Tabitha Sewer is a sewing content creator, button designer, and business expert. We chat with her about sewing with unusual fabrics, creating designer looks for less, thrift flipping, and her amazing buttons! She also takes us behind the scenes of creating content for some of the biggest brands in the world.
The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.
Find Tabitha Online:
- Website: Tabitha Sewer
- Instagram: @tabithasewer
- YouTube: Tabitha Sewer
Tabitha’s Makes:
- Designer Look for Less Coat (inspired by Mother of Pearl)
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
A Few of Tabitha’s Brand Collaborations:
- “A Craftmas Carol with Phyllis” starring Tabitha as the Ghost of Christmas Crafts!
- Fiskars Scissors – Designed by Tabitha
Tabitha’s Buttons:
Other Mentions:
View this post on Instagram
- Projectors for Sewing Facebook Group
- Rebecca Propes – @rebeccadiy
- Canon EOS 6D Camera
Transcript:
Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.
Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.
Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.
Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.
Caroline: Join us for today’s interview with Tabitha Sewer.
Helen: Hello, Tabitha. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.
Tabitha: Hi, how are you ladies? I’m excited to be here.
Helen: We’re so excited to have you. We’re doing well. We can’t wait to chat with you today. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?
Tabitha: Sure. My name is Tabitha Sewer. I am a DIY content creator, and I’ve been sewing for about, ooh, I would say about 12, 13 years now. And I’m absolutely obsessed with it.
Helen: Ooh. We’re going to get into all of that today. And where are you from?
Tabitha: It’s funny when people ask me that question because I’m a military brat, so I’ve lived just about everywhere. We moved every three years when I was a kid. So I can’t really call one specific location home, but I’m currently living in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Helen: Nice. And you yourself were in the military, too, right?
Tabitha: I was. I was in the United States Air Force for 10 and a half years.
Helen: Wow. It’s so funny because your, your personal style, I feel like is, like, the opposite of what I would expect in the military.
Tabitha: Yeah. No one would ever guess that I was in the United States Air Force wearing, you know, boots, the hat, the uniform, all that good stuff. But yeah, I was.
Caroline: So can you take us back to your early days of learning to sew and tell us a little bit about how you learned to sew and when that was?
Tabitha: I don’t know if a lot of people know this, but my mom sews. And she went to school for sewing and growing up, I always saw her sew for so many people, um, neighbours, friends, all that good stuff.
Um, she tried to teach me when I was a kid, but I was like, sewing is for grandmas. So no, I don’t want to learn to sew, and then when I got out of the military, after serving, I went back to school and I wanted to do something else other than homework, um, being at home with a kid and doing homework. I just thought that that was so boring.
I needed something for myself, and also, I had, um, severe anxiety. So I taught myself how to sew a little bit. And I would call her to ask her some advice and how to help me, um, get started and things like that. And, um, yeah, 12, 13 years ago, I just purchased a sewing machine per my mother’s suggestion. And I just got started. I jumped in.
Caroline: Do you remember the first thing you ever sewed on that sewing machine?
Tabitha: I do, and I still have it. My daughter’s 13 years old now, but at five years old, I, I made her an Easter dress. I still have the photos. I still have the dress, and it looks so beautiful on the outside, not the inside. But I was so excited to be able to create something for her, so… I do have a question. Why, why is it that when people learn how to sew, they just want to sew, like, the most bold, daring thing ever instead of sticking to something simple?
Helen: Oh, it’s so true. Like to dive right into the deep end. I think it’s because all of the sewing classes out there, like, you need to make a pillowcase or a tote bag, and people are like, no, watch me fly.
Tabitha: Yeah, that was me.
Helen: We already mentioned your personal style briefly, but for those of our listeners who aren’t familiar with you, can you describe your style for our listeners?
Tabitha: Oh, gosh. So I’m going to put out a disclaimer. Social media is my alter ego. Social media is a place where I am able to express, like, my art, my love for fashion, sewing, but in real life, real life, I am very, I’m not the type of person that likes attention, um, oddly enough, very ironic. So, on social media you’ll see that I absolutely love colour. I love all things that glitter. I love, like, bold print showstoppers, like, that, you know, that makes my heart beat.
In real life, my style is very minimal. I don’t want anyone to see me, so I’m usually in, like, black, a t-shirt and jeans, you know, the typical mom uniform. That, that’s me. So there’s, yeah, there’s two sides of me, which is fun.
Helen: Yeah, I love that approach and that outlook on sewing as an art form. And you really take it to the next level with a lot of your makes, especially some of these unusual fabrics that you tend to use, like, faux fur, sequins, velvet. I mean, you’ll make anything out of anything it seems. So tell us a little bit about how you choose fabrics for your makes and how you wrangle those fabrics.
Tabitha: I think in the sewing world, so I, I would say this. I’m the type of person if someone tells me you can’t do this, you can’t do that. I’m usually the type of person that will do it. So within the sewing world, we’ll usually hear like, this fabric is only for this, this fabric is only for this, I don’t really, I don’t really like hearing that.
I know, like, in stores, too, like, they’ll say, like, outdoor fabric or, you know, this fabric is only for this, and it’s like, no, I want to use it for this. And I really like experimenting with different fabrics only because with sewing, because it’s an art form for me, because I use it, just, you know, for art. It’s, it’s like a person that’s a painter that likes to paint and, you know, sewing is that for me.
So when I choose different fabrics, that’s, kind of, like, my canvas or my paints. And I like to experiment with different fabrics just to learn about different techniques and things like that. And it’s fun. I mean, I have absolutely nowhere to go in a sequined jacket or a fur coat, and I would never dare to wear that in public because that would, that would create so much attention. Ugh, I’d be so embarrassed.
But I just, I love, I love sewing with it. I love being able to create a character and just pretend that I’m just this fancy famous person, and I just know how to dress so good. It’s just fun. Fabric and sewing is fun to me.
Caroline: Where do you keep all of your amazing clothes? Cause I’m picturing like a 27 Dresses situation where you have, like, a closet that’s, like, bursting at the seams with, like, all of these dresses. Like, where do you, where do you keep all your clothes those aren’t the things you wear every day?
Tabitha: So you’re, the way that you pictured it, it is exactly what it is. I have a walk-in closet by myself. My husband has his own walk-in closet. And I have my own, and it’s double the size of his, and it is insane. And I also, because it’s so packed in there, and I’m also obsessed with shoes. Oh my gosh. Um, it’s so packed in there with shoes, clothes, handbags, all, all of the things. I also have here in my studio, since there’s so much at home, I have, like, half of my garments here at home. And then a lot of times I sell my stuff on my website. If I want to part with it, then I’ll sell it on my website.
Helen: Ooh. I did not actually know that. I need to keep tabs on you.
Tabitha: Yeah. If you’re going somewhere fancy or where you want to create attention, or you want people to talk about how fabulous you look then, yeah. You gotta shop my closet on my website.
Caroline: I love that. That is so cool. And you are so good at recreating designer looks for less.
Tabitha: Thank you!
Caroline: We love some of the posts on your website, where you show that inspiration. Helen and I were just talking about this amazing jacket that you made with, like, plaid on the front.
Tabitha: Ooh, yeah.
Caroline: And I can’t remember what colour it is on the front, the bright, bright colour on the back and just so, so cool. So can you tell us how you find inspiration for these, kind of, designer looks?
Tabitha: Yeah, absolutely. I think I speak for all creators when I say that our mind is constantly going whenever we see something on the street, whenever we scroll social media, Pinterest, magazines, it’s always, like, noted in our brain, and we’re always like, you know, I can make that. I can make that. No, I don’t need to buy that. I can make that.
Now, that’s, kind of, how I think. I have folders galore on Google Drive. I have folders on Instagram of things that, um, I saved, and I want to make. And every time I purchase a new fabric out, I’ll go to those folders. And then I’ll, you know, it’s pretty easy for me to come up with something to create because I, you know, I’m never not looking for inspiration. And I, um, I always see things that are.
Helen: How do you handle the, like, inspiration, overwhelm? Cause that sounds like a lot of input. Like, how do you choose what you’re going to make?
Tabitha: I know that there are a lot, a lot of things that I want to create and I guess it’s just what excites me at the moment. I know a lot of times I’ll create something, like, I’ll get so excited about something and then something else catches my eye and I already have the fabric for it. I’m, like, in my head, I’m like, oh my gosh, wait, I want to make that, too. So sometimes I’ll start two projects at one time, but yeah, it’s just whatever I’m excited about at the moment, either one or two things.
Helen: I love that idea of just following that creative thread and also taking the pressure off of wearing that garment long-term or out in your everyday life. Like, you’re just sewing for the pure joy of it and excitement about this vision that you have, and I think that is really cool. And a lot of people out there, myself included, could stand to do that a little bit more in my sewing, so that’s really nice to hear. Do you have a dream designer piece that you’d like to make in the future?
Tabitha: Oh my gosh. Um, honestly, not currently, no. I don’t have anything that I really want… actually, no, I take that back. There is this school glitter, sequin, plaid jacket that my favourite fashion blogger, she wears this continuously and oh my God. I just want to have my hands on it. And I always look for fabrics that are very similar, and I can’t find that specific one. So I’m looking for plaid, glittery, sequined fabric to recreate that. And that would make all of my fashion dreams come true.
Helen: That sounds amazing. A glitter plaid jacket.
Tabitha: And, and, of course, I would probably not wear it in any way because I’d be so scared of the attention, but, you know, I love it.
Helen: That’s why it’s a fashion dream.
Tabitha: Yeah, yeah. If I, if I could, like, hang up all of my clothes as art, that would be, that would be a dream to me that…
Caroline: Oh my gosh, the Tabitha Sewer Museum. Like, I would go.
Helen: I would go.
Caroline: I would pay money for that. The exhibition of all of your makes.
Tabitha: There’s, like, a blogger that did that a couple of years ago. Um, she makes, like, gowns, and she would make one gown a month, I think it was. And then she had them on display where people can come and view them, and…
Caroline: Wow.
Tabitha: Yeah, it was, I didn’t get to go, but I saw it on social media, and it was so incredible. I wish I was there.
Caroline: Very cool.
Helen: Ah, that’s such a great idea. I wonder if there’s some local, I don’t know, studio or something, or art gallery that would partner with you to set that up because it truly is art. It would be really amazing to see it in that context.
Tabitha: Yeah.
Helen: And are you using, like, indie patterns when you’re creating a lot of this stuff? Are you more of a Big Four sewer?
Tabitha: To be honest, I think I am more of a Big Four sewer only because it’s more convenient and it’s just right, right there. And I can just grab it and go. I’m not huge with even, even though I have my own patterns, I don’t, I don’t typically go for, like, PDF. I, I don’t know. I just, I want things to be efficient and easy. And for me that’s easier than downloading a PDF. And then taking it to the office store and printing it and then cutting it and all that stuff. So, yeah.
Helen: Yeah. I wonder if that’s in part due to the fact that you’re creating these one of a kind pieces you’re like, I don’t need to use this pattern again. I’m just going to cut it up and go with it.
Tabitha: Yeah, yeah. I feel like that’s, like, a sin in the sewing community. Oh my gosh, you cut your pattern. You, you never do that, but I, I, I cut them and I, I never use them again. I just keep going.
Helen: Move on.
Tabitha: Yeah.
Caroline: We had a convo on the podcast, Helen and I, once where we were talking about, like, are you Team Cut or Team Trace? And we asked the community, and it was very divided.
Tabitha: Yeah.
Caroline: There were very passionate people in both camps.
Tabitha: Yeah. Someone mentioned, too, cause I, I mentioned my love/hate relationship with sewing patterns. I posted a video about that. And someone mentioned something about, I guess, where you can cast the pattern down onto your fabric and you don’t have to cut the pattern. You can just cast an image of the pattern onto your fabric and cut it straight from there.
Helen: Yeah.
Tabitha: That, once I figure that out. Oh, my gosh. There’s no stopping me. I love that.
Helen: Yeah. That’s called projector sewing. I think there’s a, there’s a Facebook group about it. Yeah. So if our listeners are interested, look into that. It is very cool because then there’s no cutting involved at all except for the fabric.
Tabitha: Yeah. Yeah. Which I don’t mind. It’s the patterns. I just, oh yeah. I hate it.
Caroline: Well, one of your specialties is also doing thrift flips. Um, so we’re definitely going to link up some of those in the show notes so everyone can see some of the amazing makes that you’ve done with thrift store finds. But can you tell us a little bit more about what you look for at the thrift store and how you find things to flip?
Tabitha: Yeah, so I will give credit to Fiskars for the idea. Um, they’re the ones that came up with the idea for me. I, when they came up with the idea, I absolutely fell in love with it, and it was to promote their, um, sustainable scissors. And once I started, I couldn’t stop. I love thrift flips. I wish, secretly, I wish that I can change my whole, like, brand, my sewing to just the flips. But, um, of course, I can’t, so I have to mix it all together.
But what I look for when it comes to thrift flips are, of course, fabric textures, different, different types of fabric textures. I love things that look different. Um, typically, I look for things, because I’m more of a curvy girl. I need some garment or fabric or tablecloth or whatever it is, with a lot of fabric because I have a lot of body to cover. So, um, that’s pretty necessary for me. And yeah, just colour and texture. And a lot of times I like to start out with something that people are like, what in the world is she going to do with that? And I like, I like, I like to, to surprise people with the outcome of it.
Helen: Yeah, that is the both satisfying part is the before and after. And if it can be, like, a really extreme transformation, then all the better. And I could see you having a lot of luck at the thrift store cause I feel like a lot of the things that people get rid of tend to be those more out there pieces that might have a bit more going on on them, and they don’t get worn so much. So it must be really fun when you go to the thrift store. I’d love to go with you.
Tabitha: Yeah. I have, like, a bin at home that I need to bring here because I’m sure my husband is annoyed by looking at it by now, but I have a bin full of, like, thrifted stuff, like, vintage. I have some vintage stuff too, um, that I paid a good amount of money for that I want to flip. A lot of things with, like, tassel, fringe, a lot of fringes and feathers. I love, I love, like, all the fun things, but yeah, I have a whole bin full of that stuff that I’m just waiting to get sewn into.
Helen: Amazing. So when you have a thrifted piece you want to do something with, what does your process look for, for deciding what it is you are going to make out of that piece?
Tabitha: Um, I have to look at the garment first, or the garment or the textile, whether it’s a tablecloth or, like, an actual already made garment, just to see how much fabric I have to work with. And then from there I’ll scout my folders. And if I can’t find anything in there, uh, I’ll usually look at different websites like Anthropologie, J.Crew, Kate Spade, all that stuff. Um, I’ll look there for inspiration. And then once I find something, I’ll find a pattern that matches as closely as I can to the garment that I want to make. And then I’ll, I’ll go from there.
Caroline: Awesome. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I’m sure you must have a lot of options in your pattern stash. What does your pattern stash look like? You mentioned folders, so I want to try to visualise here.
Tabitha: Well, no, it’s not. When I say folders, I mean like my inspiration folder, like the pictures.
Caroline: Oh, yeah.
Tabitha: Like the inspiration photos, um, that I save up. My pattern stash isn’t as big as you would think because, remember I told you, I use, typically use a pattern once and I keep it moving. So I’ve, I don’t have a large pattern stash, like most, like most people. Yeah. I just, I just have, maybe this is going to sound like a lot, but to me, it’s not a lot. I may have, like, 50 patterns. Fifty or I don’t know.
Helen: Yeah. That doesn’t seem like a lot considering how many garments you’ve made.
Tabitha: Yeah. Right. Yeah. I usually just make it and then I’ll put it back in the packaging and then we’ll just, and then, like, excess fabric or patterns. We’ll just load it up and drop it off at thrift store or something.
Helen: Yeah, for the next person.
Tabitha: Yeah.
Helen: Well, you’ve also made some really beautiful and bold coats in your sewing journey. And we were wondering if you had any tips for making more structured or complex garments like outerwear.
Tabitha: Yeah. So if I’m being honest, I would say the way that I learned is with sitting down with my mom on, like, more difficult things. Not going to lie, it is very difficult to sew with, with my mom, because I’m so stubborn and she, and she’s, you know, her way, and then I’m my way. So I would suggest that you, you find someone that actually knows what they’re doing so that they can help break down things for you. And make sure that you set aside a good amount of time to finish the project because when it comes to sewing coats and things like that, it’s not, it’s nothing like sewing a dress or top or anything like that. That really takes a lot of time.
Um, so if you’re, if it’s your first time doing it, or if you’re still, cause when I started making the journey of sewing, a lot of coats, I’ve sewn a few coats in the past before, but actually sitting down with someone, even though I had, you know, a little bit of experience, sitting down with someone that has experience and, man, you’ll learn so much from them. And that’s, that’s kind of how I got better at what I was doing. Just, you’ll never know everything when it comes to sewing, and there’s so much to learn. So, um, having access to, um, my mom and her background is really a great help for me.
Helen: Aw. And what’s your mom’s phone number? So we can call… No, I’m just kidding.
Tabitha: And she would talk to you, too.
Caroline: That’s a great tip though. And if, if any listeners out there are thinking like, oh, I, you know, my mom doesn’t sew or I don’t have friends that are experienced sewists, you can get that from, you know, YouTube or an online course or finding a class locally, um, there’s always going to be sewers out there that want to share their knowledge.
Tabitha: Yeah, yeah.
Caroline: But I wonder, do you have a favourite outerwear piece that you’ve made that we can link up on socials this week and show everyone?
Tabitha: Oh my gosh. So I, I don’t, I don’t have a favourite. I don’t, but I do have one that is the most worn. And based on what I’ve told you guys, I told you that, you know, my real life self, I don’t like a lot of attention. My clothes are not, like, out there. So the most worn coat is actually a tan coat. It’s, it’s, like, a camel colour and on the inside, it’s, like, a silk, a pink neo-, I guess it’s a neon pink or fuchsia lining, silk lining, but on the outside, it’s very, you know, low key, like, yeah, I’m cool. Um, this is not, not too much, but on the inside, it’s a lot type of coat.
Helen: I love this coat. I’m looking at you at a Reel of you wearing it right now.
Tabitha: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Helen: Oh, it’s so cute. I could see that getting a lot of wear.
Tabitha: Yeah, that’s my most worn.
Caroline: Awesome.
Tabitha: It looks great dressed up, in exercise clothes like leggings and things like that. I love, I love that coat. And it’s warm, it’s warm.
Caroline: Awesome. Okay. Let’s switch gears a bit. You have a successful small business as a content creator, as well as a business making amazing buttons.
Tabitha: Yeah.
Caroline: So we want to know a little bit more about your business journey. Did you always know you wanted to run your own business?
Tabitha: When I got older, I did. Um, when I, when I was younger, I didn’t. I didn’t want to go to school. I didn’t, cause, because I didn’t know what I wanted to do as an adult. Um, hence why I went to the Air Force. Um, but then when I got out of the Air Force, I decided to get my business degree. So I got, um, my undergrad is in business administration and then, um, I went on to get my master’s degree, my graduate degree in business management.
And, um, while I was in school, I was running my blog, and I watched other bloggers and how successful they were in the beauty community. And I wanted to become successful in my community, somewhat, or maybe not successful, but just make some type of money. So I think, maybe, yeah, when I, when I first started 12, 13 years ago, I knew I wanted to have some type of small business.
Um, I’ve always been the type to sell things. Like, I remember, um, when I first started, I sold earrings, and it didn’t work out. I sold this and that, just all these different things. My husband can go down the line of all the things I tried to sell and it never worked out or I didn’t stick with it, but I finally found that thing that I absolutely love, and it’s, and I don’t know, I just I’m, I’m running with it. I’m enjoying it. And it’s literally a dream that I didn’t know that I had. So this, yeah, this whole business that I’m running, I love it. I love waking up every day and thinking about dang, I’m, this is my job. That’s so crazy. I love it.
Helen: I love this story. It’s so nice to hear that it wasn’t just, you know, deciding I’m going to do a business in this, and then succeeding. Like, you tried all sorts of things before you found that one thing. And I’m sure a lot of people out there can relate to that.
Tabitha: Yeah.
Helen: Especially going back to school as an adult, like, later on in your adult life, too. Like, that’s very inspiring.
Tabitha: Yeah. I w-, um, my husband’s cousin, she, oh my gosh, she does so many things. And it’s funny to watch her because I’m like, dang, that used to be me. I have to do this. I want to do that type of business. I want to sell this. And, um, I listen to other people talk about her and it’s like, it’s good for creators or people like that to experiment and try to find. that thing and, you know, it’s fun to experiment, but once you find your thing, oh my gosh, no one can stop you. And, and you’re going to be, you’re going to be good to go.
Caroline: It’s so cool. And it’s so nice to hear the passion in your voice, talking about your business and how you feel like you’ve really found what you’re meant to be doing.
Tabitha: Yeah.
Caroline: Can you tell us a little bit, like, what’s a day in the life look like, like, what are you juggling on the day to day in your business?
Tabitha: Um, besides being a mom, um, once, once, they’re off to school, I, I, some days I’ll just, you know, come into work. Um, a lot of times I’ll have to put on makeup. I hate doing my hair. I hate putting on makeup. Oh my gosh. I would say that’s my least favourite part of my job. So I’ll put on makeup, do my hair, and then come in and I’ll sit down at my computer.
A lot of times I’ll be in meetings and things like that, um, just trying to plan out my week. That’s usually on Mondays. Each day is something different. So Monday is usually, like, my planning day for the week and buying supplies for the week for whatever I’m going to create that, that week. I’ll plan things out, and then I start creating, or if I have button orders out, uh, you know, I’ll help out with that. But yeah, that’s, that’s typically what I do.
Helen: And you’re creating for other brands that have, like, that you’ve collaborated with, to create projects to, like, do some cross-promotion basically, right?
Tabitha: I am. I would say at this point in my career, majority of the content that I create are, is for other brands. And I think we’ll talk about that later, but, um, yeah, so a lot of, a lot of the work that I do is, is for other brands and that still, still to this day, blows my mind. Like, why, like, you want me to create for you? Of course! Of course.
Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. We definitely want to come back to that in a minute cause we have some questions about that. You’ve worked with some cool brands, but before we move on to getting into the nitty-gritty, let’s talk a little bit about just, like, maybe current small business owners out there or people who dream of owning their own business, and I wonder if you have any advice for them?
Tabitha: Yeah, so I was lucky enough to go back to school. My education was, was free, um, with being in the military. But if you, if you don’t want to go back to school, you really don’t have to. You, you have so much access to education and things like that online. There’s podcasts, there’s Audible books, there’s YouTube videos.
As far as reading goes, I’m not, I’ve never been one to read about, you know, like, fiction or non-fiction or things like that. Or not non-fiction. Sorry. Um, but I’m usually the type of person that likes to read business books or whatever I want to learn at the moment. So, um, like, currently I want to know about sublimation, so I’m reading a lot about that.
So there’s, there’s so many access to Audible books if you don’t like to read. Yeah. The, the internet is your school, is school nowadays. So definitely take advantage.
Helen: Yeah, that’s a really good point. I think for a lot of folks out there who might be thinking they want to do their own business, or even learn a new skill or change careers, one of the biggest hurdles is just that pressure of deciding what it is you’re going to do. But as you said earlier, you know, you don’t have to choose. You just have to try, and you will find your way.
Tabitha: Right. Uh, huh. And there’s, there’s so many people, there’s so many women, there’s so many men that started their business and no one’s secretive about how they got there. There’s no, like, one formula to get from A to B. You ha-, you have to just dive in and experiment. You can’t overthink it. You can’t, um, you can’t try to create a plan. You can create a plan, but you have to also be aware that you’re going to veer off the plan a lot. So I don’t know where I’m going with this, but…
Caroline: It’s so true.
Tabitha: Then I was about to start teaching my business course cause I was a business instructor, too. I was going to start teaching you guys some business.
Caroline: You’re like class is in session now, everyone. It’s so true though. You can plan all you want and, with a small business, but there will always be curveballs and there will always be hurdles. And you have to, kind of, mentally prepare yourself for that. Um, but it’s, it’s always a fun journey. I, I’d love to get into your button business cause, as you know, we carry your amazing buttons at Blackbird, at my shop.
Tabitha: Yeah! Oh my gosh. Thank you!
Caroline: We love them so much.
Tabitha: Oh, I will have to say. If, if the person that works with you, um, could hear me scream my head off. I know she’d be like, okay, nevermind. I was so excited when I got the email cause that was, that was honestly my dream company to carry my buttons, so…
Caroline: Oh my gosh. That’s so kind. Well, we love you and we love what you do and we’re so happy to be able to sell them in our store.
Tabitha: Thank you so much.
Caroline: Um, but can you talk to us a little bit about the design process? Like, what goes into designing buttons and just take us behind the scenes a little bit?
Tabitha: Yeah. So when it, when it comes to buttons, everything falls in line with, like, my personality. Um, I love colour. I love texture. So I try to include, like, textures in there. I try to keep it very basic with the shapes, but there, there are times when I try to experiment with, um, different shapes and things like that.
Um, I, I will say, like, right now I am trying to come up with a new collection of buttons and everyone can tell you it’s driving me insane because I want them to look a certain way. There’s, uh, the process, it’s so hard because you have to design them, and it’s usually designed on Illustrator. And oh my gosh. It’s just, it’s extremely stressful, um, the design portion of it and, um, creating the mock-up of it. And I’m at that point in the new collection right now. And it’s very, very, very stressful.
So hopefully, it’ll come out the way that I want it. But once, once I get through the process of designing it, um, I’ll, um, go and pick out the colours and textures and things like that. And then it gets made, and they, they, they get shipped here and then we put them all on cards here.
Helen: Oh, cool. Wow. That must be a labour of love putting all those buttons on those cards.
Tabitha: It is, it is. I have a, a huge order now, and it’s a lot, but I mean, I’m thankful, like I, I was looking at it today, and I was like, uh, like, I, I’m so extremely thankful that people actually want to buy my buttons. Like, when I tell people that are outside of the community about, you know, what I, what I sell they’re like, buttons, why? And no one really understands, but I’m obsessed, I’m obsessed with, with, um, buttons and I’m so extremely grateful that people, small business owners like me, love them just as much as I do.
Helen: I mean, they’re so unique. Like, you said earlier that you like to try to keep it basic and simple, but there is nothing basic and simple about these buttons. They’re, like, neon colours and glitter everywhere and hearts and flowers. I mean, they’re, they are just so special…
Tabitha: Thank you.
Helen: So unique. And I think that is a part of why people love them so much and why it’s been a huge success for you. And yeah…
Tabitha: Thank you.
Helen: It’s amazing how many you have in your shop now.
Tabitha: Thank you. Also, when I’m creating them, I always think of it like the cherry on top of an ice cream because I look at them like, you know, most people look at buttons like, wah, they’re just buttons. They, they’re just used to attach, you know, my clothes or whatever.
But to me they’re like little jewellery, like little, um, you know, like earings or like a jewellery accessory to your clothing. And it, I feel like it ties it all together and it gives it that extra, you know, small element of, it elevates your, your garment. Um, so that’s what I really, really love about buttons, too. It just adds that extra little detail that just, you know, it’s like the cherry on the ice cream.
Helen: Yeah. Oh, I love that. I feel like you can go two ways with button choosing. Sometimes it’s like, you can choose it to blend in, or you can choose it to stand out. And if you’re choosing the standout way, these are the buttons for you.
Tabitha: Yeah, yeah. If you want attention, this is it. This is it.
Helen: And do you use your own buttons in your own making? I mean, I’m sure I know the answer to this, but how do you choose which ones you’re going to put on your own garments?
Tabitha: Of course, I use my buttons. Um, so when I started sewing, I did buy some buttons at the store. And for years I stopped because they were just not the quality that I wanted them to be at because they were just, I don’t know, they felt cheap to me, and they would always break in the wash, and also they just didn’t speak to my style. So I stopped sewing with buttons for years.
And then when I launched my button collection, of course, that’s, that’s all I use. So the way that I choose my buttons, um, a lot of times I’ll go on social media, and I’ll ask people to help me because I don’t, I don’t know, um, because there’s so many options and of course I get overwhelmed. But, uh, other times I’ll usually, like, pick out a colour that’s, that you don’t really know. I guess that doesn’t really take over the garment, the colour that takes up the least amount of space on my garment. And I’ll use that for the button colour because it makes that colour stand out more if that makes sense.
Caroline: Oh cool.
Helen: Yeah. That’s great advice and tie it all together and make it pop.
Tabitha: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that’s how I choose it.
Helen: Amazing. Well, we’re going to link up Tabitha’s buttons in the show notes.
Tabitha: Thank you.
Helen: Um, but let’s talk a little bit more about your content creation. You’ve got this cool job as a content creator/influencer, which seems like, I don’t know, one of those jobs that is confusing to explain to people. Do you ever have trouble telling people what you do for a living?
Tabitha: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I’m not going to lie. I hate explaining it because people are like, oh. Like, if you can see my face. It’s like a side eye. Like, oh, that’s what you do? Oh. Like, they don’t get it. Um, but yeah, so my job, what it entails is I work with amazing brands. These are my dream brands. Um, I work with them to create, um, content material on my social media, as well as their social media platforms, as well as, it can be for their PR, any type of PR that they have as far as magazines, door setups and things like that, I’ve, I’ve done. And I, I create that. They, they, most brands give me the ability to create whatever I want. They just give me guidelines on what I should, what materials I should be using or what story I’m trying to tell. But once I get that detail, they allow me to run with it, and I run and I run fast, and I love it. I love it.
Caroline: Oh my gosh. It’s so, so cool. And you mentioned dream brands. I mean, you’ve worked with some huge brands. Can we just acknowledge that? It’s so, so cool. You worked with JoAnn Fabrics, Disney, Creativebug. So can you tell us a little bit, like, how did these opportunities come about?
Tabitha: Yeah, I always tell people, know people who know people. Um, when it comes to social media, I know there’s a lot of people and I’m, I’m not gonna lie. I, I am that person sometimes, too. Um, it’s, it’s, it’s easy to get on social media and to be shy and not talk to anyone, but it’s social media for a reason. You have to be social. You have to constantly be on there, networking, talking to people.
And when you do that, you, you’ll find people. I never, I, like you, you just never know who you’re talking to. Um, and getting to know, you build real and genuine relationships with people, and they’ll hook you up. There’s a lot of people that’ll, that’ll hook you up. I hooked up a lot of people as well. And, um, yeah, know people who know people. Get to know people. Create genuine relationships that will in turn create opportunities for you.
And I would say JoAnn, with JoAnn’s that, oh my gosh. JoAnn’s has brought me so many opportunities. I’ve gotten to know so many people on the team that are my genuine friends that I hang out with. Um, we tr-, I travel some of them, and we talk on a daily basis, if not weekly basis. And they’re, they’re always throwing ideas to me like, hey Tab, do you want to do this? Do you want, you know, do you want to be in the JoAnn’s mailer next month or in a couple months? Yeah, of course. And they, and the opportunities just come.
Another, another thing that I do, I, I, I probably shouldn’t say this cause this is like a sin also in the content creator world, but I never say no. I just can’t do it. And I don’t say no, because for people like me, opportunities don’t come often. So when they come, I never turn it down. And I’m always super grateful that they chose me, so, yeah. And that’s why I never say no.
Helen: Uh, well, I mean, it makes sense and you have all these amazing opportunities and speaking of JoAnn Fabrics, you made a video with them where you play the ghost of Christmas crafts, and you did that with Phyllis, from The Office, which was, like, I, when I watched it, I was, like, this is wild. Like, this sewing person I’ve been following for years and Phyllis from The Office, one of my favourite TV shows, are in a video together. Like, what is happening? So what was that like for you?
Tabitha: It was overwhelming, but I’m so glad that I got to share the experience with a friend, um, that I met on-, online, too. Her name is Rebecca. We both, she’s in the crafting or home DIY community, but we both got to experience that together. And Phyllis, so I will say I have never watched The Office, I, but I knew who she was. Um, I know that when I got on set, everyone was like, so panicking. Like, oh my gosh, we’re going to meet her.
And I’m like, I don’t know who she is. Like, I feel so bad. I feel so embarrassed, so embarrassed, but she’s so, she’s so nice, and she’s so comfortable in, in her element, um, when it comes to acting, she, she stays in her character. It’s so crazy, and she, she’s extremely humble and really fun to work with. She’s so nice. She’s so nice.
Helen: Aw, that’s nice to hear.
Tabitha: It’s, it’s a lot of, a lot of waiting around when you’re, when you’re shooting a commercial. It’s a lot of waiting around, but I’m on the back end of it. And you just sit there and you think, like, dang, like, this is such a crazy, how did I even get here? This is insane. And then, and then when it comes out, it’s even better than you thought. So I’m so grateful for that opportunity.
Helen: Oh, amazing. And for any, uh, Office fans out there, Phyllis who is a character on The Office, but also her name in real life is Phyllis so easy to remember.
Tabitha: Oh, I didn’t know that.
Helen: Yeah.
Tabitha: Everyone was calling her Phyllis. So I didn’t, I didn’t know if that was the character or her name. I don’t know. I guess her name is Phyllis. I got to stand by a celebrity so I was super grateful.
Caroline: You’re like, I don’t care what your name is. This is amazing.
Tabitha: That was me. I’ll figure it out later. You’re famous.
Caroline: Oh my gosh. Yeah, you rocked that commercial.
Tabitha: Thank you.
Caroline: We’re going to link it up in the show notes for sure so that everyone can watch as well.
Helen: Well, when you’re not on a professional video shoot with all of those videographers and such, like, I imagine for a lot of the content stuff that you’re creating, you have to take your own photos and videos. So what is that like?
Tabitha: Oh my gosh. So yes, I do. Um, so, um, I’ll work with photographers. Majority of the time my husband will take my photos. If he’s not available, I’ll hire my kids. My daughters take my photos; But a lot of times I’ll take it with either my phone or I have a Canon, a Canon camera that I take the photos with.
Helen: Mhm. That sounds very similar to my setup. I’ve found that, like, I have a professional camera, but often the iPhone takes better photos. It’s just easier to use.
Tabitha: Yes. Yeah. So I think my, my, my camera is a Canon 6D, if I’m not mistaken. I have, I have three of them, and I, I usually, I typically keep them here in the studio for video content, but sometimes I’ll, I’ll take it out and, uh, and I’ll use it. But majority of the time, I do use my phone. And the reason is because, I mean, phones nowadays, the picture quality is amazing. And, um, it’s professional looking as long as you are, you are, um, proficient in, in the way that you edit, and you can edit really well. So I think that phone, phone cameras are great. And I, the number one thing that I love about it is. That I can take all the millions of photos and I can just easily access it through Google Drive. That’s, like, the number one, that’s the number one reason why I use my phone.
Helen: Yeah. It just makes everything in one place, easy to find.
Tabitha: It’s efficient. It’s efficient, and it’s easy.
Well, for any of our listeners out there who would love to take their, uh, sewing content creation or they’re sharing on social media and make it into more of a business like you have, do you have any tips for them? Where should they start?
Tabitha: Sure. I think that you should just start. Don’t overthink it and make sure that it is something that you absolutely love because this is something that you can easily, either get burnt out or just really, really easily get discouraged. I was working for free for about five years and working for free and not caring because I love sharing. Like, sharing is just in me and I love the education part of it. I like to share things that I’ve learned and just sharing things that I make.
Um, so if you absolutely love it, then do it. Don’t do it for any other reason, such as the money or opportunities. That will come. Do it because you love it. So don’t overthink it. If you want to do this, then just do it. Jump in.
Helen: Aw, that’s good advice. I imagine it’s a lot harder than it looks. We like to think of influencers or content creators, sort of, just doing their thing, drinking smoothies, and, like, posing for the camera. But, like, you have to coordinate all of that and, like, be on top of it and be constantly seeking out new opportunities, and yeah, it, it sounds like, uh, a lot of work and you do it so well, so it’s really fun to watch your journey.
Tabitha: Yeah, I will. I will say that I, I know that I have a lot of friends that have to seek out opportunities. I am extremely lucky in the fact that I don’t have to do that. Um, because I have so much work coming in. I don’t, I, I’ve never, I don’t think I’ve ever done. Um, that’s sounds terrible, but I’ve never, I’ve never had to go hunt for opportunities, but that is one of the aspects of the job is to go and look for the opportunities and then hope that those opportunities grow more with that company or open up opportunities, um, with another company.
And yeah, there’s no drinking smoothies laying out on a beach. No. Content creators, you’re all, everything, everything is content. Everything. Waking up. Like, let me show you, um, day in the life. My, my morning routine, my afternoon routine, what I do in the studio, especially for, like, DIY or sewing bloggers, it’s even more work in comparison to, like, fashion bloggers and things.
A lot of my friends are fashion bloggers. And when I tell them the things that I have to do, the extra, the extra millions of steps of actually creating the clothes that I have to share online. Um, they’re like, dang, Tab. Like, I, uh, I can’t even imagine, like we just, you know, go and purchase all the clothes or the clothes get sent. Um, I’m like, no.
Helen: No, that’s not how that works.
Tabitha: No, the fabric gets sent to me, and I have to actually make them. But yeah, that, that minor step of actually making the garments. Yeah, so I think as sewing blogger, we had, we, yeah, it’s a little, it’s a little bit harder. Um, also you have to plan. Planning and staying organised. I am the least organised person in the world. Um, oh my gosh. I don’t even know how I manage to stay on top of what I’m working on. But, um, I mean, it gets done, so yeah. I work well under pressure by the way, so…
Helen: Oh, that’s good.
Caroline: Well, speaking of working well under pressure, you’ve made some really incredible costumes for your kids over the years, and I’ve had fun following along when you’ve had countdowns to Halloween making those costumes. So tell us a little bit about that. And, and do you have a favourite costume that you’ve made for your kids?
Tabitha: Yeah. So my kids are the best. They are good sports. I love, oh my gosh, my daughter’s 13, and she’s still going to allow me to dress her for Halloween, and I love her for it. Um, my, my son, he doesn’t mind. I love them both for that. Um, when it comes to trying to find a costume, it’s the same. It’s the same process as with my clothes. I try to find the most craziest costume. And then my husband, he’s like, oh, like, why did you get me into this? And then we run with it. Like, we, we work really well together in creating the costume. He can’t sew, but he can glue things together, um, depending on what it is.
Like, I know one costume, we created a hot air balloon, and he helped me glue, and he did a little bit of woodworking in there. Creating costumes, that’s, like, my favourite, most favourite part of the year. And it just makes me sad thinking that one day my kids won’t allow me to do this. So I’ll probably have to find the neighbour’s kids or something, or some random child on the street. Hey, let me borrow you.
Caroline: Do you need a costume? Do you need a costume?
Tabitha: Hey! I’ll have a good resume. I’ll have a good resume. This is what I’ve made. If you want to win every year, I’m your girl.
Helen: Oh my gosh.
Caroline: This might be hard, but do you ha-, do you have a favourite costume that you’ve made?
Tabitha: My favourite costume? Yeah, I would, I would say there’s two. So my favourite would be, Hei Hei, still.
Helen: Yes!
Tabitha: I still remember. Putting on the costume on my daughter. So the way that the, the area of where we go to, um, go trick or treating it’s at, um, a local community building, it’s like a rec center and you have to walk up the sidewalk. And then when you turn, that’s where everybody is. Um, I remember walking up, my daughter walking up the sidewalk and when she turned, everyone stopped what they were doing. They were like, what the heck is that? They, they were shocked and they were like, wait, you made that?
And I dunno, it’s, it’s always, like, a great experience seeing people’s mouths drop when they say that we made it. It’s so funny, um, because, and also, like, people will look, like once you tell them that you made it, they’ll look into all the details. Like, wait, let me see if you really made this. So that’s really funny too, but yeah, the Hei Hei costume, I’ll always, like I said, I always remember when she turned the corner and everyone loved it, so that one, and I loved the process of sharing it online.
Helen: Yeah!
Tabitha: That was really fun. That was really, I got everybody xcited and tuned in. It was like a mini little, mini little series there. It was fun. And I would say an older one that’s my favourite is the Little Mermaid. The, the, the octopus, what is her name?
Helen: Oh, Ursula.
Tabitha: Ursula, yeah! That one was my favourite, too. I think my daughter was, like, seven or eight at the time, and we created that costume, and that costume was fine.
Helen: Oh my gosh. I love that she wanted to be Ursula for Halloween.
Tabitha: We, usually, she doesn’t like the princesses and things like that, which I absolutely love because all the girls do that. And I love that she, she likes to take it there. Like, yeah, the villain-, the villains look fun. They stand out because, I mean, who wants to be a villain, but we do. We do, and we love it.
Helen: Well, we’re going to be sharing a roundup of your costumes. They are next level amazing. So you’ll have to check them out and for anyone out there wondering, Hei Hei is the rooster from Moana. Just amazing work on all the feathers on that one. It was so cool to see.
Tabitha: Also, when it comes to, like, sewing costumes, it’s the same as with sewing my garments, it’s just different materials, different techniques, different, just, it just keeps sewing interesting. Like, nothing, um, nothing that I create, well, I wouldn’t say nothing, a lot of what I create isn’t always the same. Being able to experiment with costumes gets me out of my, out of the mundane sewing, you know, sewing cotton or whatever, and just being able to experiment with things other than fabric. Like, I get to experiment with wood and plastic and all kinds of stuff. So it’s fun. I love it.
Helen: Aw. Very cool. And are your kids interested in sewing? Do you think you have any sewers in the family?
Tabitha: Yeah, so my, my daughter, she, she likes to sew, but when she’s in the studio and with my son, they, they usually help me with, with the button business, and they get paid pretty well, so…
Helen: Nice.
Tabitha: I love exposing them to the business, so they’ll know when they get older, it’s, it’s better to work for yourself then, you know, working for, like, this big company.
Helen: Important to realise the realities of a business when you’re, like, sticking buttons one by one onto a piece of paper.
Tabitha: Yeah. Soon, soon, they’ll understand. My, my mom, when I was a kid, when I was their age, actually, when, when I was, like, nine or 10, my mom had her own business. She, she had a sewing alteration business, and her shop was in the back of a store in the mall. So we would go to work with her, and we would go to the back of this men’s store, and her little shop was there, and I never understood.
But you know, now as an adult, I think back on that, and I’m like, dang, like, that’s so awesome that my mom was able to do that, um, and be successful with it. And I think that, I think about my kids, they’ll, they’ll think about, you know, remember when we had to put all those buttons on the card? Oh my gosh, I hated it. But that was so cool that we got to watch mom do that. So that’s what I try to think about when they get older.
Helen: Aw. That’s amazing.
Tabitha: But I will say, too, we thought it was so funny. My, my son, I guess they, guess his class or something, the teacher found out that she saw the commercial with Phyllis, and she found out that I was a content creator and all this. And they were like, oh my gosh, are you guys rich? They were asking my son. And he’s like, no, no. He’s, he’s explaining to them, you know what I do. And he, he was bragging to them that he has a job, and he’s only 10 years old, and he’s bragging to them that he has a job, and he creates, he makes buttons for his mom and things like that. And I was so excited. I’m like, yeah! That’s so awesome. I love that. Bragging about it already.
Helen: It’s been such a joy chatting with you today. Tabitha, before we go, I really want to know what are you sewing right now? Are you going to go make some content after this?
Tabitha: Oh my gosh. You guys, what am I not sewing? That’s the question. Um, so right now, I, I am not sewing at the moment. I am trying to come out with a new button collection, and I’m trying to rack my brain on how to come up with a design. And also, I have some insight, only for you guys. My, uh, I have a new project that’s coming out next month in the month of May. And, I’m so, it’s probably one of my biggest projects today. I’m so freaking excited that it’s coming out. I’ve been working on it for over a year now, and it’s a partnership with another company, a big company, one of my favourite brands. And I’m really excited for you guys to see the new project and all the other things that I have going on over here. Just so many things.
Helen: That’s it? That’s all you’re going to tell us?
Tabitha: You got to wait and see.
Caroline: Oh, we cannot wait. Oh my gosh. That’s so exciting.
Tabitha: Thank you. I’m really excited. I’m really excited for this journey. And, um, I’m so glad that there’s no age on this journey being a content creator. There’s no age limit, and as I’m getting older, I’m just loving the process. Um, I love that I get to grow with my audience and share all the fun things that I’m doing. So, and I’m so excited that I was able to share it with you guys today.
Caroline: Oh, well, thank you so much for chatting with us today. And I know all of our listeners are going to want to just jet on over to your social and find out what this project is. Can you tell our listeners where they can find you online?
Tabitha: Absolutely. So my website is TabithaSewer.com and sewer is S-E-W-E-R. And my Instagram is the same @TabithaSewer, and I typically post weekly. Right now, it’s a little bit slow because like I said, I’m trying to figure out this new project, but I typically, I typically post almost every day. I’m very engaged with my community. I love talking to everyone. So yeah, come find me. Come talk to me. Say hi.
Helen: Oh, they will. And we’ll be sharing lots of your beautiful makes on our Insta this week, too, so we can’t wait for that. Thank you again, Tabitha, for chatting with us today. We loved hearing more about you and hearing your great advice about business. It was a true joy to speak with you today.
Tabitha: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. Thank you.
Caroline: Thank you. Bye.
Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Helen, at HelensClosetPatterns.com and Caroline at BlackbirdFabrics.com and those buttons, by the way! We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.
Caroline: Go to LoveToSewPodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at hello@LoveToSewPodcast.com.
Helen: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon! For just $5 a month, you get a full-length bonus episode and weekly behind-the-scenes pics. And for $10 a month, you get all that PLUS a mini-episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics! Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew, for more info.
Caroline: Thank you to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.
Helen: Buh-bye.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
