Meet The Sewist: Sara Colby, co-owner of Hartford Stitch

Meet the Sewist is our monthly series to introduce some of the many creative sewists and makers we have in our community! Whether you are a new sewist or have decades of experience, sell your work or sew just for yourself, we want to meet you! If you're interested in being featured please send an email to hartfordstitch {at} gmail {dot} com.

 glimpse of a rag quilt I made one of my daughters for her first Christmas  - me in a nutshell: prints on prints on prints!

Introduce yourself!

Hello, I'm Sara - co-owner of Hartford Stitch... the Garfunkel to Laura's Simon! I live here in Hartford county with my husband and 3 girls (2 crazy-fun daughters and 1 just-plain-crazy bulldog!) As a general rule of thumb, I abide by the philosophy that; if it's colorful, bright, and printed/patterned...sign me up! When I'm not hoarding and/or rolling around in fabric I love spending time with my family, traveling (bonus points if said travels involve fabric,) collecting vintage Lilly Pulitzer, and being at the beach. I'm so excited to share my love of textiles, making, and sewing with fellow enthusiasts via Hartford Stitch.

in my natural state... making eyes at this vintage Lilly Pulitzer/Zuzek patchwork 

When did you start sewing?

Although my mom, who is a grand master of all things art/making related, taught me how to sew when I was young, I opted to 'let her' sew all of the outfits and costumes I would design. I suppose you could say I had an appreciation for efficiency at a young age... ;-)
Upon graduating college, moving to Chicago, and getting my first corporate job I realized I desperately missed making and needed a creative outlet. Growing up in an environment that celebrated, perhaps even demanded, creativity and then moving away from that art room (both literally & figuratively) gave me the push I needed to sit back down at my machine, drop that presser foot, and get my show back on the road! 

reversible bag in a more subtle (for me) print combination 

                                   

What do you like about sewing/making?

In a word - freedom. I love being able to make something exactly as I envision it, from the design process all the way through execution. Being able to customize every single detail to my exact specifications, not to mention the ability to edit as I go, is such an incredible feeling. As someone who loves color and print mixing, I love having the ability to make something myself rather than be at the mercy of whatever 'on trend' choices are out there.
To me, the freedom of being able to sew and make opens up a entire new world of options after the initial inspiration phase. As a quick contrast, the most frustrating thing about making/sewing is the fact that there are never enough hours in the day. I feel so fortunate to live in a world where inspiration is all around me (my kids, my incredibly talented mom, my creative friends, the natural beauty of the 4 seasons here in Connecticut, social media, etc) and as a direct result, my project list gets added to at 4x the rate projects get checked off. 

                   

tiered 'chiquita banana' ruffle skirt I made for my 3 year old - same print in 3 different colorways

What is your favorite thing to sew? Least favorite?
To be really specific, I love foundation (paper) piecing. Laura introduced me to this method and I was instantly hooked. What I describe as 'tracing with a sewing machine,' I love how precise I can be without the 'pressure' of traditional piecing. My favorite thing to sew with is: anything bright, colorful, printed, and cotton woven. Hemming is my least favorite sewing to do and anything stretchy is my least favorite material to sew... so hemming minky is my idea of a 'time out' at my machine. 

I wasn't lying when I said I like print mixing - and yes, those are tigers and monkeys!

Where do you sew? Tell us about your sewing space.
I will preface this by saying that my husband is a saint - my sewing room is the room that was formerly the dining room. Where many families have tastefully decorated walls and beautiful furniture in their dining room... ours has metallic gold stenciled walls and more sequins that you can shake a stick at. There is nothing subtle about it, but it makes me smile every time I'm in there and I'm proud that my husband values my happiness more than 'what the neighbors may say.' Plus, we've been in our house for 5 years now... the neighbors are all well aware of the fact that I'm a crazy lady!

gold stenciled wall in my sewing room - it's a look! 

What other kind of making do you like to do?
I embroider on occasion (by machine and hand) and if it's not moving, chances are it's mod-podged. I love a good themed event or space and having 2 girls means the sky is the limit in terms of how ridiculous I can be when planning their birthday parties and rooms. One of my most vivid "pregnancy memories" is sitting on my couch decoupaging Cece's changing table bins to match the theme of her room... while struggling to stop knocking over the jar of mod-podge with my giant belly.

if you can't find table linens and doilies that match... make them! 

Where do you find your inspiration?
I feel like such an old lady for saying this (you mean the information is INSIDE the computer?!) but I am continuously blown away by how accessible inspiration is via social media. Between pinterest, instagram, and a couple sewing communities I keep up with on facebook... the things people think of are not only incredible, they are right there on my phone, in my family room! How lucky are we to live in a day and age where people are making such beautiful things and sharing them in real time on the internet?
Along with all of the incredible sewists out there who inspire me, my mom is truly one of the most creative and inspirational makers I've ever known. I feel so privileged to have grown up in a house where creativity was an expression of love and vice versa. Between my mom's creativity and incredible talent for making anything (seriously, it's sort of ridiculous...) it never crossed my mind to be intimidated to try anything. Being able to throw yourself into making with such reckless abandon is truly a gift and, I believe, allows inspiration to come from any and all avenues.

not your traditional log cabin block ;-)

Thank you for letting me share my ramblings with you! We cannot wait to hear about you so please drop us a line at hartfordstitch{at}gmail{dot}com!!