Imagine That
Stitched
Imagine That — Stitched
A child's vision. A family's hands. A legacy that continues.
Hand Stitched Children's Overalls
Imagine that is...
the creative branch of River & Ember — where a child's imagination becomes something you can hold. Stitched is its first line: Stitched children's overalls, designed by Anthony McDowell from an original sketch by my daughter, drawn when she was eight. One child's drawing, brought to life by a family's hands.
Every piece is made to order. The run is limited to forty.
The story
Each garment carries a child's vision, a family's hands, and a legacy that continues.
Stitching generations
It started with a drawing. My daughter, eight years old, drew a pair of overalls — not thinking about fashion, only about what she wanted to wear, and what felt like her. She is the child my husband, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and I made together, and this sketch is one small thing her imagination made.
Her cousin, designer Anthony McDowell, believed in that drawing. Not as a cute idea to pat on the head, but as a design worth building by hand. He named the line Stitched: for the craft of it, the literal needle and thread, and for the quieter thing underneath. Stitched is what you do to cloth. It's also what you do to a family — gathering what's ours, joining it with intention, so something new can hold. My daughter's vision. Anthony's hands. What passes between them outlasts us all.
The piece
The first Stitched design is a pair of hand stitched children's overalls drawn from the original sketch — the color split, the centerpiece pocket, the patches, all of it kept faithful to what an eight-year-old saw in her own mind.
Made to order, by hand. Made to be passed on.
Two sizes, each with an adjustable strap so the fit grows with your child:
Sizing
Kids don't always match their age on a size chart. Order by your child's current clothing size rather than their age — and because every pair is made by hand, you're welcome to send your child's height and waist measurement with your order so we can get the fit right. The adjustable strap does the rest, giving each size room to grow.
Size 1 — Ages 7–9
(fits kids' sizes 8–10)
Size 2 — Ages 10–12
(fits kids' sizes 12–14)
How it's made
Every pair is made to order — sewn by hand only after you reserve it, never mass-produced or warehoused. That care takes time: please allow 6 to 8 weeks from order to delivery.
The full collection is limited to forty pieces. When they're gone, this first edition is complete.
Most children's clothes are made by machines, in the thousands, by hands no one will ever name. This is the opposite of that. Each pair is sewn by one person — Anthony — by hand, one at a time, forty in all. You'll know whose hands made it. You'll have the drawing it came from. Real time, real hands, and a piece meant to outlast the season it's bought in.
Materials:
These overalls combine premium recycled denim with soft cotton for that perfect, instant broken-in feel. Finished with solid industrial hardware and stitched with care.
Because the denim is recycled, the wash and shade vary slightly from pair to pair. The design stays the same.
Anthony works by hand, often after his full-time work is done. Your order is made for you — not pulled from a shelf, not produced in a factory — and the 6-to-8-week window honors that pace.
When your piece arrives, you'll find something else inside the package: an 8×10 archival print of the original sketch that became your garment. A small heirloom for your family, beside the one your child will wear.
A note on the making
The foundation
A portion of every Stitched piece supports the Warner Family Foundation, the foundation my daughter and I established in honor of my husband, Malcolm-Jamal Warner.
Stitched began because a family believed a child's vision was worth building. The foundation carries that same belief outward, to young artists whose work is waiting for someone to honor it.
A River & Ember collaboration
Imagine That — Stitched is created in partnership:
River & Ember × Anthony McDowell.
designer and maker.
Anthony McDowell's love of sewing began in childhood, when his mother gave him a sewing machine for Christmas. Watching his ancestors create with their hands, hearing the sound of the machine, it felt like home. Twenty years later, that feeling hasn't changed. Over two decades, he's turned that childhood passion into a dedicated practice. Now, creating with River & Ember for Imagine That — Stitched, he brings those years of hands-on experience, love, and heritage into every piece.
Credit:
Designed and made by Anthony McDowell. A River & Ember × Anthony McDowell collaboration.
Anthony McDowell
— designer and maker.
Made to order, by hand.
Designed to be passed on.
Made to order · Limited to 40 · Ships in 6–8 weeks
Frequently Asked Questions
Still wondering? These are the questions we hear most. If yours isn't here, reach out at hello@riverandemberco.com.
Imagine That — Stitched is a handmade children's clothing line from River & Ember, built from an original sketch by Dr. Tenisha Warner's daughter — her child with her husband, Malcolm-Jamal Warner — and designed by her cousin, Anthony McDowell. Each piece is made to order, by hand, and the first edition is limited to forty. You reserve your pair, and it's sewn for you and delivered in 6 to 8 weeks.
Anthony McDowell, Dr. Tenisha Warner's cousin, designs the line, working from the original child's sketch that started it. He named the collection "Stitched" for both the craft and the idea of stitching one generation to the next.
Every pair is made to order and sewn by hand after you reserve it. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks from order to delivery.
There are two sizes, each with an adjustable strap that lets the fit grow with your child: Size 1 (ages 7–9, fitting kids' sizes 8–10) and Size 2 (ages 10–12, fitting kids' sizes 12–14). Since kids don't always match their age on a size chart, order by your child's current clothing size rather than their age. Because each pair is made by hand, you can also send your child's height and waist measurement with your order for the best fit.
A portion of every piece supports the Warner Family Foundation, the foundation my daughter and I established in honor of my husband, Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Stitched began because a family believed a child's vision was worth building, and the foundation carries that same belief outward to young artists. You can read more about the foundation's work here.
