When did you start your business and why?
It all started off by accident four years ago, when we were 10 days into lockdown.
I always had an interest in sewing and design and loved working with different fabrics.
I then decided to make an Instagram page to show people what I was making.
My friends and family then started asking me to make them fleeces and after a while, orders started piling in. I never meant to actually start the business, it just kind of happened organically.
Can you explain your creative process?
My creative process starts with ordering fabrics with patterns that I know will work well with other colours.
If the pattern works, I then bulk order it if I am going to make a series of fleeces, for example.
More recently, I have been designing the piece beforehand on Procreate with an iPad.
I design the vibe I want to incorporate and then add any elements of embroidery I think will suit the piece.
Once I have my fabrics and the idea in my head, I start cutting out the pieces of fabric to sew together.
During a full workday, I would make about 10 fleeces. Once I have clothes made, I start promoting them on my Instagram, put them on my website and ship them out.
How do you find inspiration to design different collections?
I get a lot of inspiration from what other small business are doing. I think there is a huge Celtic revival happening with small Irish businesses at the moment.
I’m really interested in businesses that incorporate Irish into their pieces. I’m kind of trying to do the same thing, but giving my own slant on it.
What do you think is the importance of social media in your business?
Social media is everything for my business. Without my Instagram page, I wouldn’t have a business at all.
During the pandemic,everyone wanted to follow small businesses and this is where I built most of my following.
What are your best sellers?
My pint inspired fleece is definitely my best seller at the moment. It’s a brown and cream fleece with a little pint of Guinness embroidered on it. I only started making them two months ago, but I have sold over 60 of them already.
What has been your biggest creative achievement to date?
I’d say my biggest creative achievement would be winning the GRADAIM award for Irish businesses. I won two bronze medals and then a gold medal.
This was a massive achievement for me and kind of a full circle moment for my small business.
Another achievement is when I was shortlisted for The Golden Shears tailoring competition in 2023.
What are your hopes for the future?
I would love to get a proper studio for myself where I’d do a pop-up shop every week. I would also love to have a stand at a music festival and then hire a few people to give me a hand.
Mairidh’s work can be found at sewitseamsclothing.bigcartel.com or by her Instagram handle @sewitseams.clothing.
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