JOan,
my grandmother

my grandmother, joan

And me with my mom, wearing the dress she made

with mom, wearing the dress she made

My grandmother taught me to sew when I was five and my mother continued to teach me. I cut up, re-imagined, and
re-made just about all of my Barbies’ clothes and eventually began adjusting my own. But I’d only seen sewing exist as a hobby for others and never considered it for my career. 

Using my degree, I explored several artistic paths – photography, graphic design, painting, cosmetology – feeling like goldilocks, until my husband and I relocated during the pandemic and I unexpectedly took a job as an alterations specialist at a bridal store.
I quickly realized my education in art and costume design, my natural customer services skills and my years of experience sewing made working as a couture seamstress and dressmaker the perfect fit.

My grandmother taught me to sew when I was five and my mother continued to teach me. I cut up, re-imagined, and re-made just about all of my Barbies’ clothes and eventually began adjusting my own. But I’d only seen sewing exist as a hobby for others and never considered it for my career. 

Using my degree, I explored several professional artistic paths – photography, graphic design, painting, cosmetology – feeling like goldilocks, until my husband and I relocated during the pandemic and I unexpectedly took a job as an alterations specialist at a bridal store. I quickly realized my education in art and costume design, my natural customer services skills and my years of experience sewing made working as a couture seamstress and dressmaker the perfect fit.