The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
With so many clothes manufacturers driven to make garments using cheaper, man-made fabrics with less attention to detail, it takes courage to stand proud sourcing natural, ethical fabrics and attending to every aspect of a garment’s construction with time and care. Almost all my materials are sourced in the UK and this alone is hugely time consuming.
Natural fabrics can sometimes have minds of their own: an open weave on linen, gauze and muslin and the thickness of some wool can make them challenging to work with, so I need patience and my innate perfectionism comes into play.
As a designer/creator who sells mainly online, being seen and noticed requires constant attention. Designing and sewing by day and later, marketing and selling sometimes late into the night.
I absolutely love the creative challenge of making bespoke garments and it can be quite a task making a unique pattern just from email conversations with no fittings – like the dinosaur waistcoat, designed for a “straight up and down” child’s body, re-imagined for a curvaceous lady customer.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Fortunately, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages but, of course, there is a downside. For me, time management is a constant balancing act. My perfectionism can be time-consuming: no detail goes unchecked or unnoticed, seams are fully enclosed, ears on hoods sit bolt upright, even on adult sizes – I suppose this does result in excellent quality control.
It’s the same with managing digital selling platforms, which is the mainstay of my marketing. I’m not a natural social media person so this is a challenge that can sometimes keep me awake into the night.
But… I get to create fantastic, whimsical hats and garments for a living. There are constantly new discoveries: fabrics, techniques, designs which feed my love of learning and fire up my imagination to keep things moving forward in interesting ways.
The greatest benefit, by far, is receiving photos from happy customers. It is an absolute joy to witness the delight of someone who has placed their trust in me to transform a dream or idea into reality.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I am currently constructing a website enabling more families to access ethical, slow-made clothing that will last several seasons and maybe several generations.
My ambition is to offer suggestions of seasonal lifestyle, and family activities about why natural fibres are so good for you and how to care for our clothes and planet.
Each day JoMoSews brings exciting challenges and so much joy for me, but it’s being able to bring this to others that is the real pleasure
You can shop Jo’s gorgeous clothing on Etsy and through The British Craft House. You can also follow JoMoSews on Instagram.
