What Are We Up To ?
Hey y’all, how are things for you all? Things around here have been interesting, stressful, and perplexing, going by entirely too quickly. The answer is all of the above. Our family has had some illnesses, and we have had some plans changed, added to, and taken away from. We won’t get into the illness because, well, those are private matters. Thankfully, it wasn’t Samantha or myself, so it wouldn’t be right to share. And God is taking care of those as we speak. We had this elaborate plan for a sewing studio where we could sell fabric and maybe offer sewing classes one day. However, God has decided to put that on hold for a bit longer, at least in a bricks and mortar type of way. Perhaps it is partly due to the issues our extended family has been dealing with. He knows what he is doing, even when we don’t. So I am going to put my trust in Him, rather than dwell on the what-ifs and could-haves. We thought we would take this time to update you on what’s going on in Appalachia!
So, as you may have noticed, if you follow our YouTube or Instagram, Samantha is, well, basically everything in this operation. I just sew and write. We all have our strengths and not-so-strengths. We all have things we are supposed to do, and things we are not. That’s what makes us individuals. The true irony is that in person, I can talk to a wall without much thought. However, put a video camera on me, and I freeze. And Samantha, it would seem, is my polar opposite. However, I do feel that there has been a shift, and I believe we should give a bit of explanation.
Things Change
When we started this, we sort of flew by the seat of our pants. We did have plans, but as you know, things can change. That’s what happened to us. We had planned on sharing all the handmade goodness of these mountains. While those plans are still in motion, they have taken a different turn for now. In fact, I believe this was the turn it was meant to take all along. You will understand more as I explain.
My sister is a seamstress. She is amazing and incredible at everything she makes. Samantha loves being in the sewing room. She enjoys all the aspects of dressmaking. In fact, I sincerely believe this is what she was meant to do in her life. She loves buying fabric and often drapes it against herself to see what it wants to be. The pinning, cutting, adjustments, and seam finishes are a passion for her. She has plans such as selling the fabric and having her own pattern line, which are dreams of hers. And I love that part of my sister. On the other hand, I am just not as passionate as she is. Don’t misunderstand me, I love sewing. And I have finally found my sewjo, I think. But I also have other hobbies. I love to paint, draw, bake, and I even enjoy spending the entire day scrubbing my house just because. I also loathe social media and technology. So this is a realm more of Samantha’s expertise than mine.
Which is why it shifted more to just a dressmaking blog and company than we had originally set out to be. There will always be an occasional quilt or bag. The odd recipe or canning post will still pop up. It’s just that I am typically the one who wants to sew bags and quilts, and Samantha is the dressmaker. She is also the canning person in this situation. However, gardens in these parts were hit-and-miss this summer, so there hasn’t been any canning this year. But we wanted to explain that a bit because it is a bit different around here than it was in March.
New Plans
As most of you know, or have seen, we now offer fabric around this side of the mountain. We have a beautiful selection of dressmaking fabrics that are wonderful to work with. I have sewn two of them up, and I just love them! In fact, I just finished a dress in the Olive green daisy fabric, and y’all, I am not a fan of green for the most part. But this dress, y’all, is stunning! And none of my machines had any issues with it, even my serger, which is temperamental to say the least. I promise to show you as soon as I can!
Now for the exciting part, folks! As I mentioned earlier, our plans have changed, and there is a huge surprise for all of you. Samantha is now designing patterns! She has been working tirelessly for the past month to create a beautiful boho-inspired tie-back dress with plenty of options, allowing you to create a truly unique dress. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to see it and be the first to test it alongside her. Yes, I know how fortunate I am! I may have also caught a glimpse of the next pattern she dreams of creating. Here is the dress I just finished using our delightful green daisy cotton lawn fabric. It’s absolutely dreamy, y’all! I can’t wait for her to announce the pattern tester call. Make sure to keep an eye out for it on our Instagram as well as her personal account.https://instagram.com/stitch_sew_something?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
And I think, that about wraps up this long-winded update of Appalachia. It’s been a long week here in the mountains. But we really appreciate all of you for visiting and sharing with us! We hope you all have a blessed week until we meet back here next Friday, with more happenings and piddling around.