We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jacqueline Morley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jacqueline below.
Jacqueline, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
A client came to me with interest in taking her father’s military dress uniform and making it a purse. As a daughter of a Vietnam veteran, I was honored to work on this project. Many times we have these sentimental items that no longer have a use in our procession, but extremely meaningful. How can we use or repurpose, to continue displaying a deep respect to their story? I thought her idea of turning it into a purse was an amazing idea. She has since taken it to the VA hospital to show her father and has had many people taken and moved by the sentiment. Another project that I enjoyed was taking a crib bumper and turning into two keepsake quilts for a client’s teenage daughters. These are the sentimental projects that give me joy in my work.
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 found myself offering friends and neighbors assistance in custom sewing requests, hence the origination of my business and the name “Your Friend That Sews”. I operate a custom workroom out of my house for soft furnishings and various other custom sewing needs. Soft furnishing includes items such as pillows, curtains, shades, window treatments, cushions, etc. I do not specialize in alterations or corporate embroidery. My most popular services are updating outdoor furniture cushions, bench cushions and custom pillow sets.
Outdoor furniture has been very popular for a couple reasons, one primarily being replacement cushions are very hard to find in specific sizes and the other being, many people are interested in selecting specific design/colors for their space.
I absolutely love working on custom pillow sets. This involves an initial appointment to discuss the space and color/pattern scheme. After which I will come back with approximately 4-6 combinations that may be of interest. Many times I will work with a designer to select fabrics that coordinate with a overall design plan. A truly one-of-a-kind selection of fabrics and curated pillow scheme is the easiest way to elevate and update a space.
I would say that I am proud to gain many referrals by word-of-mouth as many have shared their experiences in working with me. Part of my branding is my signature which signifies these items as being a form of art of me and I will not put my name on a piece if I am not truly proud of it. A majority of my clients would probably giggle at how much detail I put into a simple pillow that they wouldn’t have even noticed, but custom is all about the quality/perfection, unique solutions, and the craft itself!
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
I have always had a passion for the arts. I wanted to go to a full-time fine arts school but chickened out and obtained a business degree with an emphasis in marketing and graphic design. That took me down a road where I worked with other artists or rarely having the opportunity to create on my own. It did, however, make me appreciate the business hustle, strategies in the board room and client relationships. When we moved into our first house and needed curtains, I was surprised by the cost and not finding what I was looking for, I loaned a sewing machine from my aunt to attempt them myself. I taught myself to sew with those curtains; they even became a request from friends…little did they know I used bedsheets for the fabric!
Parenting happened and as my husband was traveling heavily, I decided to stay home with my son full time. Stealing small moments of free time, I would sew or learn anything I could about the craft.
When my daughter entered Kindergarten, I was ready to enter the workforce, but didn’t see myself going back into marketing and graphic design. This is also, coincidentally, when COVID came knocking on my door, “We need MASKS!” I realized finding a job was not going to be the easiest thing in this climate, so I accepted more requests (after sewing over 300 masks). The floodgates opened and I was immediately booked out for weeks. It has been an absolute rush ever since!
When it became apparent that this could produce full time work, I went straight to work on setting up a professional workroom. I am still open to all the requests, while focusing on trade collaborations and soft furnishing.
My new studio is now equipped for any fabrication challenge you can throw at me. Over the last couple of years, I have purchased a specialty blind hemming machine, button press, industrial machine as well as a large worktable. My studio is set up to welcome clients as they browse fabric and discuss design selections. I look forward to meeting new people and helping create one-of-a-kind custom solutions!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I have an absolute love for fabric with a wide selection of decor and upholstery suppliers. Over the last few years, I have gained experience with various fabrics I supply, and can now give my best advice for client use. It is a large component of offering a quality product. When I give the initial estimate for outdoor furniture cushions, complete with new foam and fabric, it’s a shock for some. Cushions are expensive unfortunately, and there’s a bit of education that happens, the most crucial part of the furniture being aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. I am less interested in offering inexpensive fabrics for a client to potentially need to have the work redone within a couple years. Minnesota is extremely tough on our outdoor furniture, so there’s an investment that needs to be considered. There are many fabrics that do have a 10 year or even lifetime warranty. I strongly encourage my clients to consider this as they budget and they appreciate that.
I think what makes my services so popular is that there are limited workrooms in the area. Additionally, without the need to hire a designer, my services are available to the public. I pride myself in being approachable and easy to work with. Some individuals will get overwhelmed with the majority of options, but I have methods in guiding a client into that perfect selection that is all their own. Mostly importantly, I can make the process enjoyable!
Contact Info:
- Website: yourfriendthatsews.com
- Instagram: @yourfriendthatsews
- Facebook: @yourfriendthatsews
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinemorley
Image Credits
Select photos by Tracy Caffrey Photography LLC