Hey! Welcome to my website–my very own piece of digital real estate. Technically, I can’t call it “my owned” piece of real estate only because I don’t necessarily own it. I’m actually in a 3-year lease because you cannot full out own (register) a domain name indefinitely; it can only be registered (or leased) for a maximum of 10 years before you have to pay for it again. I only registered for three years (I have to see if I can stay consistent with this) so that is why in essence I’m a “digital renter” instead of “digital owner”. Even though I am “renting or leasing” this space, my business (A Time To Sew) is mine and I own it!!! This blog is just a spoke in the wheel to help me build my business.
My sewing journey began when I was in 7th grade Home Economics. I’m not sure they even have Home Economics class anymore! Home Economics was a class where it was mostly filled with young girls learning “domesticated” tasks like cooking, sewing, life skills, and taking care of a baby (using a raw egg or doll baby). The one thing that stayed with me from this class was I remember making a stuffed black panther. To this day, I don’t know what happened to my black panther, but I remember being proud of making my own stuffed animal. I had no idea that I would be sewing my own clothes decades later.
My grandmother bought me my very first sewing machine when I was in my early 20s. I thought it was a Westinghouse, but I can not confirm that. I do know that I never really used it, I just remember telling her that I wanted a sewing machine one year for my birthday and she bought me one. She had been an avid sewer when she was in her child rearing days and used to make my mother and aunties clothes. The ironic thing is, I remember her “sewing room” but I never asked my grandmother about sewing or asked her to teach me anything when she was alive.
In 2009, seven years after my grandmother had passed away, I was stationed in Dayton, Ohio where we had a large finished basement and there was a room down there that I claimed as my “craft room”. I don’t remember what crafts I was specializing in at the time, but I do remember purchasing my Singer Advanced machine that would replace the sewing machine my grandmother had bought me eight years earlier. I still did not really use my new sewing machine, but I did keep it out on a table and I messed around with it from time to time. When we moved to North Carolina, our next duty station and our home state in 2012, I began to make diaper cakes as gifts for coworkers. My creative gene began to grow and I added candy bouquets to my repertoire as birthday gifts. One day at a squadron barbecue, a coworkers’ wife was carrying a tote bag made from a uniform top. I was so intrigued and impressed by the bag; I thought it was so unique and cute. I asked her where she got it from and she told me that she made it! I asked her if I could hold it and take a picture of it. I remember studying that bag, really taking it in to see how it was created and from that moment, I knew that I would attempt to make my own. This was the next major juncture in my sewing journey; I went home and pulled my sewing machine out the attic, and kept it in the corner in the dining room to use. I will admit, I didn’t use it much when it had to be taken out the box and put back in the box after each use.
One day I found a used table and chair set and set up a small corner in our bonus room where I took my sewing machine out of the box for the last time and set it up on the table. I attempted to make my version of the uniform top tote bag (pic below) and I was so proud, but I wanted to make it better. I started watching sewing tutorials on youTube and I began to sew little zippered pouches (pic below). A coworker of mine at the time asked if I could sew her a pair of curtains. I had never made curtains before, but she had faith in my abilities and I was up for the challenge. I succeeded and she was pleased with the outcome (pic below). From there I began to sew baby blankets as gifts for my coworkers that were having babies and uniform tote bags for my coworkers that were leaving. Now that my sewing machine had a dedicated place I was drawn to utilize it on a more regular basis and so, A Time To Sew was born. A Time To Sew was birthed about 8 years ago when I wanted to add tags and labels to the products I made. The name was inspired by a scripture in Ecclesiastes (a book in the Bible). “To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven… A time to tear, and a time to sew” (Ecc 3:1, 7). It was my time, my season to sew as well as sow my gift to others.
Now, today, my skills have improved (yet I’m still learning my craft) and my passion has grown for sewing and making handmade items. Sewing, for me, is a form of worship to God. As I create, I am tuned into the Creator part of God and I am able to see and understand the depths of His creative power. Sewing is a gift that I was given and through A Time To Sew I am able to “sow” into people’s lives. At the end of the day, that is what it’s all about for me!
I would love to hear about the birth of your sewing journey or sewing business!! Please share with me below in the comments or by sending me an email!
P.S. I would like to give a shout out to Keisha Harris (@Keyfulgraphixs) who created my logo for A Time to Sew.