Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sonya Philip. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sonya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

There been many times when I was worried or reluctant to do something. I started designing and selling patterns about 10 years ago. I sold them through an Etsy store and was strictly online retail. A local business reached out to ask whether they could carry my patterns wholesale, It didn’t make sense to me, getting half the amount of money for my product, so I said no The buyer of that store was very understanding and we stayed in touch. They contacted me again a few months later and I re-worked my packaging for a wholesale line.

These days my wholesale accounts make up a sizable portion of my sales. My patterns are carried in stores throughout the country, as well as internationally, It has really helped me grow my business and reach customers in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to just selling retail.

The same was true about branching out into digital products, offering PDF versions of my patterns. It worried me that beginning, sewers, who are my main target audience, would end up making mistakes or getting frustrated assembling the patterns. But as shipping prices, especially internationally, have gone up steadily, it’s made more sense to offer this option for people.

Anytime I’ve had to make a change or adjustment, it seems my first instinct is to resist, probably out of fear and because I don’t want to be taken out of my comfort zone. Most every time things have turned out much better than I could’ve imagined.

Sonya, 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?

I own a business called 100 Acts of Sewing and I design sewing patterns. I’ve always had an interest in fashion, but never pursued any formal education in the field. Having this outsider perspective has been of great importance. I started making my own patterns because I could find what I was looking for, simple patterns for garments in a wide range of sizes. Many things were either overly complex or had a very limited size range.

The ability to make my own clothes, to wear what I want color or fabric-wise has had such an incredible impact in my life. Previously, shopping for clothes was a disheartening experience, not being able to find much in my size. Now my self-expression faces very few limitations.

I really want to share this with other people whose body types don’t fit the standard sizes or styles.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Small businesses are necessary and they need support. It’s very easy to be lulled by the convenience of things being a click away with near immediate delivery. A small business can never compete with that, so expecting them to does them a disservice. Most cannot match the offers of free shipping or deep discounts of larger companies.

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

I was influenced by the Wardrobe Re/Mix group started on Flickr, an early photo sharing site. People would post full-length photos of their daily outfits along with information on what they were wearing. I started posting photo of me wearing my handmade garments. I would keep an eye out for interesting walls while I was picking up my kids from school and would have them take the photo. When I was growing my following, I posted very consistently. I post much more sporadically but I do try to respond to comments. While social media has changed a great deal, I love my community of makers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.100actsofsewing.com
• Instagram: sonyaphilip