Fabrikate Blog

2020 was a shit show. We all struggled. I had just gotten fabrikate off the ground at the end of 2019, quit my soul sucking restaurant job and made the huge and scary decision to begin attempting fabrikating full time. Then 2020 happened and I saw all the markets I had planned for that year fall away and get cancelled. My husband got my website up and I made more masks than I can count.  I survived, but as was true for all of us it was uncertain, a total struggle. I began again in 2021, nervous and uncertain how the year would go, whether I could pick up with the hope I had had at the end of 2019.  As this year draws to a close I have so many memories. It has been my first full year of really being bold, going for it, fully committed to building my business. I'm relieved and thrilled to say that 2021 has far exceeded my hopes and dreams. I have found pride and certainty in myself that I haven't

I can't remember how it started. It was either the Wee Viking telling me I should make zipper pouches with bendy tails like a chameleon or tie dying on our back porch and realizing it looked like koi spots. This has grown into an obsession for me, creating small zipper pouches that look like animals.   I've made white cartoony bunnies, then found amazing spotted suede to make the softest bunnies ever. There have been super silky soft purple suede bunnies with lime green interiors and sparkly purple eyes in Fabrikate colors.  I designed an extremely over zealous cloth lobster bag with way too many little fiddly parts that almost killed me, helped me meet my cursing life quota and also practically swore me off sewing but is still one of my favorite things that I just can't bring myself to sell. Then came the armadillo.  One day I sent my husband a text with a photo of the chameleons my daughter had suggested, maybe some glow i

When I lived in New York, I was fortunate enough to run the first incarnation of Fabrikate (then a home furnishings business) but quickly discovered that the several home sewing machines that I had been using just couldn't support the amount of work I was doing with them. I knew several fabric shop owners had recommended a guy named Jimmy on 37th Street. I called him and went to his shop, which was located in a dingy basement. He was a sewing machine mechanic who specialized in vintage industrial sewing machines for all manner of people and companies. He would salvage sewing machines for fun from old sweatshops in New York and the surrounding area, then refurbish and resell them. I explained to him my needs and the problems that I was having with my home machines. He had several refurbished machines in the dark and dirty hallway in front of his tiny, overcrowded work room. Some were newer and much flashier Jukis, but being that my mom always used a Singer machine, I was drawn t

My son has been begging me to let him create a blog for me for a while, and I finally gave in to his frequent demands. His 5th grade teacher came to a market I was at and suggested I do this, and here I am. Part of what I love about running my own small business is that I get to meet so many interesting people, both artisans and shoppers. Something I hope to do through Fabrikate is to set a good example for my kids and get them involved with my business. They both frequently come sit with me at markets, talk with shoppers, run people's credit cards, help organize my booth, update inventory and provide a source of constant encouragement and creative suggestions. Check back periodically, I'll be sharing stories of customers and artists I meet and my creative process.