Me + Sewing

I am about to let you in on a little info that you likely (unless we’re friends) don’t know about me.

A little over 2 years ago, July of 2008 in fact, I was dying to start my business.  We had just moved to Arizona from North Carolina.  I was very much missing my parents, and I felt that even though I had 2 small children, it was time for me to do something fun for myself.  Something extra to take my mind off being homesick.  Though I didn’t miss NC, I missed my parents dearly.

One night Mike and I are talking in the Target parking lot, and I tell him what I am thinking and feeling. I told him what I wanted to do.  We didn’t have a lot of money, but he told me to “do it”.  That’s my husband for you… seriously the most supportive man on earth.  (For a short time I ran a Great Dane rescue… he totally supported me.  And when I wanted to open a scrapbook store back in the day, he was behind me all the way …that scrapbook store never happened, but that’s ok)  My husband has stood beside me cheering me on for our entire marriage.  He is my #1 fan, a huge supporter of any of my ideas whether insane or realistic.  He still to this day couldn’t possibly know how much that support and trust he has in me means to me.  Words aren’t enough.  It’s just not.  He is the love of my life.  (I am getting mushy!)

Here is the part you don’t know… I got my first sewing machine that week.  I spent the next month straight sewing camera strap covers constantly.  For hours and hours and days I practiced.  Whenever Zoe napped and Angelina “rested” I was sewing.  When they went down for the night, I sewed.  On the weekend, I was sewing.  I sewed dozens of camera strap prototypes until I found the perfect one.  Lucky for me, I already knew what I wanted to sell and I already had a name for my business … not always the case.  Knowing what I wanted to sell was lucky because I could focus on that one thing and just practice until I got it perfect.  And that’s exactly what I did.  And… *Shey*[B] opened in mid August.  A mere 5 weeks after I got my first machine.  I had my first sale 1 week after my shop was open.  See back then I had a tiny blog, was barely on Twitter, and was anti Facebook… which I still sorta am.  But that’s for another time… or not.  ;)  Anyway… my husband kissed me good-bye that morning and whispered in my ear “you had your first sale”.  I still smile remembering that.  Such a sweet memory.

{The first camera strap slipcover design I listed in my shop.  And this exact strap cover was literally my first sale.}

Fast forward to now… I have been sewing for over 2 years.. I have made many different things, some have been awesome and some have been well, not so awesome.  But that’s the way of it.  I just go with it.  So, why have I never shared this before?  Well, I guess it really hadn’t been that important.  I am not sure that had you known any of this about me before that it would have made a difference.  But I have gotten asked so many times in the last few weeks how long I have been sewing, so I figured it was time to write a post about it…

I’ve always thought this information was unimportant.  I never advertised it because I hadn’t been sewing that long.  I knew how great my product was, how great the quality was, etc.  But saying that I had just started sewing?  I was told by an experienced business owner that that information could completely turn a customer off.  They might wonder about the quality.. I mean how good could it have been if I had just learned how to sew and 5 weeks later I am jumping into owning my own business.  My opinion on this pretty much matches up with the person that gave me that advice.  Especially with sewing.  I just really don’t think it matters.  If you sell great stuff, then great!  I think people will love your stuff as long as you do – that is what matters.  Of course, it’s up to you what you do, I think it’s really a, “to each their own” answer.  For me it was obvious.  But now, over 5,000 sales and 2 years later, I spill the beans on this topic.  ;)

So, there you go!  You now know something about me that so many don’t!

XO!