"I Sewed Myself Happy" with Debbie from This Mummy Sews

*Please note there is a trigger warning on this episode*

In this powerful episode of the Sewing Social Podcast, we sit down with Debbie Marsden as she shares her moving journey through grief and healing, and how sewing became her lifeline. 

After the devastating loss of her baby, Debbie found solace at her sewing machine, sparking not only personal transformation but also a thriving business built around handmade children's clothing and supporting other mothers through sewing. 

We dive into the emotional depths of her story, the strength found in community, and her inspiring vision for the future, from sustainable fashion for kids to helping more mums turn creativity into confidence and entrepreneurship.

Key Takeaways:

• Sewing became a therapeutic outlet for Debbie, helping her cope with grief.
• She started her first business, Lolapops, from her kitchen table.
• Debbie emphasises the importance of community and support for mothers.
• Her sewing classes have transformed lives, providing emotional healing.
• Debbie's new venture, Handmade Loop, focuses on sustainability in children's clothing.
• She encourages mothers to prioritise self-care while managing their creative businesses.
• Debbie's journey illustrates the power of creativity in overcoming adversity.
• She aims to help other mothers start their own creative businesses.
• Debbie's story highlights the importance of sharing personal experiences to foster connection. 

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Guest Details: 

Instagram: @thismummysews

                    @handmadeloop

Website: 

www.thismummysews.com

www.handmadeloop.com

Baby loss charities: 

www.sands.org.uk

www.tommys.org

www.teddyswish.org

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Trigger Warning

00:55 Debbie's Journey into Sewing

02:03 The Impact of Baby Loss on Mental Health

07:17 Finding Purpose Through Sewing

09:53 Building a Creative Business

11:52 The Birth of Lolapops and Its Success

14:31 Transitioning to Teaching Sewing Classes

18:10 Launching the Members Club

20:56 Transformative Stories from Sewing Classes

24:05 The Importance of Community and Support

26:31 The Evolution of Handmade Loop

30:13 Sustainability in Children's Clothing

32:27 Future Plans and Aspirations

35:00 Advice for New Entrepreneurs

38:51 Fun Quickfire Round

42:38 Where to Find Debbie

Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:00.142)

Dear lovely listener, before we begin, I want to give a trigger warning for this episode. Today's conversation includes open and honest discussions around baby loss and mental health. These are incredibly important topics, but they can also be deeply painful or triggering for some listeners. If you're not in the right head space to hear this today, please take care of yourself and feel free to come back when you're ready.

or explore other episodes in our archive. In this episode, our guest shares their personal journey through grief, healing, and the way that sewing helped them through. It's a powerful, emotional, and ultimately hopeful conversation, and one we're honoured to share with you. Thank you for listening and for holding space for these important stories. Now, on to the interview.

Speaker 2 (01:07.128)

Debbie, welcome to the Sewing Social Podcast. I'm so happy to have you on today. Would you mind introducing yourself to the listeners?

Hi Gemma, it's great to be here. Yes, of course. So my name is Debbie Marston. I run and own two creative businesses that I'll tell you all about as we go through this interview. But my first business is called Handmade Loop and that is one of the first platforms that I've developed to resell pre-loved, outgrown, handmade children's clothing, which is going really, really well. I'm dead excited about that.

And then my other main business, if my true passion is actually teaching mums how to sew for their little ones. And that business is called This Mummy Sews. And it's all about encouraging mums to dust off their sewing machines, get that sewing machine out, know, try sewing for the very, very first time and just showing them, you know, how they can actually create some gorgeous handmade children's clothing for their own children as well. It's amazing.

That sounds incredible and we are going to dig deeper into both of those things. But first of all, I'd love you to tell us about your sewing story. So where did it all begin?

Well, my story began, where do I start? We're talking maybe like 12 years ago now, even longer. And believe it or not, people are shocked when I tell them this, but I used to be a secondary PE teacher, believe it or not. And I was just like any old normal teacher, working full time, absolutely loved my job, happy as...

Speaker 1 (02:33.742)

as any teacher can be when you're in the start of your career. But then, obviously got married and I started my family, so I had my first daughter. And I know like everyone always says to you, nobody prefers you for when you have children, etc. Your life will change. And it's absolutely true because once I had my own daughter, there was something in me that was like, do I really want this life of having to drop my kid off at the childminder's?

pay extortionate nursery fees, then go to work all day looking at other people's children, blah blah blah. But obviously you enter the world of work and you've got mortgages to pay, bills to pay, et cetera. So I didn't really have a choice. So I had my six month maternity leave, went back to teaching, that was it. Then not long later, had my second daughter, same again, went off on maternity leave, enjoyed it, absolutely fantastic. And at this point in my life, sewing wasn't even a thing. You know, I didn't do any sort of like creative and crafty.

you know, things in my spare time. Went back to work again after having Poppy, my second daughter. And then unexpectedly, quite soon after I returned after the second maternity leave, I found out I was pregnant again and I was like, my goodness, first of all, how am going to tell work? I've only been back about three weeks. Secondly, I was like three little ones and like I've, have my children really close. So there was only 19 months between Laura and Poppy. So I was thinking, how am going to actually manage like financially, mentally? Like, this is just insane.

But obviously when you find out that you're pregnant again, like you start imagining, etc. And unfortunately, that third pregnancy ended up being an ectopic pregnancy. I was rushed to hospital. I had emergency surgery. Obviously lost the baby. I lost my left loping tube in the process. And I was basically told that your chances of having any more children now is very slim. And I feel like, I don't know, I just didn't cope with it very well.

I kind of went into a bit of a spiral wheel and my mental health like spiralled really, really low. I can only describe it as walking around for the next six months, walking around with like a cloud of doom above my head. I just wasn't coping very well. I was crying all the time. Obviously I had Lola and Poppy took to parents and look after. They were only two and one at the time. It was just really, really tough. And then I had to obviously go back into the teaching profession. And at the time, you know, without going into too much detail, I'm sure if there's any teachers listening to this, they'll know what it's like.

Speaker 1 (04:51.512)

but it wasn't the supportive and caring environment that I needed at the time and honestly my mental health was just horrendous. And really I probably should have had time off work to proper kind of come to terms with what had happened because I think sometimes baby loss is one of those taboo subjects that people don't really talk about it, they don't really know what to say because early pregnancy as well is a very hush hush you don't tell anybody till it's like nobody really knew what I've been through so I felt like I couldn't really speak about it myself.

and that really, really added to like my mental health and like the downward spiral. But the type of person I am, I didn't reach out, I didn't ask for help, I just kind of plodded on. And it was only when I remember one night sitting on the settee with my husband, like crying, I'm never gonna be happy again because that's how I truly felt. And one night, and I have always had like a creative sport to me, I've always liked like watching before and afters, did GCSE textiles at...

high school, I made a 60s rap skirt and a play mat and all the basic things that you do at GCSE level. And I've always loved The Great British Sewing Bee. And I was sat there one night watching The Great British Sewing Bee and I can't describe it, but I just had this overwhelming urge. Something just told me like, you need to buy a sewing machine Debbie. And then I'm dead impulsive. So straight after that episode, I was on eBay, I found this genome, 40 pounds, second hand sewing machine. I thought that's belting that, ordered it.

It came a couple of days later and my mum was getting rid of some of her old dresses and I was like, no mum, don't get rid of them dresses, let me have them dresses, let me just use the fabric and see if I can remember how to thread it and you know, have a little bit of a practice. And that is where my sewing journey started. It's strange because even though I've not touched a sewing machine for like 15 years from being at school.

It came back to me. I remembered how to thread it. I remembered all the back tack. I remembered all the basics that you needed. And then of course, I got a bit addicted then. I was off onto Pinterest, YouTube and just testing out this, that and the other. And then obviously I've got Lola and Poppy, two little girls at this point and I'm like making them little dresses and little pants and that kind of thing. And it wasn't long until honestly, people were stopping me in like Asda. They were stopping me on the play parks going, your little girl's dress is absolutely gorgeous. Where's that from? And honestly,

Speaker 1 (07:03.342)

Uttering those words, I made it. It sounds really corny but I truly believe that I sewed myself happy. Because sewing just kind of, it just lifted that grey cloud, it kind of gave me a purpose again, it gave me something to focus on and it kind of like, just, them grey clouds just started to lift and I started to feel like myself again. And like, the happy ending of my story really is six months to the day of buying that secondhand sewing machine.

found out I was pregnant again with my little rainbow baby Grace. So I've actually got three girls, Lola, Poppy and Grace. And obviously when I found out was pregnant again, we had a surprise. I've always had a surprise. I absolutely was surprised. So we didn't know whether she was going to be a little girl or a little boy. And that is when my sewing addiction was like truly started because I discovered the gorgeous cotton stretch jersey and all the stunning designs that you can get.

and I was just like opened up to this world of handmade children's clothing and I was like, I am having some of this and the bet I've still got the very first romper that I made for Grace. It was pink on one side. It was a reversible one. I didn't start with like the easy pair of Harry. I started with a reversible romper because that's how I roll. It was pink on one side, blue on the other and I found some gorgeous like little rainbow ribbon, you know, for the cuffs and a little rainbow baby coming home outfit. So obviously if she was a girl or a boy.

To my husband's disgust, she was a girl because he really wanted a But you know, get what you're given. And honestly, she came home wearing the pink little rainbow ramper that I made her and she was the best dressed baby on that ward. And again, mum's on the ward, but like, I love your little girls. And I was like, I've made it. And it was at that point really that I was thinking like, I think I can make a business from this just because of the fact that there's so many people stopping me, so many people asking me questions about it, et cetera.

And again, I was still teaching, I was still kind of teaching at this time. And I thought, I'll just set up a little Facebook group. And it was my mum that came up with the idea. Because this is before I had Grace. She came up with the idea of Lola Pops, which is the names of Lola and Poppy. So I set up this little Facebook page and honestly, like it exploded. And I think because I was a teacher in the local community, like I was well known in the local community. And I think back then growing on social media was a lot easier than it is today as well.

Speaker 1 (09:25.23)

but I just got so many people following me, asking me to make them, you know, can you make me one? Can you make me one? My friend's seen this, can you make my friend one now? And it kind of was like word of mouth. And my very first business started, which was Lollipop's handmade children's clothing. And that business.

changed my life because it allowed me to leave teaching. So I left teaching just before Grace was born. So was 20 weeks pregnant actually. People thought I'd lost my marbles. Well, I don't think I had marbles to start with anyway. Yeah, 20 weeks teaching, just again, I always come back to this feeling I have. There was just something telling me when I found out I was pregnant again with Grace, there was just something telling me that this is it. If I don't...

change now. I'm going to be stuck as a teacher forever and I don't want this life. I want something different. I want something better. So that's what I did. I walked away from teaching when I was 20 weeks pregnant with Grace. And honestly, I've not looked back since. And setting up my own creative business, I'm not going to lie, it's been one of the hardest things I've ever done. It really, really is. Like the stress, the sacrifices, the sleepless nights, like doing everything that I've done. I look back now and I do not know how I've got to this stage because like I was looking after a newborn, a one-year-old and two-year-old.

Why, I just don't know how I've done it.

Debbie, you're incredible. gave me goosebumps. What a story. Like, sowed myself happy. What a statement. I love that.

Speaker 1 (10:50.114)

And it's honestly, it's so true, it really is. And that's, think that's why I'm kind of like so passionate about what I'm doing now. I mean, Lollapop started as like, you know, it was like an accidental business really. I mean, a lot of mums especially that get into sewing. A lot of mums don't get into sewing to like, right, I'm gonna set up a business, I'm gonna do this and that. It's always like accidental businesses, so.

I was exactly the same, set up Lollapop's Facebook page, it grew, it grew, grew. And what Lollapop's became was something honestly super special. It started on my kitchen table and it took me 10 years to grow it to what it was. And when I'm saying like Handmade Children's Club, I'm talking like, like really, really successful. was, I was one of the first people to launch the first ever Handmade Children's Clothing subscription box in this country. And it was called Lollapop's in a Box. I quickly grew to,

just over a hundred mums who were subscribing to that box every single month. So every month it was a seasonal box. So they got one every season. So spring, summer, autumn, winter, every season they got a gorgeous seasonal themed outfit, a surprise inside for the little one and a surprise inside for mommy too. And I feel like I've always got that element of doing something for the mum as well. And it always kind of comes back to my story of how difficult I found them early days of motherhood.

obviously like all surrounding like baby loss, but even without thinking about baby loss, it's hard being a mum and doing all we do and looking after young kids is so hard. And if you're anything like me, you put yourself to the bottom of the pecking order. You don't look after yourself. You put everybody's needs before your own. And that's what I kind of started to introduce through Lollipops in a box. And it really, really took off. It was absolutely amazing. But it got to the stage and I don't know.

think it's because of the sort of person I am. I've kind of, once I've kind of done something and built it to as far as I can kind of take it, because obviously Lollipop's in a box and any handmade business to be honest with you, there is kind of ceiling, especially when you're a one man band really, like because you've got to like make it all, like it takes time to make these gorgeous, amazing outfits. And I always knew really that once I'd grown Lollipop's in a box to like a hundred subscribers, I couldn't really do any more.

Speaker 1 (13:06.942)

Because I didn't, never had this ambition to kind of grow Lollapops to be like a global brand and get it onto the high streets and because that's not what handmade is about. Handmade is keeping it small, keeping it special, keeping it limited edition. Just, you know, and I grew it to a stage where like, so I moved out of my house into my first premises. That was like nearly three years ago now, which was like a huge step. So scary, being, finding extra finances to pay for like premises and that kind of thing.

I employed a small team that were working for me. So I had one girl, Martina, who's just like my little sidekick. I couldn't do what I do without her. So Martina used to do all the cutting and all the kind of titter-bating stuff behind the scenes. And then I brought Kate in, who is a seamstress, so she did a lot of the sewing for me as well. And it just carried on growing and growing and getting bigger. And then, I don't know, just something just changed. And the change in me was when one of my neighbours came across.

to have a chat with because she run a local CIC, know, like supporting local community and doing like different things for them. And she knew that I ran a sewing business. So she just said to me one day, Debbie, I know you're busy, but do you fancy coming along to the CIC and just running some like beginner sewing lessons for some vulnerable people in the community, like, know, like curers, unemployed, you know, that kind of thing. I think it'd be really good and it's something they've been asking for.

And obviously because I've got a teaching background I was like, yeah, that sounds really good. But again, coming back from the mum point, the mum in me, like I said, I'll do it. But I've had this really brilliant idea. Can I run some sessions for mums on maternity leave? I just had this vision of mums coming along with the little babies in the car seats.

and I can teach him how to sew. Never done anything like it before. I don't even think anything like it exists. I don't think it does. Because like when you think like sewing brand new baby in a car seat, no, you can't sew with a baby. That's what people are saying to me, Debbie, you're absolutely crazy. It's not gonna work. I'm like, trust me, I've got a vision in my head. It's gonna work. So these little sessions started, you know, eight months would come with the little babies in the car seat or they bring...

Speaker 1 (15:15.252)

Some of them would bring like the high chair, they'll bring the carry, anything. Honestly, I cannot tell you. And I wasn't even called this in my soul then. I was just Debbie doing a sewing thing, you know, that kind of thing. But those sewing classes just changed everything because I kind of stepped back in them, in them classes and just watched the mums interacting with each other, watched them helping each other. One baby might have been a bit niggly. One was having somebody else's baby on the knee while somebody else was cutting. And it was just a lovely, such a lovely.

supportive, like just everything about it was just, if you could capture the atmosphere and everything about that session and put it in a jar, could, you know what I mean? It really is. And I had some of the mums that were coming were like saying to me, my, this is the best thing I've done on maternity leave. Another mum pulled me to one side at the end of session. She just said, I really want to thank you, Debbie, because I was feeling so low and like down this morning and.

So wholesome.

Speaker 1 (16:13.356)

this class I'm going home with the Spring to Miss Step now I feel like I can face the day again and it was comments like that and I thought I'm on to something here this is needed and then when I have one of these like I just have these light bulb moments and then once an idea is in my head I'm like a dog with a bone and then suddenly like a name comes to me and I thought this mum is sauce and I went straight onto Instagram and I thought there's no way that this Instagram handle is gonna be free tied to him

It was like the gods, whoop, was her. I thought, boom, I got it. And that's where This Mummy's Soul started. And it wasn't until I moved Lola Pops, this was on the cusp of moving Lola Pops from my home sewing office into my first premises. And when I got that first premises, obviously I had more space. thought, I'm not going to run these classes from this EIC anymore. I'm going to run my own classes. So then I started on the social media, set up my Facebook page, my Instagram page. And then mums just started booking on.

And honestly, I ran loads of in-person sewing classes. But again, when I start something new, the next idea come along and the next... So my next idea was like... Because I was getting messages from people, because obviously I'm from Wigan, North West England. So it was brilliant for the mums in Wigan who live driving distance from Wigan. They would come along to my classes, best thing ever. I'd be taking pictures on Instagram and stuff and sharing it to everybody. But I was getting messages from mums going...

I so wish that you did this in my area. Why is there nothing like this where I live? I really want to come to your classes. Do you do anything online? How can I learn how to solve my baby too? And then I was thinking, right, I need to do something to help these mums who are not local who can't access my in-person classes. So I ran a few like trial online classes and again, they were really good. People signed up. I did it all on Zoom and I was like, this is brilliant. Like everyone on, you know, you can imagine like the scene of mums.

You can see all the faces on the zoom screen. then at the end of the session, everyone holding up the dribble bib and stuff. Honestly, I was absolutely my element. then I thought I can take this even further. And that's when this, my source members club was born. So I launched a sewing members club. And again, I I was thinking like to myself, like, if I can get in the head, thought, right, I want to launch this. I want to get around about 30 months. 30 months would be an amazing number to have. Imagine.

Speaker 1 (18:32.814)

30 Mums all of us meeting up once a month sewing like a different item every month, etc. So I built it up, kept telling people about it. I've got a free Facebook community group that people are in and I'm talking to them all about it and that kind of thing. I thought, right, I'm going to launch it. It's launching on this day. Here you are. This is how you sign up. Honestly, I'm thinking like 30 Mums would be brilliant on launch day. And I launched it at eight o'clock and by half past eight that morning, I had eight to two Mums in that members club. was... Absolutely.

Well done!

insane and again it was like another kind of like turning point for me to be like this is amazing. Again I'm like 18 months down the line from when I very first launched this and we saw Members Club and I look back and at the time when I was doing all this I was still running Lollipops full-time. I still have my subscription box with over 100 months subscribing to that box every month. I just I don't know what it is about me and don't get me wrong like I'm not a super super you know super human by any chance. have very

I a lot of days where sometimes I'm rocking slowly in a corner like releasing all the like stress and emotions etc. But there's just something in me that when I just know when I have a good idea and I just go for it, I don't think about it, I don't try and make everything perfect, I just do it and then I figure it out and honestly it's been brilliant. So the Members Club is building like month on month on month, I've got over 100 mums in the Members Club now and that is fantastic. We make a different wearable item.

every single month. what's so special about the members club, again, I'm coming at it from a busy mum point of view, because mums love learning how to sew. I get that. But we haven't got time for all the faff that comes with sewing because you've got to source your fabric, you've got to get your pattern, you've got to cut it out. You've got to know by the time you've done all that, you've not got the energy when you've been at work all day or your kids been at, you you've been looking after children all day and stuff. By the time they've gone to bed, you're just like, I'm exhausted, can't.

Speaker 1 (20:28.62)

So this Muscle Members Clubs is perfect for those mums who are time poor but they still want to sew because they know how good it is for their mental health and all the other benefits and stuff. So I actually do everything for them. So I get the fabrics for them, I cut it out for them, they can tailor their kits, they're making like little jumpers or hoodies or pants or whatever. They can tell me what fabric they want, they can tell me what size they want. Me and Martina, we cut it all out for them. We get it all in the kit, everything they need, we send it to them.

and then they have access to the members club portal where all the recordings are on there. So we have live sew alongs, but I get it. Mums can't always attend live because, you know, kids are kids and they don't do as I told them, they don't go to bed on time. So if they can join live, amazing. But if they can't, the recordings there and honestly, it is brilliant.

sort of transformations do you see in those mums that you teach? So like both creatively and emotionally.

Honestly, there's so many stories I can tell you. There's one that really sticks in my mind. It's one from like back in the early days when I was doing my in-person classes. An older mum, she came and she's got three children, but her second child, absolutely horrendous, died of childhood cancer when she was just aged two. And it was such an emotional... used to run... They weren't just one-off classes that I did. I did like little mini, like four-week courses. So the same mums came back same time every week.

and it was a memory blanket course, so the mums came and they brought all their outgrown children's clothing that they'd been saving and I taught them how to make their own either cushion or blanket. And this one mum in particular, she came and obviously she shared a story with us, we were all like crying emotional wrecks at the start like Session 1. And what was super special is she kept these clothes because her first daughter was turning 21 in a few months time.

Speaker 1 (22:20.928)

and she kept all the outfits that daughter that she'd lost and her eldest daughter, they both wore the same clothes. So they were so special to her. She'd been clinging onto this bag of clothing. She didn't know what to do with it. She didn't, she obviously couldn't part with it, but she couldn't stand the thought of it just being stuck in a carrier bag in the back of a wardrobe. And it was so brave at this moment to kind of bring all these fabrics and she laid them all out. And honestly,

Like we're all sobbing, every single session we're all crying our eyes out and she cut up all these special sentimental items and you can imagine how special these items were. And she created this memory blanket and it was the size of a single bed spread. And she did it to give to her eldest daughter as a first birthday present, you know, as like a, you know, like a gorgeous surprise. And I've got some pictures of the mum actually. The picture of her wrapping this

memory blanket around her and she just said to me, we're like tears and strolling down her face like, I feel like I'm being hugged by my daughter. Like this session, these sessions that I've come to Debra, she said, it's been like therapy for me. I cannot like thank you enough. And I've got goosebumps now even like even talking about it. It's like creating that safe space for mums to kind of come along and

just be just that level of support that you just can't get anywhere else. And when I say to people who are just like stumbling across this from me, they come to learn how to saw, that's what they want to do. But when they're actually learning how to saw, they soon realize that it is like one of my key phrases is it is so much more than learning how to saw. I just can't put into words what sewing has done for me.

as a mom struggling in those early days. Even now to this day, like, you know, it was only a few days ago and I had another one of my wobbles thinking like, you know, I'm working full-time, I've got three kids, I'm trying to like, look after myself. I've got, you know, my eldest is at second-year school, my second one's just at... and it's just like emails. Yeah, and then when I'm feeling like that, generally, I'll get, you know, get my sewing machine out or I'll go and do a live...

Speaker 2 (24:21.314)

You're so overwhelming!

Speaker 1 (24:30.24)

with the mums and the members come like, right, I'm not, I said I'm going live today, but I'm just coming on because this is, this is opposite. And by the way, and then obviously always related to kind of sewing. I feel that's one of the reasons why, you know, my members club, my in-person classes, everything that I've kind of done and launched and put into place has always been a success because I've just been so true to myself. not tried to be anybody else. Like I've just been, you know, wearing my heart on my sleeve and I feel like mums can

completely resonate with everything. Sometimes when you scroll, you know, I call it the doom scrolling. When you're doom scrolling on Instagram and Facebook and you see everybody's perfect life and how amazing and how tidy someone's house is and these amazing trips that people have been on, et cetera, it's not reality. It really isn't. And I'm one of them to be like, no, this is me this morning. You know, I share all my, all my, all my mum four-paws, let's say. So yeah, and there's a lot, there's a lot.

Yeah, but that's why people will resonate with that because it's true and you keep, sort of keep these little things hidden, don't you? Cause you think, nobody else will have made that mistake or, you know, but I love that. It's really honest and it's, it's genuine. I've talked quite a lot about the sewing social that I run and it's not for moms in particular, but obviously sewing tends to attract more females than males. again,

We chat about all sorts and I think just being there doing something together, like brings you together and you feel free to open up and I think that's really important. Yeah. So sounds like you're doing amazing stuff.

Yeah, no, it is brilliant. It is. love it. I love it so much. Like recently, because I was juggling like this my Souls members club, I had to let my in-person classes go because I just physically couldn't fit in full-time Lollipops, full-time this and my Souls. I had to stop doing them in-person classes and there was part of me that really didn't want to, but for my own sanity, I just had something had to give and...

Speaker 1 (26:32.354)

I'd been toying with the idea probably for about a good 18 months of like, I don't think I can continue with Lollipops and this is something has to give. And it was only, you know, a few months ago that I thought, again, I just had another one of them moments like that. Good feeling in my stomach. Like, right, this is it for Lollipops. I'm going to have to. Because like Lollipops is like my fourth baby. This is like where it all started. So to make the decision to to let Lollipops go was so like.

Which reminds me, I'd like to say, it should have been like a real emotional rollercoaster or cry me eyes out going, I don't want to do this but actually, that's how I knew it's the right thing to do and I didn't cry about it. I wasn't really emotional, I just knew it was time for a change and Kate that was doing a lot of the sewing for me with Lollipops. I actually helped her. She also has her own handmade children's clothing business. It's called Fox and Bobbin, so check it out if you're listening to it and she had a small subscription box kind of set up in the background.

So I actually helped her to build her subscription box and I spoke to my subscribers who were absolutely devastated. They were like, what, what do you mean Debbie Lollipops? What? It just came out of the blue. Everyone was so shell shocked. Another like, Debbie, you feeling all right? Like has your head fallen off? Yes, it probably has. But obviously I encourage my Lollipops subscribers, if they wanted to still carry on getting amazing hammered children's clothing, then go and join Kate's and to be honest with you, the majority of them did.

So not only have you know, I've kind of like passed the, always, see it as passing the Lollipops pattern on to Kate, but just under a new brand of Fox and Bobbins. So that's how I kind of like kept those Lollipops mums happy. I wasn't just deserting them. I gave them another option. So then I could really, really go like absolute head on, put all my energy into this Mummy Sores. But coming back to me being like a bit of a, a person with like,

don't know, I'm a special person.

Speaker 1 (28:25.676)

My brain just doesn't work like other people. I have got absolutely thousands of outgrown Lollipops items at my studio. I call it HQ, whether it's Lollipops HQ, Handmade Loop HQ, whatever HQ. And when I started selling my Lollipops outgrown clothing on my preload, so I had like a preload element to my business that exploded and it became a business in itself. not only was I running this resource, Lollipops subscription box,

I was also running Lollapops Pre-Loved and as you can see, like this is where like my brain, I just couldn't cope with all the demanding everything. that's a lot. And that's when I thought like, something's got to give. But because I've got all these stunning, gorgeous handmade outgrown Pre-Love clothes at HQ, I thought, what can I do with all these? I'm not just going to give them away. I have to do something with this. And I first had this idea six years ago and I'm not, honestly, I'm not lying. I've been sitting on this idea for six years. It's just never been the right time.

I always have this idea of like the vintage of handmade pre-loved kids clothing. There's nothing again. It's not a thing. There's like Facebook groups where you can sell them. People try and sell the handmade items on places like Vinted, but they don't sell on Vinted because people want to pay a quid for a gorgeous 35, 40 pound handmade romper. I'm not being funny, but no darling, you're not paying me a pound for this gorgeous romper.

And this is where, like, I just know there is this space in the market for this. And I proved it with Lollipops, the amount of people that were sending them back. So what happened were, obviously I'd make the clothing for the mums, the kids would wear them, create loads of happy, gorgeous memories in their first birthdays, first holidays, et cetera. Sad times, it doesn't fit them anymore. And I know what it's like when you love this romper so much, you don't want to give it away.

You don't want to sell it because you're just like, ooh, but then you don't want it sitting in the back of your wardrobe gathering just because what's it doing there? So I encourage mums when they've got pre-loved outgrown clothing, I encourage them to send it back to me. I will buy it back from you on my buyback service. So depending on the condition it came back, I'd give them a percentage of the original price they paid. Again, it absolutely took off. It was a business within its own right. So when I kind of let Lollapops go, I thought...

Speaker 1 (30:42.818)

but I've got all these stunning Lollipop outfits. I need to do something with them. And that's where the idea of handmade loop came. I thought, if I can set this up just from one brand Lollipops, what's going to happen if I then say to all the mums out there who shop, there's thousands of handmade makers out there. It's absolutely amazing. Some of the fabrics and the styles and everything. I just love seeing what people can create. If I open it up to mums sending me back, not just Lollipops, sending me back...

all the different brands that are out there, what can I create? So I've been working really hard behind the scenes for the past like, I'd probably say six months getting HandmadeLoop.com up and running and it is going so well. So at the minute, all the collections of the different brands is growing and growing and growing and there's two different ways that mums can join the loop. So it's got everything's like about the loop and my newsletter's called In The Loop. I'm just like, I'm loving it.

I'm loving this kind of branding side. So they can either loop for credit where they send their outgrown handmade back and I give them a credit, like a cord, a special cord to use to buy the next size up from any items on the handmade loop website, which is going really well. Other mums may prefer to get the hard earned cash back, you know, a bit like how vintage would work. So they send me the handmade clothing back.

And once they're right themselves, so I basically like titivate it, I look at it, inspect it, get it all ready, photograph it, and I sell it for them on their behalf. And once it sells, they will get a commission for the sale price on the romper. And again, it's working really well. And some, some people just like, you should see the, some of the size of the.

The boxes that are coming back, I got one yesterday, honestly, I know you can't see it, it was absolutely huge and it must have had around about 60 items in because that is a typical mum. They love the items. They know they've paid a lot of money for them. They're not going to give them to charity shop. We don't want to give them away, but they end up just sitting in a drawer and handmade loop is all about get them out of that drawer. Handmade clothing has not been made to be sat hidden in a drawer. Send it back to me and let another little one wear them.

Speaker 1 (32:50.606)

let another family enjoy them. Yeah, so this is just the start of a handmade loop. It's going to be amazing. I'm dead excited.

incredible idea because I think that is where there is a big gap in the market. So not only for children's clothes, but for adult clothes as well, because you make these lovely things, but you might go off the style or they might not fit you anymore. And there's nowhere to give them because charity shops don't want them if they haven't got a label. So I think you've come across an incredible gap in the market.

Well done! And I hope it continues to go really well.

And do know what? I just know it will. I just...again, coming back, I just...there's something in me that just knows.

It seems you've got these instincts Debbie so I trust you.

Speaker 1 (33:39.992)

But do you know what I'm most looking forward to as well? And this is, I've seen it happening. I know it's going to happen. Like obviously with this and with Saws, I'm teaching mums how to saw. I've already had mums saying to me, right Debbie? I've had mums asking me like, where's that romp of from? I've had mums asking me, can you make me one? They are literally going on the same journey as me. And I know that there's not everybody that learns how to saw wants to create a hobby business or set up a business or leave the job to, you know what I mean? To do this.

but this is some mums and in the pipeline, I am going to be helping mums, you know, who are in the this and we saws world and teaching them how to, if they want to, how to set up a hobby business, how to actually go full throttle and set up a creative business. That's what I want to do. And I cannot wait for the moment when I open a buyback parcel and inside that parcel is a handmade romper or whatever it is with a little label from a mum.

that started her sewing journey at this Mummy Sewers. I've got goosebumps.

Incredible. And again, it's the whole loop. the loop. It is. circle moment. Fantastic. So do you think that's sort of your main direction? It sounds like you've got so many ideas, but obviously there's only so much time you can, you know, fill. Is there anything else bubbling away under the surface?

It's a full circle moment, full loop!

Speaker 1 (35:04.472)

Yeah, I feel like... feel... in my head and in my core, I feel like I'm superwoman, I can do it all. But then, there is a tiny and I mean a tiny little part of a brain that says, no, Debbie, you're just a human being, just stop taking on more things. Honestly, if you could see the inside of my brain jammer, you'd be like, you need to go and lie down in the dark room basically because I've got so many ideas. I've actually not said this out loud, so I'm gonna say it out loud on this podcast now and then it's gonna be a reality.

I'm writing a book. I went on holiday to France. I I never normally allow myself to switch off like completely. And I thought I'm not taking my laptop on this holiday. I'm literally switching off two weeks and I'll settle my summer on job. Obviously thinking about all this myself because you know, I know really truly. And I got my phone out and I thought, I'm a little notes and I thought, right, and I've written my introduction. I did it there and then I must, and it just came to me and in the head.

It's not going to be your average like, get this book and learn how to saw. It's going to be a book like no else. It's going to be nothing else like it out there. I'm telling you all about like my story, obviously teaching moms how to saw, but obviously celebrating all the things, know, the lovely snippets and the things and the stories and the moments sharing that, making it really relatable with moms. That's what it's going to be. So it's still in the making. That's probably not going to be for another like six to 12 months. It'd be tomorrow if

if I had my way, but no, I need to take the time. So that's in the pipeline. Yeah, growing the members club, the members club has got the ability to be absolutely like, I mean, it's already amazing, but it's just getting better and better and better. The portal is growing and growing and growing like it's got.

nearly 18 months worth of like different items now. It's fab. I've got something in the back of my mind. I know I have to, because I've got three girls and obviously all three of my girls can saw because they watch me saw. They don't have their own machine, but they come and use mine. They can thread it. They can do the basic. And I've got, know there's something coming with kids. I've got like this, I need to do it.

Speaker 1 (37:15.04)

I have done children's classes in the past, you know, like when these like half term holidays or Christmas holidays coming up and I've run them as like child, mother and child classes, you know, so like age six plus. So the mums come and stay with them. Like I love a like mum and daughter like, but like the sons as well, mum and son bonding session. And they've made like little pencil cases and bags and stuff like that. And again, the, sessions are electric. They really are. And I know that these kids out there that want

their own proper grown up sewing machine, but their mums and dads are reluctant to buy them because once they've got the sewing machine, their mum and dad don't know how to use it. They can't help them set it up. So I feel like there's something brewing there, but I just need to rein myself back in and just focus on, know, handmade leap is like quite a, even though it's not a new established business, because it was Lollapops, I've just got to get to grips with that. Obviously this and my saws is going to keep getting better and better.

You know, like getting guest experts in. I've got a lovely guest expert coming in this month called Emily from MEB Designs. She's like a sewing tool designer. So she's got like a 3D printer and she does all sorts of different amazing like, you know, like when you come to a sewing job and it's dead fiddly, it's really annoying and dead time consuming. You think to yourself, I wish I had a tool to do this. Well.

Emily has created it for you. It's amazing. she's coming into the members club this month and I'm giving all my members one of her amazing boxy bag tools. We're making trick or treat bags this month. So we're using her boxy bag tool to be able to make this next project. So that's, that's amazing. So it's just kind of like, you know, growing the network really and discovering more amazing people, you know, like yourself, like all the guests that have been on your podcast. feel like they're sowing.

world needs more platforms like this podcast to connect us all because I feel like if we're collabing and all working together, just imagine what can be creative.

Speaker 2 (39:17.23)

So it's exciting, isn't it? And I can feel you've got so much energy, Debbie, and I can feel it through the screen. I love it. So I'm excited for you and all of your plans. finally, before we play a little game.

Okay.

Speaker 1 (39:29.516)

I like games. That's the P teacher in me, I like games.

looking back, what's one piece of advice you'd give to yourself in those early days of creating your business?

One piece of advice is probably self-care. Like, yeah, and even now I'm still terrible at it. Like, I know when I'm doing too much and I'm in that overwhelmed stage, like, I'll skip breakfast and then suddenly, like, I'll be snacking on biscuits and then, I'm not hungry anymore, I'll skip dinner. Like, if you don't look after yourself, especially if you're really considering starting a creative business, you've got to look after, number one, because a creative business takes so much energy.

It's hard. I'm not going to sit here and say it's easy because it really isn't. So you've got to look after number one. I'm still terrible at this. I am so much better than I used to be. But yeah, so I would say definitely like looking after yourself, because if you look after yourself, you can focus more and you can see the bigger picture when you're in that overwhelmed mode of you can't see past the end of your nose, can you? So yeah, I would say like self-care and if you're in a good, happy place.

Everything else will fall into place around you.

Speaker 2 (40:39.032)

Good advice. Thank you. So yeah, we're going to play a little game of this or that. It's a quick fire round, but you can elaborate if you want to. So prints or solids when it comes to fabric.

Absolute Prince 100%. I am like the biggest, brightest boulders. If it's got a rainbow on it, I'm having it. If it's got flowers on it, I'm there. Yeah.

Spring summer or autumn winter?

This is hard. Thing is so close because I do love like the bright and bold that you get from spring and summer. But then like for example, this top, the one I've got on is autumn winter. it's a hard decision. Autumn winter.

Well done, well done. A meal out or a takeaway?

Speaker 1 (41:24.238)

gonna sound horrendous now I've been talking about like motherhood and stuff but a meal out without kids

Yeah, I don't blame you. Scissors or a rotary cutter?

100 % scissors, I am a scissor girl to the core. Mums always say to me, want to try them rotifacusers and they always say, you can try, but I do not like them. Some people love them, no, it's not for me.

I'm a scissor girl as well, so I'm with you on that one. One project on the go or multiple.

Well, I think we already know the answer. Yeah, a lot. Too many.

Speaker 2 (41:55.808)

An organized stash or creative chaos? Throwing through. All the way. all the way. Tea or coffee? Ooh.

for Creative Chaos.

Speaker 1 (42:04.61)

Hey, but I do like a latte in the afternoon. Definitely nits, 100%.

Provence or knit?

Yeah. Do you follow a pattern to the letter or do you freestyle? Nah, free. And sewing for yourself or others?

style.

Speaker 1 (42:19.606)

So this is interesting because I've always been about sewing for others, especially with wallopops, but now kind of like that has kind of come to an end. So yeah, I like saying the words, I don't sew for anybody else now. It makes me feel a little bit selfish, but it's not because it's selfish in a good way. So I am really trying to sew for myself, like, you know, like making more, like I really want to create a me-made wardrobe. That's what I want. Finding the time to actually do it is another thing.

But I have just, through the sewing industry, you know, I'm kind of like networking with other like creative businesses. I have come across Jenny from So Confident, you might have heard her. And she's got an amazing subscription box. And of course, I'm on that subscription box. So I'm getting all Jenny's kind of... And again, because I'm busy, I've not got time to source the pattern and the fabric and stuff like that. So I'm leaving all that to Jenny. So yeah, so with the help of Jenny's subscription box, I am...

Trying to create my own me me wardrobe as well.

So where can people find you Debbie?

So obviously my two businesses Handmade Loop and This Mummy Sores, I am on Instagram and Facebook under both brands, just search those names and I do have two community groups, three community groups and the first one for Handmade Loop is called

Speaker 1 (43:37.89)

Handmade loopers. Ooh, it had to be. That's a free group on Facebook. And then my free group on Facebook for This and We Sours is called This and We Sours Community. And that's where I kind of hang out. I do my weekly lives. I share all my behind the scenes gossips. That's where I'll go and say, my God, I've just made the most epic mum fail in, you know, that's where you can find more out about the real Debbie. So yeah, check, go and have a look and, you know, people listening, if you want to come and find out a little bit more information about any business, more than welcome to join those free groups.

Amazing. Well, you've been incredible. So thank you so much for joining me on the Sewing Social podcast today. You take care. Thank you. Bye. Bye. That's it for today's episode of the Sewing Social podcast.

Thank much, I've loved it.

Speaker 2 (44:21.656)

Thanks so much for listening. If you're enjoying the show and want to support what we're doing, you can now leave us a tip over on Ko-fi. It's like buying us a virtual coffee or a spool of thread, and it helps us keep bringing you inspiring stories from the sewing community. You'll find the link in the show notes or at ko-fi.com forward slash the sewing social pod. Until next time, happy sewing.