A Seattle embroiderer's snarkystitching on a Mall of America sweatshirt went viral for its nod to the chaos of her childhood trips to the megamall.
Driving the likes: Molly Hottle, who owns the custom embroidery shop Seattle Chainstitch Massacre, found the 1990s throwback at a thrift shop.
Using her Singer chainstitch embroidery machine from the 1930s, she added "I got my lobotomy at" in white cursive above the logo.
On Black Friday, she posted it on her Instagram, hoping to "nod to the irony" of buying a shirt promoting a giant mall from a small, vintage reseller.
The $150 crewneck flew off the digital shelf and "blew up" online.
What she's saying: The Iowa native, who calls "adding unhinged phrases" to vintage pieces her "true passion," said the design was inspired by family vacations to the mall that left her wondering how they conquered so many stores in one day "with legs and sanity intact."
"It's my love letter to my home, and they have responded in kind!" she said of the overwhelming response from fellow Midwesterners.
What's next: Hottle tracked down five more vintage MOA shirts that she plans to stitch and post for sale later this month.
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