Episode 74 - Sarah Veblen - Designing From the Inside Out

Sarah Veblen from Sarah Veblen Clothing Originals has led a life dreaming of owning hew own business and in 1985 it all came true. Now an Haute Couture mainstay, she shares her story of taking chances and achieving her dream!

(2:28) Sarah shares her story of learning to sew…her mom said she was already sewing circles around her by 9th grade. She also explains what it means to be a “thinking sewer”.

(4:30) Why does she feel that sewists shouldn’t blindly follow instructions? The person who drafted the pattern and the one who wrote the instructions don’t know anything about the specific sewist and their unique needs and skills. She works with her students to individualize each product.

(7:26) Sarah shares her story of when she worked as an Executive Secretary and how that had an impact on her sewing skills.

(8:40) Sewing her daughter’s clothing had a profound impact on how she sews…she explains…!

(10:40) What inspires her today?! Well, it’s fabric…she tells us why.

(13:49) Sarah has a degree from Stanford…how has she applied this education to her career today? It was the rigorous amount of writing she did throughout college that prepared her to use language, write and edit. Then when David Coffin from Threads Magazine called…she was all ready to go!

(16:32) In all the work she was doing…she decided to add teaching to her repertoire. Loving the fitting part of the process was the imputes for this…she explains. She also tells us how creating custom clothing is extremely stressful as you are creating something that doesn’t exist!

(20:25) Sarah shares a story about how her guidance helped an unenthusiastic bride understand what she wanted and then alter her wedding dress to make is just perfect.

(23:50) She loved the complexity of garment making. What does this mean to her and how does this inspire her work?

(26:20) Sarah discusses the importance of fitting a garment correctly. “When we feel right in our cloths, we are more relaxed in ourselves, and this allows us to be more creating and react better.”

(29:15) How do garments enrich our lives? By releasing our creativity and giving us a fuller rounder life. She explains this premise in depth.

(31:51) What’s important for sewists to keep in mind when they sew? Have fun with it – Sarah tells us what this means to her. And, she explains how to know when it’s time to reach out to someone for help!

(34:28) When asked to tell us about her 5 grandchildren Sarah lights up…sharing what they do together and what’s important! Are there future sewists in the group? You bet there are! And they all call her Sassy!

(37:38) What’s next for Sarah and what’s her dream? Retiring…probably not quite yet. Her focus in cutting back just a little is to develop a legacy of information that will be available in perpetuity. @Sarahveblenliving originals channel on You Tube.

(40:00) And what didn’t we ask her that is important to her…find out here!

(41:26) Sarah can be contacted at sarah@sarahveblen.com, www.saranveblen.com and she will do her very best to personally respond to all correspondence.

If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to Meg@sewandsopodcast.com or complete the form on our website.