Why Sweet Tee Embroidery?

Talk about a leap of faith! I've dabble in all kinds of crafts over the years, I learned machine embroidery from a dear friend somewhere along the road and often talked about turning this beautiful art form into a business. Life gets busy, even hard, and sometimes devastatingly hard, nonetheless; it goes on. We may spend a season trying to make sense out of the nonsensical, but we can't stay there. We weren't meant to stay there. There is little in our short lives we have control over, though far to often we like to pretend otherwise. Big changes in our lives, good or bad are inevitable, and even when something happens that shatters every single thing you've ever believed, you only have two choices - let it consume you or trust in His infinite wisdom. I choose to trust.

There's something to be said about getting lost in doing something you love to do when days are hard and nights are long, whether it's to write, crochet, paint, dance... whatever it is that brings you joy, that allows you to create beauty from ashes.

Thus Sweet Tee Embroidery was born. And it's been a whirlwind of thrills and anxieties, joys and frustrations. But every day, EVERY DAY, it allows me to create beauty.

From designing on the computer, transferring the design to my embroidery machine, choosing just the right the materials and thread and meticulously stitching out my interpretation of what a customer wants, right down to snipping away the very last stray thread, I find joy.

That's the emotional journey. Now for the reality of it all.

In less than a year there isn't an inch of my small home that hasn't been over run with thread, stabalizer, ribbons and sewing gadgets. At times my minimalistic need for everything to have a place, be organized and clutter free -vs- loosing my best double bent applique scissors under the pile of projects waiting their turn, half finished project ideas, patterns and notions is overwhelming. I am thankful that my husbands pack rat tendencies and mild mannered disposition find nothing wrong with having to help search for said scissors!

And have learned how to (most of the time) ignore the anxiety brought on by not being able to see the top of my dining room table. (I'm sure much to the dismay of our adult children who visit, considering I am the person who went ballistic when during their teen years when their rooms looked exactly like my dining room does most days now). Needless to say, before the end of summer this year, our spare bedroom that was once used strictly for my most favorite person on the planet, will be transformed into Sweet Tee Embroideries own special place, complete with a specific location to house those double curved applique scissors.

I've decided to grow slow, I've seen businesses try to do all the things at once and for them, that has worked out just fine but for me, slow and steady growth is exactly what I'm looking for. I still have so much to learn about business taxes, taking better photos of product, dedicating time for each step in the design process and juggling a full time job while growing into a full time business.

A year ago, Sweet Tee Embroidery was a dream, 6 months ago she didn't have a name, today she's learning the ins and outs of her own website. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. What I do know is shattered hearts don't mend, standing still isn't an option, the only way to peace is to trust Him, and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Renee