wore. Made it on this Bernina. Look up my clothing line on the internet-- Love, Melody -- by Melody Sabatasso. That’s me. You'll see."
We hang up the phone. I print out a picture on Elvis Presley, decked out in denim, and slide it into an envelope, along with a pack of needles for a Bernina 217, and ship it out to Marin County.
Then I google search “Love, Melody + denim.”
She wasn't lying. . . . . . . . .
Melody is a legend in the niche community community of denim enthusiasts, particularly her work with patchwork denim garments. The Levi Strauss jeans company recently wrote a profile on Melody, and I've shared a snippet of that profile below:
In the 1970s, Melody was a budding fashion designer living out of the back of her Marin County boutique. She lived in her jeans, so when she needed something to wear to a wedding, she had to get creative. Melody decided to take apart a pair of her Levi’s and reconstructed the denim pieces into a patchwork dress. Her ensemble was a hit at the wedding and she began getting requests for similar outfits for her friends.
Melody’s rise to fame happened by chance when her customized Levi’s dress was spotted by none other than Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall. Lauren had to have one. Melody was a little surprised when she got the phone call from Ms. Bacall, who arranged for a private fitting to take place in her room at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco. Melody didn’t have a car, so she hitchhiked with all her sewing tools and fabrics. Once completed, she signed her name in red on the inside: “Love, Melody.”
That chance meeting with Ms. Bacall led to a couture career. Melody has designed customized Levi’s outfits for celebrities from Cher to Elvis, and has been featured in publications like Rolling Stone Magazine.
Melody created her famous patchwork denim for musicians like Elvis, Mick Jagger, Sonny and Cher, Grace Slick, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton and others. These days she still designs and creates garments and bags over in Marin County, and I’m proud that she’s willing to drive over the bridge to get her machines serviced at The Sewing Machine Shop.
The last time I saw Melody in person, she made sure her husband gave me her business card.
But, when he initially handed me one, but she stopped him. Apparently she has a multitude of different business cards. ]. . . . . .
“No, not that one. . . . . . look at him. . . . . . he’s a young man. . . . . . . give him the card with the girl in the bikini.”
So now I have this version of Melody's business card floating around in my wallet:
Thank you for reading. This edition of The Sewing Machine Newsletter was a little bit different than usual, but I hope you enjoyed.
-Cale
This is delightful. I had no idea.
Great story, great history, great music! Thanks a lot!