Malorie Hall

I am a SAHM to three energetic kids and live in Portland, Oregon. I love being a mom but it’s also often hard and thankless so I take my hobbies and interests very seriously. I love fashion and sewing clothes primarily but you can also find me obsessively reading cookbooks or knitting while watching a lot of nightly television. I love sewing wovens and natural fibers for myself but can be persuaded to make something for my kids if they are willing to appreciate it!

What influence does music have in your life as a creative?:

I often listen to music while sewing, especially when I’m doing something more difficult or needs a lot of focus. It has a meditative effect in this way. It’s usually music I really love or am deeply connected to due to how many times I’ve listened to it, memories of experiencing that artist perform live, or appreciating the musicality of harmonies or uniqueness of a song. I studied violin through college and learning and performing classical music gives me a similar focus and meditative feeling. Making music is similar to making clothes or food for me in that I’m looking to feel challenged and proving to myself that I can push myself beyond the limits of what I think I can do. Conversely it’s also about playing a simple song with my kids or making a simple piece of clothing to just feel the joy in creating.

When I’m listening to my favorite music I am able to block out the rest of the world and that also helps to drown out any questions and doubts like “Do I really need to make this?” “Will people think this is weird?” “Should I be using my time in a different way?” Sewing is really important to me and music is very important to me too and somehow doing both at the same time helps me to remember who I am and why I care so much about my hobbies and interests.

Tell us about your playlist:

I have a deep connection to the music in this playlist. I’m not trying to pander to what I think other people would like–it’s unapologetically me! The following are a sampling of some of my evergreen favorite albums I love to create to (I’m an album person) and why I connect to them, in no particular order.

I have always liked hearing random songs from the Beach Boys including from Pet Sounds. However, it wasn’t until I heard the complete album on vinyl a few years ago did it make a more significant impact on me and helped me realize why it is one of the greatest albums of all time to play loudly on your record player. Sufjan Stevens is probably my absolute favorite music artist. I love all of his music for so many reasons but the two albums I have included in the playlist (Carrie and Lowell, Age of Adz) I saw performed live and are some of his finest in terms of emotional vulnerability, originality and composing skill. The violin pieces by Fritz Kreisler I listened to a lot in high school and played a few. Just hearing the violin and piano is beautiful in its simplicity and lets the violin shine. Romance in F minor by Dvorak is the last significant piece that I studied and performed and is a reminder of the confidence that comes from taking on something I thought was totally outside of my skill set and proving myself wrong! The Grizzly Bear Shields album came out while I was living in a rural area with a small baby and a toddler and I listened to that album a lot to cope and mentally escape. I love the harmonies of Fleet Foxes, and I always appreciate a song that completely transforms into another idea (or three) like “The Shrine/An Argument.” I exclusively listened to Beach house when sewing one of my most challenging garments to date, a tailored wool coat. Arcade Fire because I am an old millennial and it’s formulaic but true, I love them. Real Estate Days is essential relaxing music and feels like the only thing I should be listening to when driving near the beach in California. The Tame Impala album is the newest addition and represents something I can’t stop listening to (and sewing to) right now.