I started my sewing journey back in April 2020 and to say it has turned into my obsession would be an understatement.
I began 2020, before Covid-19 was even a thing with a goal for the year. That goal was learning to sew myself a dress. I had no particular style in mind, just a dress, any old dress would have done.
I’m still not entirely sure where this idea came from but it had something to do with my great grandmother, Nanima to me. Born in 1912, She was a seamstress in London and one of the great influences of my childhood. She taught me to be brave, not to listen to what others thought and that I could do whatever I put my mind to…. don’t be told you can’t do anything!
I’ve always had very crafty, diy tendencies and am definitely an owner of that over-confident ‘I can do that’ gene. That plus the great sewing genes in me, and a career in fashion gave me some feeling I could do this…and of course neither of those things make any difference to my sewing ability but my fearless ‘I can make that’ opinion pushed me on.
When I was 23, I bought a Brother sewing machine to hem some curtains for my new house. As of March 2020, 18 year later, the box of the machine was still unopened, having lived unused in many a garage since then and even having crossed the globe from the UK to NZ.
Time to change!
I finished up 2020 having sewn 53 items, many of them dresses that I still love. Sewing has given me a new creative outlet, a way to de-stress and a hobby that I am fully in love with. I don’t always have as much time as I would like to sew. I am a mum to 2 boys, have a busy portfolio of businesses and the juggle is real. But with my passion for creating, I squeeze in all the time I can.
Fast forward to 2023 and things have changed a bit. I am still sewing all the time I can, am still a busy working mum, but some of my work has pivoted to the creative sewing space. I still work in Marketing, running my own business that supports business owners and entrpreneurs to grow, and I’ve have been developing my neglected graphic design skills with a bit of pattern design too. Plus, excitingly, I am now am also the owner of New Zealand based fabric store Harmer & Huff (read about this development here) .
As a result, the blog is a bit neglected, but I am planning to revive things in the near future.
So what’s this blog all about?
Right now this is for me to document my sewing journey, share the things I have learned and continue to learn. If you’ve got this far, thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoy my posts.
Work With Me
Ways you can work with me:
Sewing Colloboration
I’ve worked with many designers now supporting content development, creating content and carrying out paid pattern testing.
Buy My Fabric
You can shop for fabric at my store. We curate sustainable sewing options with some seriously luxe designer deadstock too.
Shop My Designs
You can buy items with my designs on from my store, on Creative Market or at Spoonflower
Join
or follow me on instagram @ohsewfearless