Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Lee.
Hi Linda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Some would say that my career in the sewing industry grew out of my career as an interior designer. I think it goes back further than that. To me, the seed was planted when I was a child, sewing doll clothes. Creating tiny garments with scraps of fabric, a needle, and some thread awakened a creative path in me that never waivered. As an interior designer, working with color, fabric, and textures was fulfilling and successful. However, there was always something pulling me towards the world of garment sewing.
There came a time where I couldn’t ignore the siren song of sewing any longer. In the midst of my busy interiors career, I opened Threadwear, a fabric store in Topeka, Kansas. I took on this new business knowing that there were many things I didn’t know about fashion fabric. I leaned on my good friend Dort Johnson’s experience to teach me about the world of fine fashion fabric. Together, we visited the markets in New York and started creating a fabric collection for the serious garment sewer. She helped me acquire a hands-on education that I still appreciate today, 30-some years later.
By the early 1990s, I was happily ensconced in the sewing world. Unexpectedly, Sandra Betzina, a good friend and titan of the sewing industry, suggested that I buy a sewing school in San Francisco called The Sewing Workshop. Generally, Sandra’s suggestions are quite astute, so despite the fact that I still lived in Kansas, and had no intention of moving, I purchased the Sewing Workshop.
The Sewing Workshop was famed for its high quality teachers. We had the best of the best, teaching sewing to everyone from beginners to advanced. I flew back and forth from Topeka to run the school, while also running Threadwear and my interior design business. I realized early on that The Sewing Workshop would need a product to be profitable, it was then that I got into the garment pattern business.
In those days sewers relied on patterns from what we called the Big Four – McCalls, Simplicity, Vogue, and Butterick. Independent pattern designers, which are so common today, were rarely heard of. I wanted to start a pattern company that reflected the clothing that I wanted to wear. The Sewing Workshop patterns eschewed the basic styles found elsewhere for garments that were inspired by avant garde designers like Issey Miyake. We brought our first hand-drawn patterns to an American Sewing Guild conference and were elated when they sold out immediately. From that moment, designing sewing patterns became the core of our business.
Since that day, I’ve held fast through the changing sewing industry. Today we have a thriving studio in Topeka, Kansas where we sell our fashion fabric collection, design our garment patterns, and hold a number of sewing retreats. A lot of things have changed since my early days as a fabric store owner, but I’m so proud that I’ve been able to coalesce all our different interests into a successful business in the Midwest.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Essentially, the way people consume sewing education has completely changed from when I first started. Riding the wave of that evolution hasn’t always been easy, but I’m not afraid to try new things. For instance, books used to be a major source of sewing education, and I’ve written 14 books during my career. Now the core of our sewing education products are online. In 2012, I started an online subscription called Sew Confident!, where our students receive a monthly online sewing class. When Covid hit, we started a weekly Livestream program. Those two online programs have completely revolutionized our business.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
From the beginning, my mantra has been to teach people to sew better than they can buy. Sewing education has always been at the forefront of my mind, and I spent years traveling all over the world teaching sewing. I’m proud to say that The Sewing Workshop is well-known for sharing sewing knowledge, from our online classes to our carefully written pattern instructions. Plus, once a week anyone can watch our free livestream, which is essentially a free sewing class! Our commitment to quality in patterns, fabric, and education has kept us at the top of our game.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
The staff at The Sewing Workshop have been essential to keeping the business running full steam ahead. Erin Snethen has been with the company for over 20 years and is vital to our pattern design department. My daughter Alex Woodbury has taken the reins on our Sew Confident! program. Betsy Blodgett oversees our marketing and events, and Deb Henderson has the frenetic job of shipping manager. I’m lucky to have staff that all have an interest and background in sewing and love when we can get together for creative brainstorming sessions.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sewingworkshop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sewingworkshop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SewingWorkshop
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSewingWorkshopwithLindaLee
