Many of us have day-dreamed about taking our love of sewing and turning it into a career, but how viable is it to make money from your hobbies? We met with three sewists who took the plunge and left their old careers behind to work in the craft industry full time.
Words by Sophie Tarrant
Sew Successful
Sophie Crabb left a corporate career in consultancy to launch her cross stitch business, Sew Sophie Crafts, in 2019. She now sells kits, runs her own sewing subscription service, and her first book Sew Mindful Cross Stitch is due to be published in Autumn 2023.
“I’ve always dreamt of working for myself,” explains Sophie, who lives with her family in Norfolk. “I had toyed with the idea for some time, but felt I lacked direction. I looked into Virtual Assistant courses to further my office skills, but decided I wanted to lean into my creative side.”
Having been an avid crafter for many years, the idea of designing patterns and selling kits struck Sophie, and the business was born. “I just remember feeling really excited about the possibility of doing it and then the ideas started to flow,” she explains. “I love the repetitive nature of cross stitch and the slow gradual creation of something special, from nothing but a needle and thread.”
Sophie recalls that launching her own business filled her with fear, but she was on maternity leave at the time, so was able to dedicate extra time to building the idea without the immediate pressure to make money. “I had the drive and determination,” she says, “but I also knew that if it didn’t take off there was the option to return to my former career on a part-time basis once my maternity leave ended.”
Since its launch Sew Sophie Crafts has grown, with more kits and a monthly cross stitch subscription service. “I can very proudly say I have achieved more than I ever expected to,” says Sophie. “The first six months were slow, but I used that time to find my feet as a business owner, as a brand and as a designer. I never could have predicted the impact the lockdown in 2020 would have. In the space of two weeks, I went from selling around 20 kits per month to 40 kits per day. The demand was insane, but I knew it would only be temporary. As restrictions started to ease and orders slowed down, I held on tightly to the momentum it had given my business and used it to grow.”Sophie says that flexibility is one of the main perks of self-employment, as well as the sense of community she gets from meeting other makers. “Launching my business has led to wonderful new friendships with small business pals who are goi
