We recently connected with Beth Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Beth, appreciate you joining us 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 have been interested in textiles and needlecraft my whole life. I learned to knit and crochet and sew when I was verey young. I was lucky to have a Grandmother who was a pattern maker and sewist in a dress factory. My mother also worked in a dress factory when she was young and then when she got married and had children she did sewing out of our home. She made lots of wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses in addition to her regular clients who came regularly for new clothes. I would sit in with her when she would have the first consultation with brides. She let me do it because I promised to be quiet and just watch.
The bride would bring photos from magazines of different dresses they liked and my mom would ask them questions to find out what attribute they liked best about each dress, Then she would do a quick sketch with them sitting there. She would incorporate as many of their favorite things as she could and almost every time the bride would be very excited and say yes.
My mom was not a person who made patterns from scratch. She always began with commercial patterns but she would combine 3 to 5 patterns to come up with the perfect design.
In 2019 I decided that I wanted to go back to sewing after focusing on spinning wool and teaching spinning for about 14 years. I decided at that point that I would focus on making skirts and I had a particular design in mind but I had no idea how to make the pattern myself so I started watching YouTube videos and searching the internet for how tos. But there were giant holes in what I was able to find, So in 2020 I started searching for online pattern making courses since everything in the world was shut down. Luckily, I came across Tricia Camacho and her company Creative Costume Academy.
I have had a tendency in my life to get nervous that I will not be good at things and so I put off trying to learn because I don;t want to waste money or look foolish. Taking the pattern making courses from Tricia has really taught me more than jsut how to make a fattern that fits me or a client. Learnig this has increased my confidence in other areas of my life and I just wish I had moved forward more quickly.

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.

Although there have been other times in my life when I have made clothes and done alterations for others, the past 3 years have really been eye opening to me and I have a new path. I still do alterations for local people but my biggest love is making custom clothes for women who were born to stand out in the world. I love seeing the looks on their faces when I complete a garment we designed together and it fits them and makes them feel beautiful.
Clothes that fit well have an affect on how we feel about ourselves. Clothes that are made to fit oour particular body shape no matter what size we are help us to see ourselves as the amazing, strong people that we are. That is what I love about sewing custom clothes.
Most of us who are not sample size have such a hard time shopping. Clothes in the stores are meant to fit an imaginary body with perfect proportions. Almost none of us fit into that mold.
In addition, the changing of waist heights, hemlines, blousy or fitted bodices are jsut meant to go with trends. I think it is important to develop a style that is the right thing for your body shape, that makes you feel amazing and feels comfortable without having to adjust all day. Custom clothes give us this. The investment is a little more in the beginning but the clothes that are made for us are also made to last fror years if you take care of them well. So in the long run it will save money.
My focus is on a 40s and 50s style silhouette with full skirts and fitted bodices. This style lookes great on most body shapes and is comfortable to wear. But I use modern prints and colors to update the clothes. And whenever possible there are generous pockets in the garments. Everybody needs pockets and I don;t skimp.
I am also very meticulous about the construction of the garments I make. On my signature wrap skirt all seams are fully enclosed with binding and french seams. Dresses are fully lined and have extra seam allowance so that the dress can be altered in case the wearer changes size.
My signature wrap skirt which has a 10 inch size range was my very first offering and I have branched out into several dress and skirt styles as well as palazzo pants.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I spoke earlier about learning to sew from my mom and that has been a great thing in my life, but one thing she taught me which I have been fighting against is pricing myself too low because I am afraid of pushback or that people won’t buy my stuff. Over the last 2 years I have hired 2 coaches. The first one, I thought was a business coach but he ended up to be more of a life coach. His name is Dan Mason. He helped me to know my value and not be afraid to own it. He also taught me to say things outloud that I never would have before. Things like, “I am excellent at my job.” “My name is Beth and I am a designer.” He also taught me to never apologize for my prices. There are plenty of places for people to buy less expensive clothes.

My current coach is a business coach but she is still helping me to learn these same lessons. I am 58 so I have a lot of years of negative self talk to get past. Erika Cartledge is her name and she is also a fashion stylist. She is teaching me to think more like a business person and get my finances in order. That’s a big thing too because as my business grows I want to be able to not panic over taxes and all of the expenses that go along with having a business.

Certainly I wish I had known these things before but it’s never too late to learn.

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

I do have a goal that I would like to have in place in the next 3 to 5 years. I imagine my custom designs being highly in demand. I am booked at least a year out for gorgeous pieces for special occasions and also for every day. While I work with the custom clients I have a booming made to measure business going at the same time. I employ 3 or 4 sewists who make my signature wrap skirts for online orders.

Each season i choose 3 to 4 special fabrics that made to measure clients can choose from. All they need to do is enter their waist measurement when they place their order and the skirt is made and shipped to them within 2 weeks.

The made to measure side of the business is a bit less expensive than the bespoke garments because there is much less contact with the customer and so those pieces are more accessible to more people. This way I can serve 2 ideal clients at the same time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bethsmithtextiles.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/bethsmithitextiles
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethsmithtextiles
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-smith-7b4280b/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/bethsmithtextiles
• Other: TikTok http://tiktok.com/@bethsmithtextiles