Jenny McGurk is doing her part to bring the antiquated art of sewing back into style. Her new business in the Fan, fleur fabrics, caters to fashion designers and artists looking for materials to use in their work and to young people interested in sewing.

McGurk designed wardrobes for television, film and stage productions, writes Louis Llovio in Metro Business today, but she wanted more stability, so she opened her own shop -- “an airy boutique with handmade clothes hanging on the walls and punk rock playing on the stereo,” as Llovio describes it.

She stocks the stores with organic and recycled fabrics, “safe denim,” made by eco-friendly companies that pay a living wage, and “peace silk” from silkworms that live out their life cycles. (Yeah, “peace silk” is a real phenomenon. Commercial silk is made by boiling intact cocoons. Apparently, human empathy for other creatures now extends to silkworms. Peace silk treats the worms more humanely – and produces a softer, fluffier fabric.)

McGurk also hopes to generate revenue by renting out her three sewing machines for $7 an hour -- a Kinko's for the sewing set. She thinks of fleur fashions as an in-house sewing studio where customers can sew and cut patterns, taking up space they may not have at home.