The Practice of Perfect Mistakes

Author

Kelly Allen

Files

Description

Cheryl VanderMolen Neway, a fashion designer and textile artist residing in Fairfax, Virginia, provided the cover art for the Fall 2025 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). The photograph features a flowing, floor-length duster jacket entitled, The Free Spirit, 2024, made from an upcycled denim jacket with lace and hand-dyed linen, using shibori and indigo-dyeing techniques, modeled by Shamola Crosbie. Cheryl’s designs serve to express emotion, meet her need for creative exploration, and empower her community through fashion. Using resist-dyeing techniques paired with upcycled textiles and salvaged materials, she creates vibrantly unique clothing and mixed media artwork featured in fashion shows, art fairs, gallery exhibitions, and boutiques, including her own. While immersed in the process of sewing patchwork dresses decades ago, she developed the ability to reframe struggles as opportunities for breakthroughs. A serendipitous sewing project held a valuable lesson that coined the name for her business, Perfect Mistakes. The name fostered a growth mindset that continues to inspire her to navigate life with optimism, authenticity, and innovation. Cheryl’s creative occupation has helped her to heal from her past, develop meaningful relationships, and develop supportive learning environments filled with opportunities to lean into the unexpected.

Keywords

sewing, occupational therapy, fashion design, growth mindset, upcycling, resist dyeing, mental health, Perfect Mistakes

Disciplines

Occupational Therapy

Recommended Citation

Allen, Kelly, "The Practice of Perfect Mistakes" (2025). Open Journal of Occupational Therapy: Occupation and the Artist. 52.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/ojot_occupationandartist/52