People know me as the strong seamstress that can design and create anything in my imagination. Other people know me for my incredible transformation from a pharmaceutical-driven life as a young woman in severe chronic pain, to a health conscious lifestyle that put all of my ailments in remission. Some people even remember when I did it all off the grid! However, everyone knows me as China Cat.

I am a hard working young woman that has curated a fashion brand that has been published internationally. A few years ago I started ADASTRA, a brand of clothing designed for fashionable,strong women. Since the beginning, I have grown the brand to offer men's clothing, and will soon be able to offer wholesale to local shops. I am so grateful to be able to follow my passion each and every day!

Over the years, I've picked up several skills and done tons of research on topics specific to my lifestyle and desires. I love to teach what I know, as it helps me learn as well! Here is some more information on my background:

Sewing, Home and Industrial-
As a seamstress of more than a decade of experience, I desire to share what I know and help others achieve their goals. I received my first machine when I was 9 years old, and I was fascinated with how mechanics work because my father was a mechanic. So, I took the whole machine apart, studied each piece to find their purpose and put the machine back together. I was truly impressed that I got it back together and got the machine to work! From then on, I made all kinds of alterations to my clothing ( nothing fit, since I was a pre-teen and over 5 feet tall!) and then my family started to take notice and I made alterations for them. At 13, I took a couple classes on sewing and fashion that changed the game for me all together... I learned about sewing from a pattern, how to properly set machine tensions, and was so inspired by fashion history! This inspiration flooded me with design ideas that I tried to replicate as I sewed special pieces for myself and my friends and family. Fast-forward to 2008, I was travelling the states and living off the grid. Meeting so many new people was incredible, and they LOVED what I was creating. At this time, I was using my sewing machine on a generator on the back of my van! It was an incredible experience, seeing so many new places and people- I knew I had to settle in somewhere and get really creative.
In 2011, I decided I needed to get grounded and start on my path as a seamstress. I opened my first online shop and sold tons of clothing items, bags and accessories using eco-friendly methods. The success of the shop was incredibly inspiring. I couldn't believe the support I received for sharing my passion! However, by 2014, I was drained of energy recreating the same intricate pieces everyday and I wanted to curate a new shop based on simply elegant designs that are crisp and require less handiwork and more design. This was the birth of ADASTRA in November 2015!
For my brand, ADASTRA, I am 100% curator. I form the concepts of the new lines, design the individual pieces, create patterns and prototypes, sew and construct the garments, design photo and video shoots, advertise using self-designed logos and fonts, and sell my pieces using several online outlets.

Nutritional Healing, Dairy-Gluten-Meat Free Diet-
When I was 10, I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, anemia, and a few other autoimmune disorders. I was given injections of medication once a day for several years that never seemed to do anything for me. The doctors had me on so many medications to deal with the side affects of other medications, that they had to put me on another medication to help with the acid reflux they were all causing.... It was nuts! After feeling helpless for so many years, I decided to take action. This was before the internet was as big as it is now, so I had to do a lot of research through many books on nutrition and how to read my body for the supplements I needed. My research found that I was deficient in several vitamins and needed to work on other areas of my life in order to correct my ailments.. It was as though I had the key the map of the body! I was shocked by the change I saw in myself in just 6 months. In the beginning, I wasn't able to walk more than 20 ft and required my parents help to shower and dress myself- moving was the most painful thing I could do. After just 6 months of changing my lifestyle, I was able to spend time with my friends again and actually go to school without a special note. I became incredibly passionate about this way of healing that I began to heal my friends by providing them information on what their body needed. Now, with over a decade of experience, I have been able to help friends with ailments as small as acne to as big as epilepsy! With enough time, you too can listen to your body to find what it needs to heal itself.