Sewing Business: Sewing and Things by Trissa Scott Bouhuis

If you need some inspiration about starting or running a sewing business then you’ve come to the right place.

In our Sewing Inspiration series, we chat with a small business owner about their sewing business and how they’ve found a way to blend sewing into work that they love. Learn about their inspirations, insights and more.

Today, it’s all about Trissa Scott Bouwhuis, owner and creative mind behind Sewing and Things. Trissa is self taught and has a great sense of humor about the absolute struggle labor of love that it can be while learning. We love that her approach is all about getting the best custom fit for your body shape and encourages her readers to make it happen.

How did you first get started sewing?

When I first started to dabble in sewing was in high school. It basically consisted of me cutting jeans into shorts and sewing on a not so pretty hem. My mom had a sewing machine, but she never used it and barely knew how.

Fast forward a number of years later in 2014, a few months after my husband and I got married, I decided I wanted to get myself a sewing machine for my birthday. (I honestly have no idea what spurred this idea either!) I really wanted to get into sewing knits, so not longer than a year later I scored a serger on eBay and the following Christmas I got a coverstitch machine. Both of those machines were game changers and I’ve basically been sewing nonstop ever since!

What was the path to creating your sewing business, Sewing and Things?

When I got married, I decided to start a blog to document the things I did. I was never good at keeping a journal, so I thought this would be fun. Once I started sewing, it morphed into more of a sewing blog where I share patterns that I’ve tested, fabric that I love, sew alongs here and there and different sewing tips and hacks. It’s been fun and I love what it has turned into!

Where do you look for sewing inspiration?

Lately, I find inspiration on instagram. I recently discovered that you can use instagram like Pinterest. You can save posts and organize them into categories to easily find and refer back to later. I’ve been doing this a lot more and it’s way easier than taking a screen shot and losing it in my camera role! Usually instagram consists of inspiration of actual sewing patterns.

I also use Pinterest for inspiration on different looks or color combinations and then I look if I have a pattern similar I can use or I go on a hunt for a pattern I can use. It’s also fun to find inspiration at stores, but I don’t really go to stores just to window shop!

What is your advice to a beginner sewist?

Don’t get discouraged! Sewing consists of a lot of trial and error and that is okay! There will be mistakes and probably a handful of seam ripping. If you want to get into sewing with knit fabric, look for discounted mystery bundles/boxes from different fabric companies. This way you can practice on different types of fabric without breaking the bank. And it’s true, good quality fabric is a lot easier to work with than cheap material. Just remember than you got this! No question is a dumb question. We all had to start somewhere!

What is your favorite thing to sew/make?

I absolutely love sewing things that I can wear! My go to are patterns that don’t take a lot of time. I’m all about the basics. My most sewn item for myself is probably the Constance from Sew A Little Seam. I size it down one for my perfect t-shirt fit and I have far too many of them to count!

More from Trissa: Hey! My name is Trissa. I’m from Tucson, Arizona and I’m a desert girl through and through. Anything below 70º and I’m freezing! I’ve been married to my husband, Scott, for a little over 7 years and we have 2 crazy kiddos, an almost 4yo boy and an almost 2yo girl. In addition to sewing, I also love acrylic painting, ceramics, yoga, gardening, singing and we can’t forget fabric collecting (though, I don’t have time for many of these other hobbies right now)! I also love helping people. I’ll never shy away from helping someone who needs a little help from a friend.

Thanks for checking out our latest sewlebrity spotlight! We hope you feel as inspired as we do! Be sure to check out more sewing businesses in our Sewing Inspiration series.

Head over to Sewing and Things for more from Trissa. And happy sewing!