Fall 2023

Handcrafted Sleepwear Ensures Sweet Dreams B Y B R E T T WI L BUR W hen Dee Borsella decided to retire over 10 years ago, her talents as a seamstress and clothing designer took her on another path. A friend was entering the hospital and asked Borsella to make her a bed jacket for privacy and comfort. Borsella ended up creating something so cozy and fashionable that other patients, nurses and friends began clamoring for their own loungewear. Having long sold her clothing designs (first made with leather) to other Carmel retailers, Borsella opened Ruffle Me To Sleep—so named for the many ruffles she added to her designs— on Dolores Street in 2015. “It started as a hobby, but then I decided to create a business that reflected old Carmel, when shop owners made their products on site,” she says. Four sewing machines are located behind the cheerful displays of colorful pajamas, robes, night- gowns, blankets, slippers, jewelry, bath products and more. “I have a lot of repeat customers who ask for custom designs,” she says. “They are created from fun, whimsical cotton and silk fabrics I get directly from the mills.” Ruffle Me To Sleep is located at 6 Dolores Street S.E. of 5th Avenue, Carmel. For more infor - mation, please visit www.rufflemetosleep.com or call 831/293-8636. SHORT CUTS BUSINESS Dee Borsella’s welcoming Dolores Street shop is bursting with elegantly designed loungewear and sleepwear made of luxurious cottons and silks. 72 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 3 Photo: Kelli Uldall