Kathie Sever is an artist, designer, and the founder of Fort Lonesome, an Austin-based company that creates one-of-a-kind, hand-cranked, chain-stitched western wear. What started with Kathie hand-embroidering garments for friends out of her home has transformed over the years into a globally known fashion brand that is worn by well-known personalities such as Matthew McConaughey and singer-songwriter Nikki Lane. Using decades-old chain stitching machines, Kathie and her team create some of the most intricate and rich designs imaginable, and Fort Lonesome has been credited with the resurgence of Western wear’s popularity in fashion circles around the world.

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Kathie was born, raised, and educated in California, but soon after graduating from art school, she took off for Montana, where she worked at a dude ranch. She worked at the ranch off and on for several years, and she took note of how the ranchers brought creativity, craftsmanship, and an artist’s eye to so many of their tasks– from welding to sewing to leatherwork. Kathie loved the idea of functional art, and she has since made a career of combining handcrafted artistry with pragmatic design. And now, as the head of Fort Lonesome, she and her team continue to innovate and push the boundaries of functional art with Fort Lonesome’s unique brand of what they call Cosmic Western wear.

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I loved this conversation with Kathie and could’ve talked with her for many more hours. We covered a lot, including Kathie’s upbringing in California and how her family affected her artistic trajectory; her experience in Montana and how it laid the foundation for Fort Lonesome; her work as a pastry chef and the challenges of working in the restaurant scene of the 1990s; the power that can come as a result of negative experiences; her growth and evolution as a manager and business owner; how parenthood affected her goals; the pros and cons of working with famous people; the nervous feelings that come with creating art; our shared Enneagram personality profiles; favorite books; and much, much more.

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Whether you’re interested in art, fashion, the creative process, entrepreneurship, or balancing a career with the demands of parenthood, you’ll glean a lot of value from this conversation. A huge thank you to Kathie for the conversation, and thank you for listening.

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• Fort Lonesome
• Fort Lonesome on Instagram
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/kathie-sever/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:15 - How Kathie’s childhood led her to a career in art
• 9:00 - Kathie’s goals as she went into art school
• 10:00 - How Kathie ended up in Montana
• 13:30 - Kathie’s takeaways from her time in Montana
• 15:45 - When Kathie started to recognize Western wear as a creative outlet 
• 18:30 - Kathie’s next steps after working at a ranch in Montana
• 20:15 - When pastry making came into the equation, and exploring the connection between pastry making and art
• 23:30 - Kathie’s time in Austin and the misogyny she experienced in the restaurant scene in the late 90s
• 29:00 - Exploring the motivational power of negative experiences
• 32:00 - How having a kid impacted Kathie and how it led to her work with clothing
• 37:45 - Kathie’s journey in figuring out the business side of making clothes
• 43:45 - When Kathie realized she was onto a good business idea, and how she balanced managing a small business from home while raising kids
• 1:00:00 - How oil painting impacted Kathie’s embroidery work
• 1:03:45 - The first time a celebrity reached out for one of Kathie’s pieces
• 1:07:15 - How Kathie balances her vision for her art with that of her clients when making clothes for performers
• 1:11:00 - Whether or not Kathie still feels nervous about putting her art into the world
• 1:18:30 - Kathie’s vision for Fort Lonesome in the next 5-7 years
• 1:22:15 - Kathie’s book recommendations

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