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Poland North mom makes a fashion statement
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Family members Gracie Bruner (left), Brian, Hunter, Faith, Charity, Garrett and Hope have been living in Poland Township for the past four years. This is Hope and Faith's first year not being home-schooled.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .North Elementary second-grader Hope Bruner (left) and siblings, Gracie and Faith, love to wear the dresses their mother, Charity, makes for them. The clothing line, The Vines Branches, will soon feature Poland Bulldog paraphernalia for students and parents.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Local designer Charity Bruner, of Poland, drafts and makes original clothing items out of a studio located in her home. She is a self-taught seamstress who said her unique ability is a gift from God.
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Neighbors | Submitted.In addition to the little girls Poland Bulldog dresses, Charity Bruner has designed apparel for Poland mothers. Shirts for Poland fathers and young boys are under way.
North Elementary kindergartner Faith and her second-grade sister, Hope, wanted to show their school spirit. There was just one problem: They didn’t own any Poland Bulldogs gear.
So instead of going out and buying a couple T-shirts, her mom, Charity, took matters into her own hands — literally. Relying on her skills as a seamstress, she made her girls their very own Poland Bulldog dresses. They wore the outfits to school during Spirit Week.
“We just weren’t ‘with it’ because they had been home-schooled,” Bruner explained. “We saw all these kids with Poland Bulldog T-shirts, so we had to do something.”
Bruner and husband of 15 years, Brian, have lived in Poland for the past four years. They have five children, two of which are old enough to attend school, but were home-schooled until this year.
Bruner has been sewing and selling clothes on eBay for the past four years, but it wasn’t until this year that her and her husband decided to take the clothing business to a higher level.
The brand name, The Vines Branches By Bruner Designs, was inspired by John 15:5. Bruner believes everything happens for a reason and when her husband’s company unexpectedly closed at the beginning of the year, they didn’t view it as a hardship, but more of a blessing. They now have the time and freedom to manage the clothing business together and spend quality time with the kids.
Bruner, who loves clothes that are full of energy and spunk, spent a lot of time shopping in online boutiques for her girls when they were born. After her third daughter, Gracie, she decided to give designing and sewing a whirl.
“I thought, ‘I can do that,’” she said.
Bruner explained that she is a self-taught sewer who also drafts her own patterns and designs. As a learning tool, she went to clothing stores and studied how the clothes were stitched, hemmed and held together. Over time, she developed her passion to sew into a full-blown clothing line.
“I really feel like it’s a gift the Lord gave me,” Bruner said. “I have no explanation where this came from.”
Bruner plans to have boys Poland Bulldogs shirts, matching the girls’ dresses, available through her clothing line soon. Trendy Poland mom jerseys, hats, headbands and scarves will also be available for purchase at thevinesbranches.com.
In the meantime, Hope and Faith will continue to wear the array of dresses, skirts and pants their mom made for them. Hope said she likes the fact that no one has the same outfit as her because it is unique and made especially for her. “That makes me feel good,” Hope said.