We catch up with the dynamic duo behind All Well Workshop and How To Sew Clothes, Amy Bornman and Amelia Greenhall
Written by Sophie Brown
For many makers, online communities are an integral part of our making experience. Whether it’s posting photos of our latest makes on Instagram; sharing our thrifty fabric finds on a forum; or writing our experiences on a blog. The likes, shares, comments and direct messages add up to create powerful communities where support meets inspiration. While some of these online relationships stay on-screen, others bleed out into the real world, bringing the magic of making with them.
Four years ago, the team behind All Well Workshop were two strangers on the internet. Amy Bornman from Pittsburgh and Amelia Greenhall from Seattle were two sewists and creatives sharing their work online. Fast-forward to today, and they’re the dream team behind a creative sewing studio publishing simple, intuitive and super-hackable sewing patterns.
So how did two makers with thousands of miles between them start a business? On Instagram, of course. “When I started sewing clothes, I quickly found out that what really inspired me was designing,” says Amy. “I was sharing the process on Instagram because I was so excited. Friends started asking if I’d make clothes for them, and soon I had a tiny made-to-order handmade clothing business, which was a learn-as-you-go experience! Amelia and I met because I was posting about how I was interested in learning to publish sewing patterns.”
“I had also been drafting patterns and making tutorials and wanted to publish some patterns,” says Amelia.
“On a whim I sent Amy a direct message on Instagram, asking if she’d be interested in collaborating on a pattern or two. That was four years ago, and we had so much fun working together that it turned into a dozen patterns; plus zines, art prints and now our book, How to Sew Clothes!”
Despite the 2500-mile distance between them, Amy and Amelia now develop designs, write instructions, solve problems, make plans, write books and run a business together – all with regular catch-ups to chat on FaceTime.
CREATING CONNECTIONS
What makes Amy and Amelia’s relationship unique is that they started working together before they became friends. “We’ve really become friends by working together,” they say. “That’s been one of the best parts of our collaboration – getting to know each other in the process. We’ve always had a long-distance working relationship, with the exception of just a few visits to either hometown. Somehow, that has worked really
