Yes, you heard right. I am in the process of hiring a staff of women to help me sew as the orders start to come in. I put an ’email ad’ out in my Freecycle group (not necessarily following the rules, but a great place to gather women, for sure!) So far, I had 7 responses and I’ve interviewed 4 women. I invited them over, and taught them how to sew the design that will be in Country Living. To my surprise, they are all fabulous with the needle, and have done a great job with their mini lesson. One woman, Lori, with children in tow, opted to take the pattern and some muslin home and wing it on her own. Today she dropped off her finished product and her workmanship just blew me away! I’m so totally excited about this and delighted to have some backup. Just knowing I have help lessens my anxiety about getting a lot of orders. The last thing I want to do is dread getting orders for finished items. That’s where the money is! My husband has been telling me to do this for about a year now, but I just haven’t had the need for it until this month. Now, I can focus on designing new products while I have my staff of helpers to do the basic sewing for me. Of course, I am still involved in the creative side of finishing orders–doing the things that make the designs characteristically mine. I’ll add that ‘touch of Em’ so to speak.
All the ladies are older, with grown children and some are retired. They are delighted to do something like this from the comfort of their own home and get paid well to do it. We’re all winners!
Why Jane 