Combining modern and nostalgic: Emily Colbert creates lifestyle, fashion blog Rag + Relic

Sewing and a creative nature run in the family for Emily Colbert.

"Growing up, my grandma, when I would go stay with her we would sew," she says. "She would give me pieces of cloth that had a pattern on it and you would just needle and thread, and you would just sew it. And she actually kept all of them and gave me a baby blanket for my son when I had him four years ago."

Due to her health, her grandmother has since had to be relocated, along with the majority of her belongings.

"Her sewing machine ended up at my house, and I think I just one day was like, 'I just want to try this, I just want to try sewing, why not?'" Colbert says.

So she found a pattern for a shirt for herself, and set about putting the pattern together.

Emily Colbert works on her grandmother's sewing machine in her kitchen Monday, Oct. 23, 2017 in Cape Girardeau. Colbert has a fashion blog called Rag + Relic where she sells items she makes from her sewing machine.Andrew J. Whitaker

"I was like, 'I want to make something I'm going to wear, I don't want to just sew...,'" Colbert says. "I grew up with [my grandma] sewing quilts and things like that, and not that I don't want to do that, I just wanted to sew something I wanted to wear."

Her Aunt Carol helped her get started and walked her through the process step by step.

"I'm super happy she did because I basically got done making that shirt and I posted it, and after that it was almost like it came naturally, just certain things, and I started sewing off of patterns but making them my own pieces," she says.

Eventually the idea for Rag + Relic, Colbert's fashion-and-lifestyle blog came to fruition. Although still a work in progress, she says she has produced several pieces and is working on building up content for the blog to be stable and interesting for readers in the future.

"I want to make sure I find something people are even going to be interested in reading the blog post about," she says.

Cutline Email/Stock:Photos by ANDREW J. WHITAKER ~Cutline Email/Stock:awhitaker@semissourian.comFashion description:Emily Colbert lines up fabric to sew together on her grandmother's sewing machine in her kitchen. Colbert has a fashion blog called Rag + Relic where she hand crafts.

With her family growing and her husband starting a master's program, life has been a little busy in regard to building up the blog.

"The timing was just off a little bit, but I have every intention of continuing to write and things like that because writing is a good outlet for my creativeness," Colbert says. "It's just a good way for me to get everything in my brain out."

Inspiration for the name of the blog came from several of Colbert's interests and passions.

"I really enjoy antiques. I enjoy things that are old. I almost find a comfort in that, in history -- it's like where your roots are. It holds you down. So 'relic' is just exactly what that sounds like," she says. "... 'Rag' just kind of encompasses clothing, it encompasses fabrics and just kind of that side, that textile side of that fashion."

Together the words create a concept of vintage originality and authenticity Colbert conveys and surrounds herself with in her daily life, whether it be through hand-me-downs and antiques decorating her home to her one-of-a-kind handmade pieces of clothing or DIY projects.

"I think that's why I just kind of took those two things I enjoy and I wanted to blog about it," she says. "It's still a work in progress. Life happens."

Colbert says along with clothing projects she plans to do tutorial rehabs on vintage furniture pieces she finds around town, posting before-and-after pictures and giving detailed instructions for her readers to duplicate the process and create their own decorative items.

She's already done so with a repurposed bench and other items.

"I like to do that kind of stuff," she says. "It makes my home feel like home and, like, I know it's original, and I take a real pride in being an individual and in being original, and taking something somebody else did have, and it has a story to it, and now I have it and it's going to continue."

Colbert says creating content for Rag + Relic and working on projects provides a creative outlet in her often-hectic life.

"I think the best part is ... when you become a wife and a mother, your brain is there, especially on your kids," she says. "... Your brain kind of goes that direction and you forget about the fact that you are a creative individual, and you have to foster that and you have to take care of that part of you, and this has been one of those ways for me to continue to do that to take care of my creative self and stay connected with it, because it's easy for you to just get lost."

Even though Rag + Relic is a recreational outlet for storytelling and sharing her work, Colbert says she is open to people reaching out for her to work on special projects for them.

"Things like that are really fun," she says. "I just wanted to have an outlet that I can go and I can do things and I can show people, and then they can reach out if they want."

Along with Rag + Relic, Colbert does photography for her friends and family. She is selective about events to photograph professionally.

"I constantly am looking for something: What else can I be doing," she says.

Colbert works at BOLD! Marketing in Cape Girardeau and has two children, Cora and Colsen, with her husband Brandon. Colbert's projects and updates can be viewed at www.facebook.com/ragandrelic/.