WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Beyond the spools of thread and gentle sound of the needle, you'll find Tabitha Sewer hard at work.
"I never in one million years thought that I would end up here," she said.
After serving in the Air Force for 10 and a half years, she began looking for a new way to use her energy and settle her mind. Following her mother's suggestion to purchase a sewing machine, Sewer became lost in the magic of creating.
Years later, she is a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) influencer and is using her platform to help others save money. The coincidence of her name being "Sewer," she said, feels like destiny.
"I take designer things and then I try to find a way to make it really, really inexpensive," she said.
Not only does Sewer create clothing from the patterns that she buys at the store, she has created patterns of her own. The patterns are for sale on her website, and you can follow a step-by-step tutorial to create at home.
In fact, Sewer has pages of videos on YouTube and Instagram that teach people how to make clothing themselves.
"It's a beginner tutorial; anybody can sew it based on the tutorial and the pattern that I created," she said.
If you're worried about the cost, she said, there are ways around it.
"The craft stores, of course, they have sales, so you can use your coupon and I mean get the fabric on discount," Sewer said. "The Brother sewing machine that actually got me started working with them was $10. I found it at a yard sale years ago."
Maybe sewing a full dress seems a little overwhelming and you want to start smaller . Sewer's website also has DIY headbands, tote bags, charger plates and more.
However, whatever you choose she said it's all about getting started.
"There's always like a bright light somewhere, and for me it's crafting and sewing," she said.
As thoughtfully written on her website, with each stitch, she's sewing her dream closet.
You can find more of Sewer's work and partnership with Brother here. You can also find more of Sewer's work with Jo-Ann Fabrics here.
