About
Writing about myself? Cringe! I’m more of a “sit in the corner and watch the other people at the party” kind of person. And if you look at my business, that’s exactly what I do! All the focus is on the work, on the product, on the message – and I’m sitting in the corner watching what happens. I’ll make the intro brief, if you like what you read- feel free to continue.
I skip the small talk and jump straight into the deep stuff. I absorb ideas and opinions like a sponge, to have them bubbling around in my mind. I form opinions for both sides of an argument- and aim to have no opinions myself.
It doesn’t matter where I am, you can always catch me stopping and staring at plants. Luckily that doesn’t count for the jungle in my home, otherwise I’d never get anything done.
I’m a lover of tea, the moon and mac'n'cheese - not necessarily in that order. I have a house full of animals and I want kids, as many as possible. And as I’m sure you’ve gathered, my favorite place is my home. My second is the fabric store.
My favorite person is the one I married, we can sit for hours discussing ideas and life- and equally as long in warm, comfortable silence. He encourages me to sleep late in the mornings, and take my afternoon naps. He tells me I’m beautiful every day, and that counts double on days that I feel my worst. He’s my person.
The mission and the vision
The mission, the vision and the blah blah blah. I don’t have it written down. I understand it, but putting it into words seems a bit daunting, so here goes.
My lifelong struggle- the elusive self-love. I’m not talking self- acceptance or self-tolerance or an “I’ll deal with you later” mentality. I’m talking true love. Loving yourself at your absolute worst. Loving yourself on the days that you don’t want to shower because life just seems too heavy. Catching yourself when you utter “gosh, I’m such an idiot”, then turning around and saying “would I speak like that to my best friend?”. Loving yourself when you’re a mess, when you feel as low as you’ve ever been, when you look in the mirror and think “wow that’s bad, I’m just going to get back in bed”.
You must be thinking, “this lady really hates mornings and mirrors” and I really do – BUT I strive to love myself through it all. To not push myself to hard, to not be too hard on myself, to just let me be- and most importantly – to try to be my own best friend. Mental struggles are real, and they are hard. Getting out of that hole can seem like an endless battle, especially on days where you only have energy for that ONE self love thing. Brushing your teeth, standing in the shower, or my personal favorite- slipping into something pretty before bed. My hair might be in an oily, messy bun, my face hasn’t seen makeup in weeks, I haven’t done exercise in forever- But when I slip on something pretty to sleep in, I feel the lightness in me, even if it’s just a spark. And you know what they say about sparks- sparks can start a fire.
I want you to love yourself so tenderly and fully, that nothing and no one can shake it. That’s my message. That’s what I wish for you.
How it got started
Was there a gap in the market? Sure. Did I have the skills and equipment? Blessedly, yes. But what was that push that lead to this? It was a tough one.
My husband and I had a miscarriage. There I was, drowning in my own body, my own soul and I couldn’t get out. I needed a spark, a lifeline. So I got up from the couch, went down to the garage and pulled out a piece of paper. I made my first pattern that day- the Emily set. The next day I was in the garage again, and the day after, and the one after that. I started sewing the patterns, making adjustments, sewing them again. My mind was blooming with ideas, if I had a moment to myself- it was spent researching, trying different fabrics, dreaming up new styles.
And that’s it- there’s a quote I love and it always hits me right in the heart:
“We do not choose what wakes us up”
So that’s my story. I'm so happy you've found your way here, but more importantly- that you read all the way till the end!