This morning I printed out some “intention building” materials from a book called The Soul Sourced Entrepreneur. I binged the audio version over the weekend as I worked in my studio, sewing up new tank tops and making short videos. It feels INDULGENT to get to grab a cup of coffee, turn on the space heater and tuck in to a new project. More than indulgent, it is a fucking privilege.

Thinking about the reasons I sew: I sew to relax. I sew to connect with people and bring joy, I sew to bring my ideas into life - exploring new and better ways of cutting out a style, tweaking the patterns, working with my hands. This tiny business has been my longest relationship. HT the label has given comfort during times of stress and sadness, provided income, and a creative purpose. I love that I still wake up, stoked to get out bed cause I can finish that last size in the sample run, or work on a custom project.

Over the years the idea of having items mass produced has sounded on and off enticing and daunting. The Triangulator sweatshirt was one of those items I knew I could sell a lot of. My friends encouraged me to have them made by a local factory and get them into stores. The thing is, once my brain shifted this side of the business I lost focus, direction, and a sense of purpose. I feared that once the work is done by other hands, part of my soul would be removed from the process. Will I still value the time spent on this new process? Needless to say, I never got that design made mass produced, but I did try it with a simpler style.

In 2019 I had a few Mock Tanks sewn at a small cut + sew facility in Hillsboro Oregon. That experience taught me a few things:

1. Mock TanksMake sure your patterns are “walked” before sending to the factory. You MUST line up the edges of your patterns to make sure every notch lines up. I didn’t do this and the seamstresses had to adjust, which took extra time.

2. Send your fabric to the factory on a roll. Mine were in prewashed folded piles, this made the cutting process take a long time. Instead, bring unwashed fabric, making sure your pattern pieces are large enough to accommodate. When I sew my own garments, I can prewash.

3. Discuss timing and pricing candidly and up front. This process actually went super smoothly.

4. Having your items sewn by other people doesn’t remove your soul. I was thrilled to have a small run of my designs produced! I was part of the process - engaged the whole time. It was magical.

As of now, I’m hand-making one of kind small batch size runs of each new design, it’s therapeutic and matches my speed at the moment - slow and steady. My intention is to keep offering up newness one piece at a time.