We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Galloway recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned to sew from my mother at a young age, nurtured by a supportive and encouraging environment created by both of my parents. If I had continued sewing consistently through my teenage years, I would have advanced further in my knowledge and skillset. One of the most essential skills for me has been the ability to use my imagination to visualize a project in my mind before bringing it to life on the embroidery machine. Balancing a job sometimes felt like an obstacle to learning and time management, but it was necessary to fund my hobby.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a lover of all things sewing, crafting and creating but my deepest passion is machine embroidery. My mom gifted me my first Brother PE780D embroidery machine about 15 years ago. It was love at first stitch. I started making applique products for my daughter and quickly realized I could sell embroidered items to my coworkers. After many years of protecting my skills through trial and error I developed a desire to teach others what I do and how they can also do it to make some extra money. Basically, I wanted everyone to turn their hobby into their own home-based embroidery business.

In 2018 I started going live on my Facebook business page to share my projects and connect with other embroiderers on live while I completed a project on camera. After growing a significant following I decided to start a coaching program to help others take the stress out of learning embroidery and in August 2019 I opened the virtual doors of Sew Sweet Academy. I was afraid of what was to come but I just developed the moto “It doesn’t have to be perfect but it has to be PRETTY!” It was that motto that got me through getting laid off in Nov 2019, the Covid world shut down, and many thoughts of “who do I think I am”.

I was able to continue to show up week after week month after month to build the trust of my embroidery friends/family/followers.

I am now a Brother Educator and I get to travel all over the US to meet other embroiders at quilt shops and trade shows. Nothing warms my heart more than hearing someone say “the way you explained that made it so easy for me to catch on” or “look what I made” or “I got a new machine!”

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My story of building my audience isn’t super spectacular or even strategic. One Sunday I sat in front of my iPhone while I was at my embroidery machine and I went live on Facebook. I do not remember what the project was but I stitched it out live on camera terrified of making a mistake that I could not fix in a short period of time. Fast forward about an hour and the project was complete. While I was live hundreds of people started tuning in because little did I know a friend of mine shared it to a few other crafting groups. The conversation and feedback was so positive that I continued to go live each Sunday for a stitchout. I named this time “Sew Sweet Sunday”. I am still going live to this day every Sunday that I am not traveling at 5p est on Facebook and Youtube to share tips, tricks, and laughs. My biggest contributor to building such a loyal audience is consistency. I showed up for them because they showed up for me. My advice to others is to be consistent. Do not ghost your followers that enjoy watching you and hearing from you.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal and mission is to take the frustration out of learning machine embroidery. Our creativity is a God given talent that needs to be shared with the world. We create works of art that help create memories and warm hearts. Keep learning and sharing your projects with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sewsweetacademy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sewsweetacademy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sewsweetacademy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI9mqsFMBQqfbTolSHfwG0w
• Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sewsweetmonogramming