We recently connected with Hobby Bobbins and have shared our conversation below.

Hobby , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

One day I was thinking about how I would like to share with the world some of the interesting hobbies I find myself hyper-focusing on and learning how to do. I wanted to create a space where people could join in to talk about their thoughts, challenges and tips when it came to particular things I may be working on. I didn’t want to create a name that would place me in on niche category, as doing the same thing all of the time would drive me nuts! I knew I wanted “Hobby” to be part of it so I had the flexibility to go in the direction my heart most desired. I started to look back on what hobby had one of the biggest challenges for me in the past, I recalled learning to do basic stitches on my Great Grandmother’s sewing machine. That machine had a hand-fed bobbin and I had to learn how to fill it, catch it and keep tension in order to sew even a straight line. I struggled so hard with that portion of it but, eventually, I got it down! Ultimately my business name is a combination of what I do presently and a reminder of how I can overcome any challenge I may face, with a little practice of course.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I restore vintage items that I ethically curate, lovingly restore, and then sell in my shop. I’m a passionate advocate for sustainability, ethical shopping, and I believe that everyone should have access to affordable, well-made items.

My business was something that I came upon by accident, and yet I wouldn’t want it any other way. I had won an auction where there was a vintage wedding dress from the 1950s. Upon shipping the dress had a terrible accident and had become singed by a fire that happened near the box it was resting in. I requested that the dress still be sent to me anyways because I felt it deserved to be repaired if possible. After spending countless hours of research I began a journey that quickly grew into a business. I was being sent wedding dresses from all over the world, and what started out as one dress has now turned into a list of about a 100 dresses long that I dedicate myself to restoring one by one. My customers, followers and donors all have one thing in common; a love and appreciation for something that was once the shining beacon of new beginnings. When someone sends me their wedding gown, each story is different. From dresses being so run down and compromised that they were doomed for the trash, until they saw my videos; to a beloved family heirloom with no one left to cherish it. I have heard so many heartfelt stories about these gowns which continues to prove that their value lies far beyond their monetary worth. I’m honored that donors send me gowns in hopes they will be loved again, and to get to relive in the nostalgia with them as I bring their beloved gown back to life.

I have been restoring vintage items since I was a child. I learned how to restore and mend clothing from my great grandmother, who was a master seamstress. I love the challenge of restoring all things vintage, and I take great pride in my work. I believe that restoration is a wonderful way to preserve history and the best way to give those items a second chance at being loved again. I take this mission one step further by sharing stories from followers who donate their wedding gowns, clothing and other goods to be restored along with educating my followers on how to restore things at home.

My vintage wedding dress restorations are some of my most popular services, including restoring them on a commission basis. I have restored wedding dresses from the 1890s – 1990s. My restorations are always careful, respectful of the original fabric, and dedicated to retaining original design. I take my time learning the history of each item I work with, so that I can best share that information with my followers.

I’ve been described as a talented storyteller and a passionate advocate for sustainability, affordability and creating connections that help close generational gaps. My vintage wedding dress restorations are a beautiful and connective way to preserve history and to give vintage items a much deserved second chance.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

What started out as me sharing some of my hobbies on social media, quickly turned into a full time business that left me with no other option but to make a choice. Continue on my career path by working an office job doing a 9-5 or, take a risk and spend every day doing something that indulged my greatest passion! Taking the risk was such a scary thing to do. I had worked hard to get to where I was in my career and had recently gone back to school to finish my degree only to further that career. When I found myself in a place where I was working full time in the office and also working full time at home, I knew it was time to let one of them go. With lots of encouragement from my friends and family, I put in my two weeks notice and got to work!

I’ll never forget my first month of making enough money to cover all of my bills without having to take from the little amount of savings I still had left. What had been feeling so stressful was finally a breath of relief that I had not made the wrong choice. My following grew from 50k, 100k, 300k to half a million in just about a year; it was something I had never dreamed possible.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I spent my life as an undiagnosed neurodivergent individual, which means I faced countless challenges that I couldn’t quite place my finger on as to “why”. At 30 years old I was diagnosed with ADHD and a year later also with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This gave me a whole new world of challenges to have to work through and manage. One of the daily challenges I faced was my need to do everything everyday. I didn’t have anyone giving me deadlines or telling me what needed to be prioritized, or when I really should clock out and just go home! This led to burn out, mismanagement of my time, overwhelm and the feelings of never getting anything done. I would spend each day in fear thinking I had made a grave mistake by quitting my career and full of shame that I couldn’t even manage myself let alone my own business. By carving out time to better understand what my own neurodivergent needs were, and how to work with them in my favor, I have established a new path that is so creatively me! My biggest advice? Start with three things a day and slowly add more as your capacity increases, and remember to be kind to yourself when you fail; because you will fail and that’s okay too. You just need to be ready to change things up to find routines that best work for you, and be ready to replace them with new ones when the old ones are no longer serving you. I went from feeling like I never quite “fit in” in an office environment and beating myself up endlessly, to embracing who I really am and finding a career that couldn’t fit me better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hobbybobbins.myshopify.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hobbybobbins/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HobbyBobbins
• Other: Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@hobbybobbins

Image Credits
Hobby Bobbins