I’m so excited to share my first Small Business Spotlight with you today. You may remember when I set my Intentions for 2022 in January that one of my goals for this year is to spotlight small, female-owned and operated businesses, especially those producing handmade items. Today, I’m honored to share my interview with Alison Spanner of Gather + Sew. I had the pleasure of meeting Alison in 2019, after being introduced by a mutual friend. We were part of a small group of women that comprised a “ladies social craft club”. We laughed, enjoyed each other’s company, snacked on delicious bites, and even did a bit of crafting during our evening sessions. Sadly we had to put our group on hold during the pandemic, but I’m sure all of us are eager to begin meeting again regularly.
I have watched, with awe and admiration, as Alison has grown Gather + Sew into a successful business in just two short years. For those of us who move our small businesses along at a glacial pace (like me), witnessing what Alison has been able to achieve is a testament to what is possible with hard work, dedication, perseverance, and grit.
Some of the many things I admire about Alison are her frankness and honesty and the fact that she doesn’t shy away from having difficult conversations. While I greatly enjoy posting about light-hearted topics here on the blog, I think it’s important for us to dig into topics that are a bit more challenging as well (like the realities of the fashion industry that we’ll be discussing). I never want to give the impression that life is perfect (it’s not) or that it’s always sunshine and buttercups (it isn’t). Alison’s responses are beautiful and thoughtful, and I’m so honored to share her story here with you today. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I do!
Instagram: instagram.com/gathernsew
The Interview
1. What is Gather + Sew for those who aren’t yet familiar with your brand?
Gather + Sew is a clothing line, primarily for children, that uses only vintage, secondhand, or upcycled textiles and trims. Each piece is completely one of a kind, and is made by me, in my home in Houston, TX.
2. I love that family is so important to you. In your website bio, you write about your family’s influence on you from a young age. Can you tell us a little more about them and how they influence and inspire you?
I feel so fortunate in the family that I was given. It’s an incredibly supportive bunch of people. I was raised by my mom, who was very hard-working. She always did her job to the best of her ability, and usually with a smile on her face. That’s something I try to emulate, although my job is much easier than hers ever was. She taught me to cross stitch when I was pretty young, and my love for antique and vintage textiles definitely comes from her. Her house is filled with them, so I really couldn’t escape that! I was encouraged by her in pretty much every creative endeavor I ever undertook, which I think is how I developed the confidence to trust in my artistic abilities. That’s something she nurtured in me for my entire childhood, although I suspect all the craft kits and supplies were partially just an attempt to keep me quiet and occupied. I was a rather “spirited” child.
My grandparents lived across the road, and they played a pretty big part in raising me. It was my grandma who taught me to sew. The first thing she ever helped me sew was a lumpy little egg-shaped pillow, which I gave to my mom as an Easter gift. My grandfather is a really talented woodworker, so I grew up around the beautiful things he made. I have an aunt who sews, and she is the one who taught me how to quilt as a teenager. Several of my aunts and cousins, as well as my grandpa, are musical. I was surrounded by a pretty creative group of people for much of my life, and it rubbed off on me.
Currently, my dad plays a huge role in my creative process, because he is the one who sources almost all of the fabric and textiles that I use for Gather + Sew. He goes to auctions and flea markets all over rural Ohio, where he lives, and buys supplies for me at much cheaper prices than I could find them around here. I’m not sure I could actually make Gather + Sew work without him. I would certainly have to charge a lot more. From the moment I started this business, he has been nothing but supportive and involved and encouraging. One of the best parts of this whole endeavor has been feeling closer to him.
3. You started Gather + Sew in the middle of the pandemic. Tell us more about that process. What was your biggest learning?
I’m not sure my timing was great, but such is life! I had been working retail at the beginning of the pandemic, and was also dealing with some pretty significant mental health issues at the time. It all sort of culminated in me needing to take some time to look after myself, which meant leaving my job. I was fortunate to be in a position where I could do that. To get myself out of bed and kill the boredom, I started doing little sewing projects. A cousin asked me if I could make a dress for her daughter’s first birthday, and things took off from there.
I found sewing to be very mindful and soothing, at a time when I really needed that comfort. It took me back to my childhood, when I would spend hours engrossed in a craft project. I realized that giving myself the time and space to be creative was one way to honor my inner child. The more I worked at it, the more it turned into something that I wanted to do for myself.
Honestly, the biggest thing I’ve learned through all this has nothing to do with sewing or business, and more to do with how I feel and think about myself. I was full of negative self talk and tons of self-doubt when I started out. The constant questions on my mind were: Can I do this? Am I good enough? What happens if I fail? It took lots of conversations with my support network to realize … I am doing this. I am good enough. If I fail, nothing happens, because failure is just a part of trying.
I also learned that I suck at doing taxes, so I’ll be getting an accountant.
4. Why did you decide to start making children’s clothing in particular?
Children’s clothes are fun! Children aren’t afraid of bright colors and mixing patterns. It also leaves a lot of room for whimsy. I can put fun heart-shaped pockets on dresses – perfect for snacks, toads, or rocks (in order of importance to tiny Alison). Also, the nature of using secondhand and vintage fabric means I end up with a lot of small pieces of fabric. Making adult clothes from them would be impossible. I think it’s also just not being done widely. There are some wonderful brands here in Houston who are sewing adult’s clothes with vintage and secondhand textiles, like Laurelei Jourdan and Midnight Oil Vintage, but I don’t know anyone else who is doing it for children.
5. We hear a lot about fast fashion these days. How would you describe it? What do you wish people knew about fast fashion?
Fast fashion is inexpensive, poorly made, constantly changing, and widely available. It’s the shirt that shrinks to an unwearable size the first time you wash it; the dress that lasts for a season and then starts to fall apart. It’s trendy, and if it does somehow last for more than a year or two, it’s not going to be “in fashion” anymore, so you’re going to end up tossing (or hopefully donating) it.
I really wish people understood how bad fast fashion is for the earth and for the people who make it. The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world. It creates huge amounts of water pollution, massive amounts of textile waste in landfills, greenhouse gas emissions, and deforestation. People who work in garment factories are absolutely not paid a living wage, forced to work up to 16 hours a day, are verbally and physically abused on the job, and are forbidden from forming unions to advocate for themselves. They often don’t get lunch or bathroom breaks, and many of them are children.
The bottom line is, fast fashion clothing is cheap, because someone, somewhere, is not getting paid.
6. What are the biggest misconceptions about slow fashion?
That it’s over priced. It’s usually very fairly priced. Our understanding of how much a garment actually costs to produce is just so skewed because of the fast fashion industry. We’re not used to paying somebody for the time it takes them to sew something.
7. Shifting from purchasing fast fashion to slow fashion can seem intimidating at first. How can we approach it if we are just getting started?
It’s all about small changes, one at a time. It’s completely unreasonable to expect folks to throw away all the fast fashion in their closet and replace it immediately with slow fashion pieces. I don’t know anyone who can do that, and I certainly can’t. I’m definitely not interested in making people feel any shame about what’s in their closet.
The secondhand clothing market is awesome right now. There are so many websites and local second-hand shops that allow you to track down your favorite slow fashion brands, at a friendly price because the items are used. It takes a little time, planning, and patience – but it can be done.
If you prefer not to buy used, then try setting a goal for yourself. Start by limiting your fast fashion purchases. If you usually buy 3 or 4 new fast fashion items a month, try cutting it back to one a month. Then tell yourself with the money you have saved by doing that, you will buy yourself one or two slow fashion items a year. Focus on classic silhouettes that will never go out of style. Take baby steps. Nobody needs to be perfect, we all just need to do a little.
You used the word intimidating above, and I want to take a moment to address that. There is a lot of work that needs to be done within the slow fashion movement to make it a safer and more accessible space for people. There can definitely be an air of exclusion and superiority, and that’s just not acceptable. A $100 dollar shirt, handmade in an ethical environment where people are getting paid fairly for their labor, sounds crazy expensive to many people. Yes, it’s going to last years longer and not need to be replaced as quickly, but it’s absolutely a privilege to have $100 at one time to spend on a basic shirt. The solution is not to skip out on paying people for their labor when making clothes. The solution is also not to keep buying fast fashion. The solution is tenfold, in that all those things that affect people’s ability to lead a financially secure life in this country need to be addressed. So until those things happen, no throwing shade on the buyers of fast fashion. The goal is always to educate, never to judge.
I know, from personal experience, that larger people also often feel left out of the movement. I’m the size of the average American woman, and there are a lot of brands – both fast fashion and slow fashion, that don’t make clothes that fit me. Companies will give you all sorts of reasons about why they can’t produce larger sizes, and they’re all lies. It just comes down to a dislike of fat people and the belief that they don’t have the right to wear the same clothes as thin people.
Sorry to be kind of a bummer there for a minute, but I don’t want to sugarcoat things in a way that makes people feel any type of guilt for not living out their slow fashion dreams. There is a lot of work to be done to make slow fashion accessible to everyone.
8. How can we be more intentional with our clothing purchases?
Firstly, remember that the most sustainable clothes are the ones that are already in your closet. Wear them, have fun with them, mend them, try them in combinations that you haven’t done before to make your outfit feel new. Sometimes a chunky brooch or a wide belt from the thrift store is all it takes to make a piece feel different. And find a good tailor! A little altering is all it takes to make a piece you’ve had forever feel fresh, and fit like a dream.
If there’s a fast fashion piece that you absolutely love, go ahead and buy it, just make sure it’s something that you’re going to wear a lot. I’m not going to pretend my entire wardrobe is slow fashion. It absolutely isn’t. But when I’m buying fast fashion, I make sure I’m buying something that I know I’m going to wear over and over again.
Only buy things that make you feel really, really good. I’m working so hard on this. I have a closet full of things that make me feel just okay. I don’t want to feel that way in my clothes. I want them to be an outward expression of who I am. What I’ve found is that the more pieces I have that I absolutely love, the fewer pieces I actually need to have. I have one fast fashion dress that I completely adore. I wear it once a week, and I am not exaggerating. I jokingly refer to it as my uniform. I feel great in it, it makes me happy, it’s comfortable, it’s whimsical – and I have passed on other dresses that I’ve tried on lately because they don’t make me feel as good as that one does. Enjoying your clothes doesn’t mean you need to have tons of them.
Lastly, remember that your money talks. It’s indicative of your support, whether or not you intend it to be. As Amanda from the Clotheshorse Podcast says, “Don’t give your money to assholes”. Are you really okay supporting businesses who abuse their employees and pollute the environment? The Clotheshorse Podcast is phenomenal by the way, if you’re interested in knowing more about how the fashion industry operates. I’ve learned so much from it.
9. What gives you the most joy with Gather + Sew?
The opportunity to be creative, and to play with color and texture and pattern brings me so much joy. My brain naturally sort of gravitates to those things, so being able to do that everyday feels so authentic and right on every level.
It’s also led me to so many great people. I have met the most amazing community through Gather + Sew. I’ve made friends, business connections, and have had several people just donate their old quilts and fabrics to me because they want them to be used. It’s really heartening to know that so many people think that what I’m doing is valuable.
And of course, seeing cute kiddos in my clothes! There’s nothing better. I love when customers send me pictures of little ones wearing my creations. The day I see one of my pieces on a child “in the wild”, I’m sure I’ll burst into tears.
10. How do you come up with new designs?
So far, I have purchased basic patterns from independent designers, and then modified them to suit my vision. I’m hoping to get to a point where I can design my own patterns, but that’s a pretty specialized skill that I don’t have yet.
As far as the designs of individual pieces go, my process is kind of messy. It usually begins with one specific piece of fabric or embroidery that I’m determined to use. I dig through piles and shelves and drawers of supplies to see what I have that can coordinate. Depending on the size and shape of the fabric pieces, I figure out which garment pattern is best suited. Then I start to think about the details; thread color, trim, buttons.
Like anyone whose job relies heavily on creativity, I go through dry spells where coming up with anything I like is a challenge. Sometimes I reach out to my social media followers for inspiration, asking them for words, and then randomly picking one, which has to be the theme for the next thing I make. I’ve actually produced some pretty incredible pieces that way, and it’s a fun way to get people involved and excited.
11. What was it like going from a job with structure and colleagues to running your own business?
It was terrifying. I’ve never worked for myself, and I have no business education or experience. I’m also a perfectionist, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to get things right the first time. There is a great deal of imposter syndrome, a lot of guilt when I don’t work an 8-hour day, and frustration when I’m forced to do something that I’m not good at. I haven’t really figured it out yet, although talking to other small business owners to get their take helps a lot.
12. What advice do you have for anyone thinking about turning their passion project or side hustle into a full-time job?
Identify the things you aren’t good at, and find a way to address them. About a month ago I made a list of things I needed help with. There were so many things I was trying to do for my business that I was just bad at. It became pretty apparent that it was worth my time and money to find someone to do those things for me. You don’t have to be great at every aspect of your business to have a great business.
And go easy on yourself. You are doing something new! You’re learning, growing, making mistakes – so give yourself some grace. You will have bad days, where the thing that you love doesn’t feel fun. Be gentle with yourself on those days.
13. What does the future look like for Gather + Sew?
Good question! I’m not entirely sure. I’d love to have more wholesale accounts, because I can be really productive when I have an order to fulfill. I’d like to cut back a little on doing markets, because it’s really time- and energy-consuming, and I’m someone who doesn’t have a lot of energy to begin with. I have a fear of growing my business too large. Hiring people to help me sew is definitely going to be a major challenge, if I ever get that big, because I like to be in control of everything. I’m going to need to be okay with delegating, and trusting some aspects of my business to other people. That’s going to be a massive hurdle. At the same time, it would be kind of exciting to give someone the chance to grow and learn with me, and maybe kind of start them on their own path. I’m working on learning to accept the uncertainty of it all.
14. Several boutiques around Houston carry Gather + Sew pieces, and you often sell your pieces at local craft markets. Where can those local to Houston find Gather + Sew pieces?
British Isles, in Rice Village, was the first shop to carry Gather + Sew. I’m extremely grateful to them for that opportunity, and for their continued interest in what I’m doing. Asch Building, in the Heights, also carries my products. They really focus on sustainability and quality products, so I’m honored that they felt like Gather + Sew was a good fit for them. I’m also going to have a spot in Mala Market, which is a non-profit space that is opening this April (be sure to follow them on Instagram for all the details). It focuses on providing local makers with a space to promote their handmade goods. Somya Gupta, the face behind Mala Market, has some really great ideas. I’m so excited for her, and for what she’s doing for the community. I think it’s going to be really great.
I do local markets as time allows, most often Asch Sunday at Asch Building, and Plant Market Sunday, at Central City Co-op. I always announce those markets on my social media pages.
15. What are the best ways for people to reach out to you to shop and to learn more about what you do?
You can shop online at my website. I’m pretty active on my Instagram account, so you can follow me there. I have a contact form on my website, and folks are welcome to message me on Instagram. You can e-mail me directly. You can also come say hi when I’m at a market! I love meeting people in person. I am happy to take custom orders, participate in charity/fundraising markets and auctions, and I am absolutely interested in having my products in more stores – so for any of those things, just reach out!
End Q&A
Thank you so much, Alison! I loved learning more about your story and have learned so much from you. I can’t wait to see all the amazing things I know you will accomplish in the future.
Friends, if you have small children or grandchildren, love supporting female-owned small businesses, or want to follow Alison’s journey, be sure to click on the links above for her website, blog, and Instagram accounts. I’m certain she will love and appreciate your support! Be sure to share this post with friends and family so they can learn more about the inspiration behind Gather + Sew.
If you’d like to learn more about the sad realities of fast fashion that Alison mentioned, be sure to check out this article, this article, or this article.
xo, Tiffany
Inspirational post by two very awesome women. Thanks to both of you for sharing!
Thank you Alison! I’m so glad you found it inspiring. Thank you for all of your support!
I arose today full of joy, anticipating your new blog like a child expecting a new toy. Breakfast was consumed at a blistering pace, spilling my oatmeal all over my face. My computer as always was giving me pause, so i put on a coffee and stiffened my jaw.
The wait was worth it because I immediately saw, a burst of color and designs galore. The questions were insightful, the answers quite frank, the money is flowing into her bank. Thank you for your post I enjoyed it so, now I can face the down falling snow that blankets our yard with a fierce intent, the evergreens are covered and severely bent.
Thanks for the lovely poem! I’m so glad your computer cooperated so you were able to read the post. Stay warm and safe!
Such an interesting blog. It adds a new thought to shopping, taking time to consider a decision to purchase an item. I will think about that the next time I shop. It’s also nice hearing she is able to access fabric and trims thanks to the ease of the internet, making clothing so different. I wish her the best in her progress and am grateful for her ideas to help other women especially those thinking of starting a small business . Hugs
Thank you Barbara! Yes, she’s amazing! I’ll be sure to pass along your sweet comments to Alison!
Great Blog Tiffany. Thank you for introducing us to Alison at Gather and Sew. Great to hear someone starting out on their passion and views on sustainable fashion.
Thanks so much, Liz! Yes, she is amazing. Be sure to check out her sites and follow her. You’ll love her!