How did your business come
about?
I guess you could say I
have always been quite creative, this lay dormant while I was in my uni years
(funny how a great social life interferes with such things!) and really came in
to play after the birth of my second son.
A friend of mine enjoyed sewing and had made a blanket for my little man and I fell in love! I was given my sewing machine 3 years ago and it has not stopped humming since. I started with quilting blankets and duvets for close friends and myself then it just exploded from there! I love to try new things and tend to make all my own patterns for everything I make. The things you can make, the beautiful fabrics, the ideas are endless... I tend to get very carried away - I even recently made my own modern cloth nappies for my 1 year old!
I dabble a little in upcycling too -
however that's more of a pastime than business centred. Now I have my facebook
business which is slowly growing and keeping these crafty hands busy - and I
love it!
Where did the name come
from?
When starting out I had no
idea what to name myself - so I did what most normal people do (right?!?!) I threw
out the question to the Facebook world. A very good friend of mine suggested
Sewinspired, I loved it and I thought to make it a little unique I'd add my
name. So it became - Sewinspired by Kelly Roe!
Where does your inspiration
come from?
Magazines, the internet (don' even get me started on Pinterest!!!), people in general, are all good sources of inspiration. I spend a lot of nights sprawling the internet for new fabrics, a lot of these give me inspiration as I get a feel for what might look cool as leggings/t- shirt dresses/blankets/cushions/homewares/bibs etc. I also tend to follow trends - at the moment I love geometrics and triangles and bright colours.
My children are also a huge source of inspiration. I have 3
sons, Lochee, Sawyer and Kingston, I'd like to really progress my business so I
can remain essentially a Stay at Home Mum while also running my little sewing
business. Wouldn't it be great to be able to do the two things I enjoy most at
the same time - being a Mum and sewing!
What do you love about what
you do?
What's not to love really... creating,
making, starting with a piece of fabric and turning it into something
gorgeous... It is such a neat feeling. When you begin you have a vision and it is so neat to see that vision come to life! Making something that is essentially
unique and one of a kind is awesome, we all like to be individuals and by
buying handmade items it is ticking so many boxes -
- buying NZ made,
- supporting local businesses,
- unique one of a kind items,
- supporting local
WAHM's (work at home mums).
I absolutely love receiving pictures and comments about how
people love what I have made up for them - it is so rewarding
and definitely makes it worth all the blood sweat
and tears.
I also make my 1 year old son a lot of items - and it is so neat
dressing him in things I have made for him, he is one trendy little boy I can
tell you that much!
My house is a huge compilation of everything I have made
from my cushions and dining suite to all the beds having duvets and throws made
by myself (Even my lamps all have been recovered by myself!). It is neat to
walk through the house and think - I did this! I am a huge fan of the shabby chic, upcycled vintage look, as you can see!
What's hard about what you
do?
I guess like anything - there are parts
that are difficult. For me they are pretty trivial - I spend far too much time
searching the internet for fabric! (and then consequently spending a lot of money on fabric!)
Also working from
home poses the difficult decision on whether to do housework or to sew
(sewing wins every time!) And I would say the only other thing that is hard is
the amount of pressure I put on myself. I worry right up until the point
someone has received their parcel and told me it fits / they love it / I sent
the correct item.( I have yet to send the wrong item so unsure why this
one bothers me as much as it does!)
I guess at the end of the day I am human
and I do my best, and if others can get some enjoyment out of something I have
created then why not share the love.
Where do you find time to
craft?
I get asked this a lot. I
am a single mother to 3 beautiful boys, I work one day a week and I run the
household. Sewing is my happy place and I find once I get in the zone there is
no stopping me.
My crafting area is my dining room table / kitchen area. Terrible - I know. But I have 3 sons under 6 and if I was to have a room on its own I just don't think I would get anything done. This way, I can (sometimes) sew when they are busy playing in the lounge where they can still see me and demand food and drinks as they do.
I always get straight to work when my oldest is at
school, second at Kindy and baby is asleep. On a good day he will give me 2
straight hours of sewing and its amazing what you can achieve once you get
organised. I have found it helps me too if I can have a lot of my pattern
pieces cut out and ready to go at night time (usually during the ad breaks of The Block!) then when baby is asleep its a case of sitting down and sewing!
What’s next for you?
Business wise I hope to keep growing,
expanding the business and perhaps one day have a shop where I can sell many
items - different types of fabric, items I have made, homemade items others have made, furniture that has been upcycled. Trouble with me is I love all things creative - sometimes I need to take
a step back and filter things down so I can focus on one main component. Ideally in the next couple of years I would like to expand enough that I can stay home with my little rascals and help them develop into wonderful little humans while also satisfying my creative needs. They say do what you love - and I love to sew!
Kelly has a bundle of her cute creations to giveaway to one lucky reader (who will be looking very cute!)
To go into the draw head to Sewinspired by Kelly Roe Facebook Page and 'like' her page. Leave a comment on the giveaway post about who you would give this super cute bundle to. Easy Peasy!
- one comment per person
- you must live in New Zealand
- giveaway closes on Monday 3rd November
Images used with the kind permission of Kelly Roe (Sewinspired)
