All Hail
Queen of The Thrift
Fueled by the endless desire for treasure hunting and the need to create.
At Zenger Studio, we create handmade clothing and accessories from found, vintage, and repurposed textiles.
Everything we make starts with something that already had a life before us. We hunt through thrift stores, estate sales, and anywhere else we might stumble upon something special. Vintage tablecloths, pillowcases, old clothes, quilts… if it catches our eye, it's fair game. We take these forgotten gems and give them a second life, turning something old into something entirely new, one of a kind, and ready to be loved all over again.
Because we work this way, most of what we create is made only once. No mass production, no identical copies, and no telling what we'll find next. We kind of like it that way.
A lot of what we make comes from a sudden burst of inspiration, an unexpected thrift store discovery, or simply looking at something and mentally pairing it with a fabric we picked up months ago. And all of a sudden, it just clicks. Although we love the spontaneity of creating this way, we also love to collaborate!
Whether it's something specific you've been dying for or a piece in our shop that you wish came in a different size or version, WE WOULD LOVE TO MAKE IT FOR YOU.
Please reach out with any requests or ideas! See our Commissions page for more info and to get the process started.
Thank you for supporting our little creative tornado, and may the thrift gods bless us all.
About Katie
Zenger Studio is powered by the wild creative whimsy that is Katie Zenger. And because Katie hates talking about herself, I (her husband) am going to tell you about her.
Katie has always been what I would call the epitome of whimsy. An adventurer, treasure hunter, and all-around creative free spirit. After graduating with two art degrees (Art History and Studio Art), she spent years traveling the world doing humanitarian and missions work in over 30 countries, working alongside local organizations and helping wherever she could.
That's actually around the time we met. We were both on a four-month trip to India, working with an orphanage for children with physical and intellectual disabilities.
That's just how she sees the world. Everything has potential. Everything can become something unexpected, beautiful, ridiculous, or wonderful.
If we're going to do something, it might as well be magical.
And that's exactly the mentality she brings to Zenger Studio. She sees possibility in things other people might walk right past. An old quilt isn't just an old quilt. A forgotten tablecloth isn't just a tablecloth. They're the beginnings of something spectacular.
Every piece she makes carries a little bit of that same imagination, spontaneity, and magic.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to stop because she’s already not going to like how long this is… and hopefully she doesn’t make me delete this entire section.
From the first day I met her, there was something magnetic about her energy. Katie has this rare ability to be completely present and genuinely enjoy whatever life happens to be throwing her way. She has a childlike sense of wonder that somehow turns the most ordinary things into adventures.
Whether it's finding an old desk and turning it into something beautiful, going out for what should be a normal evening and somehow ending up with free VIP tickets to a massive concert, or announcing on a random Thursday night that the kids need to grab their pillows and blankets because we're going for a drive.
Next thing you know, we're picking up a pint of ice cream and heading to an overlook to watch a solar eclipse from the comfort of the car.
