We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elaina Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Elaina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I am a self taught sewer and sewing has always been a part of my life. I had family and friends around me who sewed, and I always thought it was fascinating to be able to “make something” from scratch. Knowing what I know now, I would have bought a sewing machine much earlier in life. I would have taken more time in my youth to learn. Sewing is a skill I believe anyone can learn. As far as skills, I would suggest having patience, and creativity. When you start sewing it is very easy to put pressure on yourself to finish the project quickly, to see the end result. I chalk that mostly up to excitement. When in reality the process of sewing is the best part. I think your biggest obstacle will be, yourself. Learn to slow down and be in the moment. Learn from every project, and don’t be afraid to use the resources around you to become better.
Elaina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Elaina Williams, I am originally from Detroit, Michigan. However, in 2007 my family moved north to a small town called Beaverton, MI. I moved to Arizona in 2018, when I was just 20 years old. I was young and excited about my future out west and couldn’t wait to see what life was like outside of my small town. I had visited Arizona a few times in my youth, and I quickly fell in love with the desert. I recently celebrated 6 years of moving here and I now reside in Mesa, AZ. I am newly married to a wonderful husband who is a local from Chandler, AZ.
Since moving to Arizona I have found my love for many hobbies. My favorite hobby is sewing. Sewing has always been a part of my life, but I really started sewing when the pandemic hit. I dusted off my husband’s grandma’s sewing machine, a Kenmore 8 and started to self teach myself how to sew. I started with beginner friendly sewing projects like pillow cases, rice bags, and small window curtains. After months of sewing beginner friendly projects, I quickly realized how much I loved sewing. It was my time to dive into a project and cancel out the world around me. My sewing machine was an older machine and it started to give me some issues. After getting discouraged about my machine and not being able to fix some of the issues with it , I decided to put the machine away. My plan was to eventually save up and buy a new sewing machine, but life got busy and I lost my spark to sew.
Flash forward to February 2024, my husband surprised me with a brand new sewing machine. He knew how much sewing meant to me, and he went out of his way to research the perfect machine. He bought me a Brother CS7205! I was so over the moon excited, and since February I have sewn just about everyday. I have a passion for sewing clothes and dresses. I love being able to upcycle old or thrifted clothes into revived new age fashion pieces. Creating my own designs are by far my favorite to sew because I know they are original, and one of a kind. Picking up sewing again all these years later, I realized everything happens for a reason. This time around I am more determined to create, and I am passionate about sharing my craft with those around me. I think about sewing when I am not sewing and I am constantly brainstorming new designs. I have helped friends and family with small projects or mended clothes. I thoroughly enjoy creating and wearing the items I make. It’s also a great way for me to advertise to those around me if they need something custom made. I am confident and excited about my future in sewing. I am currently working on a project for a first time client. My client reached out wanting me to make her a custom dress, a dress I made for myself and shared on my social media. I am honored that my work has started to pay off and I am reaching the correct audience.
I am so proud of the perseverance and patience I have gained throughout these last few months. Sewing is not only a deep passion of mine but it’s also a great life skill that I have gained. I have even stepped out of my comfort zone and started posting my creations on TikTok and Instagram, in doing so I have gained a small audience of like minded sewists and supporters. I want my future clients to know that when they work with me, they will receive an experience. I will treat them with respect and will be transparent with them throughout the duration of their project. I want my clients to feel special and to be able to help put their vision to life. Afterall, it’s not everyday you get to have a custom piece of clothing made just for you. If you are interested in following my journey or have any request, I would appreciate it if you followed me on Instagram or Tiktok, at Laina.Aesthetic. Thank you!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I have many goals in mind, and I know with patience and the right mindset I will be able to achieve them and more. I would say right now in my sewing journey, my goal is to continue to master my craft. Gaining experience is the greatest asset to my success right now. I will continue to post my creations on my social media, as I believe that will be the best way to connect with potential clients. In the distant future, I hope to have a consistent clientele for custom fashion, and my very own line of creations to sell. When I get to that point in my journey, I will look back with so much gratitude. I already look back at my journey and smile, as I have come so far. I can’t wait to see where I’ll go and who I will meet.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Pivoting in life or in your career is sometimes essential to your overall success story. Being willing to pivot is the first thing to recognize, it takes a great deal of vulnerability to pivot. Pivoting to me is taking a step back, assessing your habits and goals and hopefully aligning everything again. A short time ago, I had to do just that. I was let go from my job last fall, unexpectedly. It was a big hit to my ego, and I was quite lost and didn’t know what I would do next. During that time, my husband and I were newly married, in the middle of remodeling our home and a month away from finally going on our honeymoon. Without my husband’s everlasting reassurance I am not sure I would have gotten through that season as gracefully as I did. After months of applying for jobs with no luck, and submitting unemployment requests, I became really defeated. I took all this “failure” as a sign that maybe going back to work full time isn’t what I should be doing right now. All my life I have been very resilient and head strong, telling myself daily “I got this” and “You are you, that is your superpower”. I learned so much about myself during that time, and honestly I became very humble in my journey. I realized the bigger picture. Maybe this is a time for me to look inward and find something that lights a fire within me. I was so drained from telling myself I had to find a “big girl” job to be worthy of something. I just wanted a job I could go to and actually be happy. While I was at the gym one day working out, I confidently asked the staff if they were hiring. They were, and I luckily had an interview the following week. I started working part time at Planet Fitness, and when I wasn’t working there I was at home sewing. I had time to create, and I became very passionate about sewing and making my own clothes. I realized how grateful I was that the universe made me pivot. Losing my job sucked and it was scary but I found myself again and I found my passion, and it was all worth it. Working at Planet Fitness is not a long term plan, but working there not only gives me the time to create but I also get to connect with the members that come in. I have made some really great connections, and I know my life plan is only starting to unfold. In this lesson, I learned that sometimes a setback is only a setup for a comeback.
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