Celebrating the Wonderful Women who make the Crafty Sew & So Family!
As we approach a year since the pandemic first started to effect our every existence, and in the week of International Women's Day and Mothers Day here in the UK, it seems like a good time to celebrate the wonderful women who have got us through!
image credit : Karen Lawther @karenloulaw on twitter
The Crafty team is made up mostly of women, although we do have to acknowledge our wonderful male support team in the background too, we are proud to say we have weathered the storm, together!
Who are our Wonder Women?
Kim is our megastar work-mum, full of ideas and inspiration, she's always got a heap of energy even when it's been a challenging week! Kim loves sewing clothes for herself and her 2 beautiful granddaughters. She is an amazing colleague and always got the extra mile to delight our customers. She has been a friend, support and shining light (especially to me) through the past year.
Zareen is a mum of 2 gorgeous little ladies, we love seeing them grow. Zareen loves to sew for herself and for her girls plus all the new babies in her growing family. She looks after her Mum and Dad and is a huge support to them. She is working on setting up her own small business selling handmade baby clothes and we can't wait to be able to buy her beautiful creations!
Tracy is mum to 2 fine gentlemen! It's been a hell of a year for Tracy but she has battled through and we now believe she might actually be a super human! Tracy works in a college as a lab technician by day, and as well as teaching for Crafty, she tutors at various Adult Education venues and sells delicious Scentsy products too!
Elizabeth is our quilting Queen and has patchwork and quilted her way through lockdown. She's given so many customers so much joy and welcome distraction with her fantastic workshops! She is an amazing teacher and we would recommend a few hours losing yourself in quilting with her to anyone!
Bekki began the home improvements project of her dreams - just before lockdown! She has spent the last year isolation with her in-laws and project managing renovations from a safe distance but is finally back in her renovated house with her cats and husband! She has been a huge support to Crafty from day one and we miss her so much, but hope we can all be together very soon.
Emma is always the first to offer a helping hand with anything we need at Crafty. She's a fantastic pattern tester and great at honing any ideas we're mulling over! Having sadly lost her Dad last year, she has found amazing strength to keep supporting everyone else around her.
Freya has had a mega year of challenges, having moved house, had her second baby, Evie, who joins big sister Mia, and battled through taking our B+M shop to an exclusively online store like a true retail pro!
Despite being on maternity leave, Freya is always there in the background, playing an important supporting role in everything. She is superwoman personified, juggling 2 kids, supporting her key-worker teacher husband, her church and her whole extended family. she is definitely a solid member of the Strong Girls Club!
Sarah - that's me! A few words that describe this year: exhausting, amazing, desperate, hopeful, devastating, grey, appreciative, crushed, elated, relieved...
It's fair to say it's been a rollercoaster. Working from home for 3 months with a toddler was... interesting!
But in so many ways I feel so lucky, my husband has supported me every step - even when I made our spare room (also his office) into a temporary fabric warehouse! Often it is said that men can't multi task but they obviously haven't seen my superhero husband conjure up a fine tuned swatch list booklet whilst building a Duplo empire with a toddler! Big-up to the men supporting the women to help them be the best they can be too!
And I couldn't not mention my wonderful Mum, Jane! My inspiration to start sewing in the first place as a child, she's a wonderful Grandma to Edith, encouraging her to explore her creativity, and she's always there on the end of the phone after a "day" to listen to my many woes!
I couldn't possibly shout out ALL the amazing female customers that have supported us in our journey through the past year, but I do want to say a massive thanks to each and every one! Every order, every message of support, every like on Facebook, every product review; has boosted our spirits and kept us keeping on!
Special thanks to Annette, Debra, Cynthia, Claire, Wendy, Libby, Julie... you know why :)
All our customers are wonder women in their own wonderful ways. This Mother's day we hope you find time to be with people you love, and the people who love you. And perhaps a teeny bit of sewing too!
Happy Sewing!
Sarah x