Meet the team!
/Hi everyone, and a happy Sunday to you all! This week, we thought you might like to meet the team behind the event. We’re a group of volunteers who met by attending a number of local sewing events – sewing afternoons, fabrics swaps, trips to fabric stores – and we thought it’d be cool to do something a bit swankier. We were inspired by the other Frocktails events around the world (check out Melbourne, Edinburgh and Portland), and so Seattle Frocktails was born!
Let’s find out who’s behind the party and who you’ll be meeting on October 20!
Claire
Hello! I'm Claire, and I’m the initiator of Seattle Frocktails. My main role is to retain an overview on the event, keep an eye on the budget and make sure everything rolls along. Since moving to the States from Germany (I'm Scottish though!), I've been looking after my 3-year-old son, but my career has been in the world of journalism and marketing. My most recent job involved running the editorial team for the European HQ of a large videogame company. I've been sewing for under three years, so I’m a relative newbie, but I have done a LOT of sewing those three years! 😃It's hard to pick one company, but I really like Papercut Patterns and Named Clothing.
Jo
Hi! I’m Jo! By day, I’m an internal communications manager at a tech firm, but in Frocktails, I’m responsible for communications – including the website and social media. I hated sewing lessons at school, but I picked it up again in my 20s when I felt the need to do something a bit more creative with my spare time. I took a class at Sew Over It in London (I’m also a Brit!) and never looked back. Sew Over It holds a special place in my heart – their Alex shirt is my current favorite pattern.
Lilly
I’m the sponsorship lead for Frocktails – sourcing prizes and goody-bag content, and making sure that we champion local sewing businesses, though in ‘real life’ I’m a Marketing Manager at Photographic Center Northwest. I bought my first sewing machine when I was 18, but I mostly just used it to peg pants, sew patches on jackets and mend things (for myself and my 90s punk rocker friends). I didn't seriously start sewing clothes until 2012, when I got a new, better machine. It’s tough to pick just one favorite pattern company. I cut my teeth on Colette Patterns, so I owe them a lot for getting me going, but I probably sew most from Closet Case Patterns and Grainline Studio right now.
Maris
In my former life I masqueraded as a software developer, a technical writer, and even as a program manager for a major software company. But those were all just temporary roles until I could begin my true calling: sharing my passion for sewing with others. I have loved to sew nearly my entire life. My mother was an amazing seamstress, and luckily for me, she passed on her skills as well as the need to create beautiful things with textiles. Hands down, my specialty is garment sewing. Although I have made a quilt or two and the occasional home dec item, for me it is really all about garments. Because after you make a quilt for every bed in the house, then what are you going to do? Somebody always needs a new shirt or pair of jeans, right?
Meagan
In Frocktails I’m responsible for entertainment and making sure that the party runs smoothly on the day, but I also work at Makers’ Mercantile, officiate at weddings and dog sit! Three generations of women gave me my love of crafting. My mom, grandma and great-grandma all sewed and did different forms of craft. I started sewing when I was about five years old, but have moved from craft to craft throughout my life. I recently was introduced to the Love to Sew podcast and the Seattle sewing community- and have re-fallen in love with sewing! I don’t have a particular favorite pattern company, but I did just buy about five patterns from Sew Over It… I loved almost every pattern I looked at!
Susanna
I began sewing garments four years ago and haven’t looked back! After sewing solo for most of that time, I was inspired to create the Seattlesews Garment Sewing Community in the spring of 2018. I have a passion for cultivating an encouraging, resourceful, and friendly sewing community that is accessible to all, and I love meeting the people in this amazing and creative community. It’s an honor to be a part of the Seattle Frocktails team!