handmade is for everyone.

Maybe you’re into fashion, but just can’t find clothes that feel like you.

Maybe you’re a knitter who dreams about making just the right pieces to go with your sweaters. (Or you pine for sweaters that actually fit!)

Maybe you’re a sewist, who walks by yarn stores and yearns to play with all the pretty things inside.

Or maybe you don’t feel that your unique body is represented in ready-to-wear clothing in stores, and you’re ready to build your own wardrobe that really fits and flatters you.

Regardless of where you’re coming from, there is a wide world of creative joy open to you through making your own clothes. And there’s something uniquely fulfilling in building the skills to help you take the steps from being a consumer to being a creator.

I’ve loved fashion since I was a young girl growing up in California; but it wasn’t until I lived in Germany that I learned to knit. There, I learned from my aunt how to design simple sweaters from scratch, which I’ve been doing ever since.

Back in the States, and after burning out in academia, I decided to dedicate myself to teaching knitting and designing knitwear. But there was something missing; I still really loved fashion, but felt intimidated by sewing. Fast-forward to a few years ago, when I dove into sewing classes with my co-workers and learned it’s all much less complicated than I thought.

I’ve dedicated the last few years to building up the handmade portion of my wardrobe. Slow fashion has helped me carefully and deliberately build up a set of skills and steps that have helped me to really hone in on what I want to wear, what to make it from, and how to avoid costly mistakes and ‘never-worns.’

That’s what we’re going to be talking about here: making your way to wearing handmade. Won’t you join me?