One of my favorite memories as a child was sitting in the spare bedroom of my Aunt's house, watching her sew. I was mesmerized by all the buttons, fabric, and thread; I could have watched her for hours. I clearly remember the hum of the machine, and the way she smoothly guided the fabric as she created clothing and brought life back to things once tattered and torn. She made it all look so effortless. Thinking back, sewing has always been one of the "comforts" of my childhood. As I grew, I told myself that one day I too would learn how to sew, if for no other reason than to hold on to that comfort. This shop is my attempt to do just that.
My mother and grandmother have always taught me that things hand-made were better than things bought. Not only were they most likely cheaper, but they were more durable, sentimental, and could be created exactly as desired. Being more of a creative thinker rather than thinking in "black and white," doing hand-made projects appealed to me. I started by making little crafts here and there; origami, a costume for a party; decor for my wedding.
I purchased a Kindle Touch in 2012, and began looking for a case for it that was practical, cute, and affordable. After nearly a month of fruitless searching and rarely using my kindle for fear it would be damaged, I decided to make one myself. Never being fully taught to use a sewing machine, I attempted to jump straight into it without any sort of pattern.
Extreme. Frustration. I realized quickly that my aunt's effortlessness at sewing must have come with a lot of practice. I knew little about thread tension, bobbins, or different types of seams. By trial and error, encouragement from my husband, advice from my aunt, and a lot of Google tutorials, I completed my first sewing project. My Kindle case was far from perfect, but I learned a lot.
I showed off my case to a few people, and to my surprise they asked me to make one for them. I didn't think much of it until another handful of people requested the same and asked how much I would charge. I finally decided to go for it. I sold a few cases on my own, then decided to look into opening an Etsy Shop. I named the store after our puppy Zooey, finding it all too convenient that "Zo" rhymed with "Sew".
I recently started introducing fabric headbands, and have many more ideas in mind for the future. This hobby is not my full time job, but I'm attempting to make the most of it in my spare time.
I'm still learning, still trying, and am finding crafting and sewing to be as comforting and fulfilling as I had hoped as a child.