Sewing Your Adventure: Raising Creative, Courageous Kids with Laura Moore

Sewing as a superpower? Yes. Creative director Laura Moore (Sew Your Adventure) shows how simple, “quick-win” projects—beanbags, bookmarks, potholders—can spark curiosity, courage, and connection at home. We talk intergenerational skills, her 100-year-old sewing journal from Great-Grandma Minnie, and the story-led Stitch & Story Journal that helps families create, reflect, and celebrate—one stitch at a time.

You’ll hear:

• Why “right sides together” and repetition build real confidence
• How intergenerational skills (and a 100-year-old sewing notebook!) can shape a home
• A simple mentor→repeat→make-it-you→teach loop that turns learners into leaders
• Practical ideas for teacher gifts, screen-free family time, and creative “quick wins”

Catch more of the story @thanks.for.doing.that.podcast!

Transcript

[00:00:00] heather Winchell: Hey, there you are listening to thanks for doing that, a podcast celebrating people and ideas that make this world a better place. I am Heather Winchell, your host and chief enthusiast, and I'm on a mission to bring you conversations that encourage, inspire and delight. So stay tuned for another episode where we explore the things we do, the reasons we do them, and why it matters.

[00:00:45] Welcome back. Today, I am joined by Laura Moore. She is the creative director and founder of So Your Adventure. And she believes that you are the author of your creative story and that sewing can be a superpower. And this is another conversation that I am so privileged to have in person. And I tell you what, Lori and I have been chatting it up before we hit record and enjoying some tea, and I'm just really, really excited about this conversation.

[00:01:11] So Laura, thank you so much for being here. Oh my gosh, this is amazing on this rainy day to be sitting here with you. Yeah. Well thank you. And let's get this party started with a bit of get to know you Fun. Tell me about you and what life looks like for you right now. Oh, right now I have kids who are into everything.

[00:01:30] I refer to them as the crazy cool kids and creative kids. And we are playing flag football, two of them. And we are in Lego, a robotic. My daughter's running cross country for the first time, middle school sports, here we are. And, um, we do Legos. We cut up cardboard, you know, everything at home. Our family has to eat every day and that kind of slows up, you know, it's like, oh, again.

[00:01:57] Um, so yeah, just trying to love my family well, and also really build a vision that I feel God's put on my heart. Awesome. And that's what we're here talking about today. Yeah. Awesome. Well, I totally understand trying to keep the wheels on the bus rolling and, you know, dinner and also blossom your kids and all their things and do this like, really meaningful project that the Lord's put on your heart.

[00:02:24] Yeah. So, like I said, you, your company is so your adventure. Yes. And that's SEW Yes. For anybody listening, not SOW. Mm-hmm. And I'm guessing that that has something to do with sewing. Yes. Or I know it does present day. Laura has some skills when it comes to sewing, but you didn't start out that way. Tell me about the first time you sat behind the sewing machine.

[00:02:48] Where were you and who showed you the ropes? Yeah, so I was really lucky to grow up in the same town as uh, one set of my grandparents. And we just lived out there. We picked raspberries, we helped pick cherries. My grandma taught me. So many different creative things. She was a farm girl, could have been an engineer, I think, if she had been born like a, you know, generation later.

[00:03:11] But, uh, one of the things that she taught me was to sow. When I, I went to her and I asked, Hey, do you think, like in secret, I'm a big, like, I love secrets and surprises. Do you think we could surprise my mom with a, like a Christmas quilt, like a beautiful Christmas quilt? Mm. And now my grandma, she wasn't a quilter.

[00:03:33] Mm-hmm. Like, she didn't make fussy beautiful things. She would hack up old place mats and make like, quick and dirty, like, you know, new pot holders and she would mend like everything. Mm-hmm. I feel like we always had like a stack for her to mend. You know, she wasn't, she wasn't like a quilter or an artist in that way.

[00:03:52] She was an artist in other ways. Um, but I asked her, would you show me how to make. A quilt and we could work together and keep it a secret. And I would give it to my mom for Christmas. And so that became our project. Now, like, now that I know, I would've said, stop. Like, don't start with a quilt. You know, it was your first project that's like, you know, that's, that's just asking for frustration and trouble.

[00:04:18] But against all odds, we pulled it off and my dad took me to the fabric store and I remember picking out pine cone and like peppermint and kind of pine meed Christmas fabric. And then we snuck it downstairs to my grandma's house and we cut out these nine inch, just a big nine inch cardboard square. And we used a marker, nothing fancy, and we just traced and traced and traced and made so many of those, um.

[00:04:49] But we did it side by side. And it was so fun just having that time with her. And I learned all the basics. I was probably 10 or 11 and I learned all the basics. I learned how to put right sides together, which I tell students now, you the right side, the bright side. Mm-hmm. So right sides together to, um, sew a sea.

[00:05:09] And then when you, when you unfold it, then that seam is tucked on the inside, the magic. So I learned the basics of that and you know, just learning how to start a stitch, how to go straight, how to stop a stitch that takes you so far. Mm-hmm. And so that repetition. Then I think that project, it was successful because I had one-on-one time with her, you know?

[00:05:34] Um, so she was right there and we just worked side by side. And that now looking back, I realize was a really critical part of learning something new. Um, was having like a guide there at the beginning. So I think watching her figure things out, she was very, you know, it's figureoutable and I feel like that's one of the things she passed on to me is that just that energy you bring to life.

[00:05:58] Like, ah, I can figure it out, you know? Mm-hmm. And so, and then the repetition. So I think that we did it side by side, and then we, there was repetition, you know, we just, we sewed those two pieces together, you know, 1, 2, 3, 4, so many times. And then we sewed the groups of two together into four, and then we linked up a whole lot line, you know, a string of squares, and then we connected all those lines.

[00:06:21] And I think that repetition just really got me comfortable and feeling just confident, like, man, I, I got this, you know? Yeah. Tell me. And I still remember how proud. Yeah. Super. It just made me so proud of myself. Yeah. And it was something big and beautiful. It was just, I just thought it was the most beautiful thing ever.

[00:06:40] So we finished it with some soft, like fleece on the back. We didn't send it to a Long Armor, which is a big fancy machine. It's something that really only like niche like quilters know about. You send it off and it's, it's an investment. We didn't do that. We, uh, took yarn and just hand hide it, like into the corners.

[00:07:00] Mm-hmm. And you know, they're bright green and they matched the fleece back. And I just remember the feeling, I think the feeling of excitement for when my mom was gonna get to open that. Hmm. I just, I don't think I had ever been so excited, you know, for Christmas. And how cool is that, that I, that as a kid, I got to feel just that joy of making something, you know?

[00:07:26] Yeah. And generosity. And that was, that was really fun. And of course she played it up, you know, she was excited and so surprised. And then the next year we did it again for my aunt, and then the next year hers had a cream background and the next year was for my uncle and his was. Red or maybe vice versa, but it was, it was just, um, a fun thing that we got to do together.

[00:07:47] Yeah. For a few falls running. And that was the beginning. And then not again for like 20 years later when I, myself was a, an adult, like full in, you know, career, newly married in the hustle, had not ever really given myself time to just do something unproductive, you know, or creative. And I reached a point where I knew that like childlike creativity, that expanse of time where you let everything go and you just get to imagine what if, and you just get to try and create something cool.

[00:08:26] Um, I just knew I needed that, like childlike freedom, feeling creativity back. Mm. And so. I started to sew again at that point. Very cool. Mm-hmm. We have a couple of commonalities. Cool. Tell me Toby. Okay. So first of all, I learned to sew from my grandmother. Awesome. Um, actually I have her sewing table in my home.

[00:08:48] I, I actually, when I started my podcast, would podcast from the sewing table. Uh, but it was just really awkward. So I don't do that anymore. Sorry. If anybody has that like mental image of me sitting, we can keep it. We can keep it beautiful. We had a beautiful antique sewing table. Yeah. We're crowded. Um, yeah, so we have that commonality.

[00:09:06] Um, my mom also, um, uses the machine and I can remember my mom making some really cool things. So my mom also has been part of that. But my grandmother was, I think the first person that showed me. And then the first thing I kind of ventured to make on my own was also a quilt. Cool. And I'll have to show you a picture, because it was not just like a simple, straightforward, I had this like idea that I wanted the center to be this.

[00:09:29] Flower where every petal was a different fabric, but they weren't just one fabric. They were like patchwork fabric. Wow. It was very intricate. And it was for a little girl that I was a nanny for. Oh. It was something that I did have some help with, but was largely on my own, and it was a bit of a beast. So I can understand you saying quilts aren't the friendliest first project, but it is so gratifying to think about that finished product uhhuh and to, and to think like, wow, I can do this.

[00:09:59] Mm-hmm. I did this. Mm-hmm. And to see their face when you give it to them. Yeah. It's very, very cool. So, and every time you see something that you've made, it's like a wham, you know? Right. I feel so cool. You know? Yeah. When you get to, it's like you get to wear a drawing that you did, you know, like, when else can you put on or cuddle up in something that you've made true.

[00:10:21] It's like, it's like art you can wear or use. Yeah. Yeah. It's just, it's just so cool. Yeah. Okay. But so do you like, wear anything that you've sewn or that you've made? So I have made some tops. Okay, cool. Cool. I made a lot of dresses for my daughter when she was young. That was my outlet for sure. I would say my thread therapy, you know, people who sew joke about having thread therapy and it's true, it probably costs about the same, you know, as a therapist, maybe a little less.

[00:10:47] Sometimes you could start geeking out over the really beautiful fabrics. Um, but, um, yeah, I love, love, love, uh, making things that I use on the every day. Mm-hmm. So, most of them these days, just because of the, just pace of life and the amount of time I can like, sit down and dedicate to a project. I call them quick wins.

[00:11:07] Mm. So things like pot holders and bookmarks, you know, I can sit down and make a few and give 'em to everybody I know and mm-hmm. You know, tote bags and things like that. Um, things with my kids, projects with my kids. But yes, in my dream, I, you know, I am seeing fantastic dresses. Like, um, what's some of the brands, I don't know, that are really dramatic and fun.

[00:11:34] Mm-hmm. But I would want them in a different color way that for whatever reason, they're designer didn't plan for, you know? Mm-hmm. And so I would make them myself. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Someday. Someday. When you said that, the dresses I immediately thought of were, have you heard of the company? Draper James. Ooh.

[00:11:48] Heard about it. Okay. Uhhuh. Well, I was recently in Nashville and went into one of their stores and their dresses were just so fun. Ugh, so, so fun. So that's immediately what came to mind. I'm curious if that's kind of the style. And there's a variety of styles, of course, but yeah. Very cool. Okay. So you learned from your grandmother, it was something that was really meaningful.

[00:12:08] You guys did side by side, making gifts for family, then you kind of put it down for a while, reengaged it as an adult. Mm-hmm. Thinking I've got to do something with my hands. Yep. I've gotta be creative. Mm-hmm. So what has it looked like for you to grow in the passion and skill of sewing? And tell me a bit about your creative journey and the launch of your company.

[00:12:28] Okay, so sewing. Has been like a common thread. Ha. You'll notice I use ridiculous number of just puns. I can't help it. But, um, it's been a common thread for just joy for me through so many, I would say like pivotal life transition times, you know, I think as a kid coming into more of between, you know, teenage state where I was feeling more just confident and capable.

[00:12:54] But then later, fast forward, newly married, my new husband and I had just abandoned all friends and family in Colorado. Mm-hmm. And we decided it would be the best fantastic adventure for our early married days to move to Atlanta, Georgia, where his company was. And that was both exciting and also eyeopening.

[00:13:15] Like, wow, you know, um, really s. Moving to a new environment where I didn't know anybody and I had time that I hadn't had before as we were getting reestablished and, you know, kind of saying, what's life gonna look like now? And so in that time I started to, so again, I had a really incredible woman who lived behind me.

[00:13:38] Her name was Betty and she was our landlady. And Betty was the most hilarious fun is she is the most hilarious fun woman. Her bumper sticker on her big minivan for thrifting, um, said, uh, very seldom do well. Behave women, make history. You know, man, we had a good time and she had three or four sewing machines in her upstairs room.

[00:14:01] And I had this idea, I'm gonna start just making gifts and sending 'em to my best friend and to my sister-in-law who are having babies right now, now that I've moved across the country, how dare they, you know? And I had been looking on Etsy and I wanted to send meaningful things and. I realized, oh my goodness, how much more meaningful if I can make these like little burp claws and all these, you know, kind of quick win baby projects from Pinterest, but like in fabric that they would like, I don't, they're not just gonna be like pastel polka dots.

[00:14:30] That's not their vibe. Right. And so at that point, the modern sewing movement was just cooking up and there were some local surface pattern designers called Ruby Star Society that were out of Atlanta, and one of the local fabric stores in Atlanta called Whip Stitch, they started, um, carrying a lot of these fabrics.

[00:14:51] And I just lost my mind that, oh my goodness, if that's what fabric looks like now I'm, I'm doing it. Yeah. I don't, I don't care what this becomes, but it's gonna become something. Yeah. And I just, you know, became so just overwhelmed and, you know, obsessed about. Working with this fabric and collecting it, and it felt like a party, you know, every time I could pull it out.

[00:15:15] And so self-taught, um, pulled out YouTube and I was kinda self-taught to start. And then fast forward a few years, we did move back to Colorado, but I, I brought my new machine back with me and Betty became my cheer along Betty, you know, buddy from Atlanta. I'd show her the new things I'd make and she'd cheer for me.

[00:15:34] And so she was really a support, inspiration in those early days. And then moving back to Colorado, um, I started an Etsy shop and made custom girls dresses. So at this point came up with a whimsical and cute name with an alliteration. Also something I love. Petal and Pie Designs is what it went by. Oh, super cute.

[00:15:54] Uhhuh. And it just felt happy. Yeah. You know, people would say, what's pet and pie? I don't know. It just, it sounds cute together and it just means happiness, you know, like bike pedals and eating pie and Sounds like summer. It's great. It sounds like summer, right? Like a joy ride. Yeah. Like, oh. And so that for a few years I would make, uh, scaled from making burp claws, literally up to making, you know, custom first year birthday dresses where somebody would contact me and say, Hey, we're from Texas.

[00:16:24] This is the theme of our first birthday party. We're going all out. Design address for us. Fantastic. And I just would go all in, you know, sketch. Oh, so fun, Uhhuh sketch, a couple different designs. I'd say A or B, and they'd say, B, please. And then I'd say, okay, here's the fabric, lay pull. I'm gonna do what I'm thinking.

[00:16:42] And they're like, yep, let's do number, you know, A, B, or C, let's go with C. And then I would just go for it. Um, and the tag on the inside of the dress, I wanted this to be so intensely, like almost painfully like memorable and cool that, um, I would hand stitch the, the, the child's name in the tag. Mm. And then their first birthdate.

[00:17:05] And more often than not, the messages I would receive through my Etsy portal would this, this, you know, this mom would say, I'm literally crying here, opening this. I've never seen something like, it's just so meaningful and so beautiful. Like, we will keep this forever. Oh, and that was so cool. That sounds so cool.

[00:17:25] Isn't that so fun? Yeah. And uh, the last job I took was for, I, then I scaled up and I started doing small, like custom crib blankets that were also a unique design. The last job I took, I should not have, I was due with my second baby. My kids are 16 months apart. My first two, I had no business sewing in a basement.

[00:17:45] I needed to be like present or taking showers, brushing my teeth more often. But it's what I chose to do with my downtime because it was my outlet. It was just for me, even in the early throes of motherhood. And the last job kind of inquiry I got was from a gal who said, I am on a. Um, the artistic team for my company and our, our artist artistic director is having a child.

[00:18:10] And we would all like to go in and I found the blankets you design and we haven't seen anything like this before. We wanna go ahead and, and order one. Um, but also, can you go ahead and could you, if I send you the logo, could you put the logo somehow in your style, not blatantly, but woven into the blanket somewhere.

[00:18:28] I'm like, sure. Interesting. My mom's like, NLAR, don't you, don't you stop it. Don't you take anymore, you know, orders. Well, I did finish this blanket because the logo came through. There were two of them. One was the Today Show, Uhhuh, and, uh, what's the network? Uh, a is it A B, CNBC. It was the two. One was the network and one was the Today Show.

[00:18:54] And I just about lost my mind. I thought, oh my goodness, this is crazy. And so, man, I got that done. I was like, I am getting this done, you know? Yeah. And I was there at the post office literally writing out 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, you know? Wow. This is so cool. This is my biggest like, touch with fame.

[00:19:14] So cute. But I love taking, you know, if somebody has a vision and they're just like, I don't know how to do it, go for it. I'm like, yes ma'am. You know, I wanna get in there and just breathe life into it. Yeah. And see what that becomes. I love asking the question, what if and how could we? And then just in design, I would say I am a, like, um, improv design is what it's called.

[00:19:39] You know, I don't start out with. The, the big plan and execute. That's to like, I can't do that. I cannot follow a plan. I have to start with what I'd call the hero element. What's the one thing I know to be true? And I start there and then I just build out and see where it goes. And this makes a lot of room for, um, cool things to happen that you can have come up with.

[00:20:01] Mm-hmm. Like at the beginning. Mm-hmm. Also, mistakes happen and I've really learned that sometimes the mistakes I've made end up being the coolest, like part about it. Mm. And we can talk more about that later, but that's one of the, I call 'em our creative Cs are creative cornerstones that I. The bubbled to the top over several years of working with kids and through camp programs is that like, no matter what we're creating, these things keep looping back around that.

[00:20:29] We're just like, we're weaving through. And so we weave in curiosity is always day one where we start. Mm-hmm. And then we go into community, let's round up together, find a guide. We have a plan. Um, we rely on community to learn and grow. Anyway, we'll go through all of 'em. But, so that was, that was my, that was my reentry.

[00:20:50] I'd say. It's the beautiful, like modern, bright, juicy, joyful fabrics that kind of called me back in and got me excited and people that I loved and cared about, I was eager to make things for. And that was really my motivation to start sewing again. And then as I had children, um, to continue to make things for them that were really fun.

[00:21:08] My daughter was five years old, my oldest and I had a neighbor who had this really cool nature explorer preschool called Roots and Wings in town. And in the summer she put on this fantastic summer camp program. Every week was a different theme. It'd be like habitats and forts, habitats and homes, you know, so the kids would all go and my, my kids would go to these camps of hers and they would learn about habitats for animals and building all the little bug habitats and then drawing their own habitats of what they would want for themselves.

[00:21:38] And she had a whole cool spectrum, you know, paint and, and she had the idea and invited me in. And again, this comes back to community, you know, like seeing potential and inviting somebody in to that, you know, vision you have. And she was my first guide in what it would look like to teach a small group of kids a hands-on.

[00:22:00] You know, like have a hands-on one week experience. Mm-hmm. And 10 years, I had a 10 year experience as a high school and middle school teacher. So, um, I taught business and also German. I was in two departments. And so I had experience working with the teenagers, but not with the younger kids. And this is where my own kids were kind of in this age category.

[00:22:22] And so first two summers she said, Hey, would you come in, let's collaborate, let's do a one week summer sewing camp. Like, uh, what would, how would we do that? And so just, you know, abandoning hesitation in, you know, what would that look like? And we just kinda, we built that first, you know, summer together. We had a coloring sheet for materials, you know, and it was just very organic and fun.

[00:22:50] We had a project that was way too lofty for beginning SOAs. They made their first day of school or pool dresses with like. Elastic casing through the back and like, pretty intricate. And we'd send them out for snacks that last day and say, go play. And she and her mom and I were like, hustling sweat stop style.

[00:23:10] Like finishing out these girls' dresses because the parents were coming and like 45 minutes. Oh my goodness. We laughed so hard. And, uh, we were a great like ying and yang, she was a fantastic, like a, a visionary to what she saw, you know, could be invited me in my first experience in that camp role. We did that two summers and then after that she took her business a different direction and I've been building.

[00:23:36] So your adventure is very intentionally as a movement of creativity and connection, courage, you know, all these really beautiful lifelong characteristics that I feel like are gonna serve young people and us all like really well, but like disguised as sewing, you know? Mm-hmm. And sewing itself is such a, it is a superpower, you know, it allows you to fix things, first of all, that otherwise would be discarded and don't have to be, you're like, oh, good.

[00:24:08] I don't have to throw away my favorite pair of pants because, you know, one part of the seam opened up, or my son's stuffy gets holes. You can, you can repair things, but then also it allows you to use your imagination in a way that, uh, you don't have to wait and, and, and rely on, you know, things that already exist.

[00:24:28] You can imagine things with your own creativity or see a need and create something that, that solves problems, um, or just makes you happy. Mm-hmm. Sounds like community really had a large role in just kind of shaping where you landed. Yep. With, so your adventure. Mm-hmm. Which is really cool. Mm-hmm. So it started as camps in the summer, but I think you've actually kind of more recently taken it and expanded it even more.

[00:24:51] Is that right? Yeah. What I, I really saw kind of bubbled to the surface was just this craving. Like, I have been so excited to see how much young people are craving like that hands-on, like creativity and connection, like in-person connection. Mm. Like running around. So the vibe of summer camp is definitely, um, nature explore, you know, like nature adventure meets design school.

[00:25:19] So I truly wanted to design something that I had never seen before. It's like, what would I wanna go and do for a whole week? And. I really saw this as an opportunity to equip first of all these kids, let's make this easy, let's make this something that's a, a fast Yes. That families are also able to be a part of, and that can be a tool for those parents and those grandparents connect with those creative kids.

[00:25:45] You know, I feel like sewing has skipped a generation or two. It was a survival skill back, you know, generations ago you only had two pairs of clothes because you, you sewed them yourself and you had one for the weekend and one for the work week. Mm-hmm. You know, and because our culture, society has moved, you know, fast forward and that's no longer the case.

[00:26:06] We don't see sewing in these hands-on skills necessarily as a survival skill. But they are like, when we look to like the thread of like our culture. There are things that we're missing because we don't have intergenerational skills, you know, and that time spent together, we have so many sources of information, like too much, you know, overwhelm that, what would it be like if we were weaving in things, you know, like sewing.

[00:26:37] I feel like as a culture, we're really craving things that feel meaningful and on purpose and unique and, and kinda shape, you know, who we are and the way we get to just show up in the world. And sewing is one of the really great skills that used to be passed down, you know, intergenerationally. And that's, that is the vision of, uh, this program is that these kits, much like other, you know, subscription box kits that are out there, we are obsessed as a family.

[00:27:08] We get on all kinds of flows. Um, but I really wanna build one out that would serve families so well in that way where they, yes, they're learning. A hands-on lifelong skill in a very creative story told way, but that coming out of it, they're getting what I call the creativity sees, or the creativity cornerstones, which are curiosity and creativity and courage and confidence and then connection.

[00:27:39] And so, yeah. Yeah, that, that's kind of the vision. That sounds amazing. And you know, before we hit record, you were telling me about this really old but very cool book that you have with you. So maybe let's tell the, the listener what this is and how that fits in. Yeah, so the, the coolest thing was discovered about a year and a half ago.

[00:28:03] My last of my four grandparents passed away and my parents and my aunt were going through my grandparents' house and they were the keeper of, so like. I don't know, three, four generations of like treasures, my grandpa's first pair of walking shoes with a little note that his mom had written like in the new box.

[00:28:23] Like in the box. Wow. That wild. Oh my gosh. Cool hats and beautiful handkerchiefs and you know, and little notes. Most of them who they had belonged to. And my aunt came across this black, it's like, um, I think they call it like book linen. I don't even know. This is over 100 years old. We figure, and it has that little, it's that little stickers on the front that it's like the manila color with the red outline that had used, been used to hold the corners of photos and the old photography, you know the scrapbooks?

[00:28:59] Yeah. But it has my, it's my great grandma's name and it says Mini Hartman sewing on it. And we opened it up and we thought, well, what in the world? And we started flipping through the pages. And it has the fundamental stitches, like her handwriting, the running stitch. You can maybe, you can hear even the pages turning, but, and then she has drawings of all of these new techniques that she's learning.

[00:29:25] And it's, it's like a glimpse into how she herself learned to sew. But then when we flipped through, it got a little confusing because we, well, we found bits of fabric stuck in here that have like, here's a French, um, seam and it has her teacher's little notes is good on the bottom. And it has, here's her drafting patterns.

[00:29:47] She has embroidery. But then we were a little confused because. Uh, miss Minnie went rogue in a few places and she started writing. She has a couple little stories about her friends and what they were doing. I won't, I won't reveal her, her, her private stories, her secrets today. But, um, she, you know, she has Christmas carols that she loves.

[00:30:07] She has some poems. She has the high school cheer. Let me see if I can find that one. It's like, rah rah. And some little notes history, like things that were happening, the presidents that were going out and in and like hearsay word on the street about them. Oh my gosh. And it, so, oh, I feel like I'm opening a time capsule.

[00:30:26] Hmm. It's like this heirloom piece. And you can imagine, how would she have known that over 100 years later, her great granddaughter and her great-great granddaughter, you know, would be. Getting to have a glimpse of who she was during that year. Mm. Like who she was and the things that she was learning and stories about like her life.

[00:30:50] And we could kinda get a picture. But this was my grandpa's mom, um, when she was a teenager. And so, you know, I spent some time kinda going through and like, oh my goodness, she knows way more than I do. But it also occurred to me. What a cool, like, legacy for her to be able to pass on. She had no idea that we were gonna find this and get to see, you know, this glimpse of who she was and what she was learning and what if, what if I could write, what if I had my own little sewing journal like this?

[00:31:20] Hmm. There was a movie years ago. It, was it Julia and Julia or Julie and Julie? It was like, oh, it was child. Yeah, yeah. Where the woman went in and she cooked her way through Julia Child's cookbook and she like documented it and I thought, ah, I wanna do that. And so I have, I have just started, um, kind of working my way through some of these different skills, but I'm also trying to take little notes just about like what I'm thinking about and, um, what if I could have what I'm now calling Stitch and Story Journal?

[00:31:52] What if I could have one of those? And then it occurred to me, what if, what if somehow all of my. Like quick win, you know, these beginner friendly projects. What if I could release each one like one at a time, like they were a chapter and what if I literally could kinda sow my own adventure, like build my own story knowing that we, you know, we are the author of like our Creative Adventure and one of the other people could be the author of their creative journey.

[00:32:26] And, you know, I may be the co-author, but they're truly the author of their own stitch and story journal. What if that could be a thing? Like what if chapter by chapter, you know, we would have, you know, once upon a nature hike and Once Upon a sleepover and once Upon a pool party and once upon a football game, and what if there were, what if, what if there's a big library of chapters that somebody could just choose and every month they, they did one.

[00:32:53] And so that is what I am building right now as a way for. I'd say young creatives, you know, age six to 106 for us to just write our own time capsule, um, to really document and celebrate our own creative journey through sewing and stories. So each chapter will have a journal prompt that is pretty quick, but also like meaningful and having to do with that theme.

[00:33:20] And then there will be a beginner friendly sewing pattern. And the author then is invited to make one for themselves and then repeat and make one for a friend. And I have a four step, I call it the mentor to, to mastery, like skill sequence. So first you make one with support. So this will be, you know, with video and support.

[00:33:41] And then the second time we make it repeat to really solidify, you know, that muscle memory and just to kinda build your confidence, try to repeat and make one again for somebody else. And then that's, um, so we do, and then I do is independently. And then phase three is make it you. So this is where I say, Hey, cool, you made a bookmark.

[00:34:02] You did it not just once, but you did it twice and now I want you to do it again, but like, invent it and do it your own way. Hmm. So this is where, you know, I think repeating and replicating. Um, is where we start as new learners. And it can be really tempting for some of us to just jump right in and not learn, you know, the skills I would put myself in that camp, like, just gimme the scissors already.

[00:34:26] I'm gonna get at it, you know? Yeah. But after we've learned those base skills, the then be invited to make it you. And then step four is invite somebody new or teach somebody new. And that's where this, it's a whole loop, like really building a movement. Um, and of, you know, first really being guided and, and having a mentor.

[00:34:47] And then at the end, you, yourself are the mentor. Hmm. And this is something really powerful that I've seen. Um. I've really, I've seen in that kids can come in as a camper when they're 12. I have one girl, Ryan, who came in when she was 12 as a camper, and now she's almost 18. Mm. She was a camper for three years, and now she's been a junior counselor for the last three years.

[00:35:11] And, uh, in fact this last summer, I decided to just honor her, um, and create a So Your Adventure scholarship. So got to say, Hey, Ryan, like, man, you are really exuding like everything that we try to build here, you know? Mm-hmm. Creativity and confidence in the way that you're, you were mentored and now you're definitely mentoring and we wanna support you in the, you know, the adventure that lies ahead for you too.

[00:35:36] Um, very cool. I love that. I love that so much. And I just, yeah, I really love the heart behind really giving people a space to. Grow and then challenging them to step into owning Yes. And making it their own. Yep. And then step into inviting other people into that. I think that's really cool. Mm-hmm. So earlier you mentioned just kind of like in passing, you mentioned some, I would say maybe values Yeah.

[00:36:10] That drive your brand. Mm-hmm. Could you just name those again and then just elaborate as you'd like to kind of help us understand why they matter to you? Yeah, so this is interesting. I would say they came pretty organically. I know, you know, if you're starting a brand to come up with your brand pillars, but these are.

[00:36:27] Character qualities that literally bubbled up. Mm-hmm. I would say as we dug in, you know, things that I started noticing and recognizing and really making a point to, um, call out in the kids, you know, when I saw it. And then, um, so initially I would say, we're building our creativity, you know, and we're building courage.

[00:36:49] And then I realized, wait a minute, there's kind of like, there's almost kind of like an order to these. Mm, like a natural order. Um, and so really tried to name what they were. Um, and so this last summer we actually assigned one of our creative Cs, our creative cornerstones to each day of the program. So day one we came in with curiosity.

[00:37:13] So day one, curiosity and really just to sit there. Um, when kids walk in, they immediately get a bright scavenger hunt. Um, it's like a warmup, welcome scavenger hunt. And they are challenged to go explore. And all of our like learning objectives are scattered around, you know, the whole camp. And they go and they dig out fabric and they try to organize them, their task, you know, from warm to cool colors, and it gives them just a sneak peek as to what's coming.

[00:37:45] And to kinda give them creative them curious about, you know, what's coming next. Also prompting the talk to each other. So hey, uh, you know, walk around and get curious about your teammates. Mm-hmm. So ask them, Hey, what was the best thing you did this summer? And then going ahead and writing down their name.

[00:37:59] So curiosity is the first one. I think if we became, if we become humans that really embrace curiosity, you know, we're, we're. We're engaged. You know, we think, wow, um, hey, how does this all work? Or, you know, what is this person really about? And getting to know them and seeing things just beyond the top layer.

[00:38:21] It can be something that really makes life so rich. Yeah. So that is our starting place and day two, we move into, uh, community. So we talk about, you know, we're new to something, let's find a guide. You know, let's, let's come up with, uh, a plan for somebody to like pour into me. And this is yes, in sewing, you know, during our time together, but in general, in life, like, huh, I'd really like to write a book someday.

[00:38:50] Do I know anybody who's done that? Or, I'd love to learn how to paint, or, you know, I wanna learn how to do anything. You know? Um, we can reach out and really learn so much from each other and really setting the tone to be like a cheer for each other community, you know, where. Look for ways to build each other up and call out the, the great in each other is a really big deal.

[00:39:13] As you know, kids are, um, kinda defining and refining their friend pickers, you know, like, uh, the kind of person that they themselves wanna be and yeah, the kind of person that they, um, they choose to surround themselves with, it can really serve them so well to know what kind of person do I wanna be in?

[00:39:32] What kind of community do I want to surround? Um, and so that's day two is community. Day three is courage. This is when we really jump into, you know, we, uh, we don't know a hundred percent how this is gonna turn out, but we are jumping in. Mm-hmm. You know, I'm gonna try something that's new to me that takes a lot of courage.

[00:39:52] There's so many great quotes about, you know, courage. I think it is Nelson Mandela that says, you know, courage is not the absence of fear. But it's actually the decision to move forward anyway, you know, with knowing that you are afraid. Mm-hmm. Something to that effect. And so we look at, um, yep, we try new things and that's uncomfortable.

[00:40:13] And by pushing ourselves to get out of our comfort zone, that's gonna be something that serves us really well. Uh, and then the next one is, let's see here. Creativity. Um, we've pressed through and we learned some of the skills, and this is when they make it where, to that place where they, they get to make it uniquely theirs, you know, and just how powerful and exciting that really feels.

[00:40:36] Mm-hmm. Um, even little things like we made a bean bag, you know, as our first project and they're just jumping up and down, you know, and then making more and brainstorming all the things that we can do with these beanbags when they get home. And it's just so cool to see them take something and make it their own and just to see the pride that comes with that.

[00:40:56] Yeah. And then the final day we celebrate, we invite all the families, we put on a fabric fashion show. We serve ice cream, lemonade, and, uh, each, uh, camper gets an award and that's a really great time to just reflect back their success to them. You know, this is where we started. We have a whole skills list that we go through and we color the sewing machines as we go down the row of skills.

[00:41:22] But they get just a bask. And, um, and just that time of celebrating, you know, everything that they accomplished. And it's super rewarding to see them just really proud of themselves. Mm. And to see their families invited in and getting to make a fuss, you know mm-hmm. Over what they've done is just a really cool thing to witness.

[00:41:40] Mm-hmm. Oh, I bet, I bet. And I just love that it ends with celebration. Mm-hmm. And I think that's so important. Mm-hmm. So, as I understand it, Laura, what you do in camp, you are trying to now bring into the home for families to do together, right? That's where the story, the story work, and creating their own piece, that's where that comes in, right?

[00:42:05] Yes. Okay. So for a few years now, I've been trying to imagine who, what if, like, what if this could go beyond only, you know, the 60 kids who got to experience this this summer, like. I feel like this could have so much more impact mm-hmm. Than what it is now. And like asking the big questions that I try to model for them and I teach, like what if, you know?

[00:42:28] Mm-hmm. And just being courageous and putting some real thought into what would it look like to have these story led stitch and story, you know, journals go into homes. Mm-hmm. And what if this was something that like really served families mm-hmm. And built creativity and connection in any home. You know, it wouldn't have to be in the environment of a summer camp that, you know, kids are shipped off to for a week, but it could, it could really impact families and it could be such a powerful tool, you know, for connection.

[00:43:03] Yeah. For any parent and grandparent who just wanted to bring those things. Into their home to bring, to build that creativity and that connection in their home. It would be, uh, like an easy no experience needed. Let's do this together. You know, for, for one year is, is the idea that over, you know, 12 months you have everything to really build your beginning sewing skills and it's all bundled up into like an heirloom journal, you know?

[00:43:30] Yeah. At the end. And so that's the big what if and I can't wait to see, I can't wait to see. Yeah. Like what that, what that could actually be. Yeah. Well, and I'm really excited too, and I know that, I think even in the next couple of weeks you're going to be launching your first course of that. Yep. Which will then, you know, listener don't, don't be sad you're not missing out because they, it will be available after the fact as well.

[00:43:56] It will be available ongoing. I'm very excited to see how that goes. And I'm just, I know, I'm aware that, I mean, there's a lot of data that points to. The good it does for families to have more connection with each other off of screens. Mm-hmm. You know, doing something together. Yeah. Building something together.

[00:44:18] That's so good. I'm curious, what would you say? Let, like, let's say that there's people that think, oh, that sounds amazing, but we're, we're living it, like lightning speed, right? Yep. We're just, we are moving from thing to thing, just trying to get it all done. Keeping the wheels on the bus going. Yep. How would you gently encourage them towards like, Hey, you can make time for this.

[00:44:42] Yep. So, my, my, my heart in this is that bringing the stitch and Story journal in bringing, so your adventure into your home would feel like a breath. Mm. Would feel like that calm and that pause that you. That, you know, I was gonna say you didn't know you needed, but I think we know that. We know we needed, and I'm right there.

[00:45:06] I am right there with all the, all the families who are saying, huh, I can't add anything else. And the goal is that this is almost an addition by subtraction or a subtraction by addition. I don't know. Um, by adding it in, the idea is that in, you know, one hour a month, man, it is in exchange for bringing that a rhythm, a regular rhythm of just such fulfilling, like rest through that creativity and that connection you have together.

[00:45:40] Hmm. And then being really able to look back and see both in physical form, all the cool things laying around your home. That were these beginner friendly, you know, projects that you made. Like, oh my goodness, there's a, there's a, there's the potholders, you know, and since we've made a set for every holiday and I've given them to all the teachers with a, with a recipe card, you know, for, for gifts.

[00:46:06] Um, but that, yeah, the goals that this is actually weaving in the creativity and that connection as a, as a means of like rest and, and reboot for those families that we're on overdrive. Right. And this cannot be a full-time thing. We are not making a quilt a month. These are, yeah, we're think, we're talking like beanbags, bookmarks, um, things that we can pump out, but then.

[00:46:35] Really dig deep into the creativity aspect of it in going through and as deep as you know that that family wants to go, they can make one and say, check, that was awesome. Done. You know, or you can go and make 10 more and have a little bookmark stand outside your house, or you can start the creative design thinking is an actual science now that a lot of universities, our local university, Colorado State, um, I met the director recently and had a great conversation about design thinking and what that means.

[00:47:07] I'm, I'm imagining, you know, what would that mean if our younger generations really grew growing up with some tools that helped them solve. Its the idea of solving problems through design. Mmm. And really that is a part of my curriculum as well. My master's degree is in curriculum and instruction, and so geeking out over, oh my goodness, how could we put some really easy step-by-step frameworks in place to create both rest but also equip, um, young people to be just really capable and fulfilled, you know, as they're developing these skills and into humans, you know, themselves, not at all.

[00:47:46] Mm-hmm. To bypass just the importance of what you're talking about with like creativity and the connection that comes with doing this together and stuff like that. But honestly, as a really nice bonus, you just get some great skills Yeah. For life. Mm-hmm. I mean, think about if you can just repair your favorite pair of jeans, right.

[00:48:05] Or like mend them instead of throwing away or buying, you know, dropping. Money to buy more, or like, I'm wearing a jacket right now that, um, local artist, Mandy West, she was on the podcast. Oh my goodness. Andy's amazing. And she, she is amazing. And she like mended this jacket because it had these like massive holes.

[00:48:22] That's, and I'm just like obsessed and so thankful she would, she was able to leverage her skills for that or even just Wow. You know, you like mentioned teacher gifts. Yeah. I mean, I have four kids. Yep. That's a lot of teacher gifts. Yeah. And just thinking about making something meaningful. Mm-hmm. Personal.

[00:48:38] Mm-hmm. Not just like, you know, not that there's anything wrong with buying gift cards. If you're the mom out there or the dad out there buying a gift card, totally fine. Sure. They love it. And I would really love to. Recoup some of the funds and do something really personal. So, and have your kids go crazy for a few hours each.

[00:48:58] Yeah. Like, let's do something, let's throw you out a sewing machine and see what you can pound out. Yeah. How often does that sound? If they'd like beeline it to the sewing machine and start cutting stuff up? Yeah. You know, instead of straight to the, you know, the, the iPad. Right. Right. How cool would that be?

[00:49:15] Right. Well, and you know, I, I told you about this already, but this summer one of my kiddos kind of like, had this idea that he wanted to make his little brother, like our 3-year-old, a stuffy. Oh. And he like drew out a design and he bought fabric and he cut fabric and he made it cool. He stuffed it, he used my sewing machine.

[00:49:36] I helped him use my sewing machine to make it. That's awesome. And it was, it was just really cool to see how he did feel empowered. Yep. And, and it's just. Yeah. It's just like a different level of confidence. I just saw a different level of confidence in him thinking I can do that. Yep. You know, and that's, I mean, really, like you said, it's just these are intergenerational skills that actually maybe we don't have as much of a felt value for, because there's a lot of cheap ways to replace things.

[00:50:08] Yep. But I wonder over time, if it is going to become like a real gift and blessing to have these skills. Mm-hmm. You know? Yeah. I feel like we can also learn so much from our kids. You know, they don't know yet what's supposed to be scary or hard. Mm. You know? Um, so you watching your son just jump in, you know, and you talked about the way he stuffed it with you said cotton.

[00:50:32] He gathered cotton. Like from a tree. From a tree. Yeah. That came off a cottonwood tree. How cool is that? Yeah. You know, um, it's just, it's so cool. I feel like. You know, the way kids can go in unafraid, we can also learn just so much from them too. Yeah. Yeah. Very cool. All right, well I think, I think that this has been such a fun conversation.

[00:50:54] I cannot wait to see your, is your, is it coming out as a course or like a webinar or what? Uh, let's see, we are doing a chapter one. Okay. So this will be one week, I'm calling it, so your adventure week. And this will be this fall releasing chapter one and inviting families to build their creativity and their connection together through sewing.

[00:51:17] And chapter one, it starts with a prologue, a letter I just wrote from the perspective of Minnie inviting those of us 100 years later to follow her lead in writing our own stitch and story journal. Um, that becomes a. Time capsule, you know, of who we are and what we learned and all the cool, the cool things that we were becoming during that time.

[00:51:43] Um, so yes, chapter one is starting and this is assuming no experience, uh, like I'm afraid I don't even know where to put my hands first, you know? Right. And just really, uh, through the lens of kinda outdoor adventure, that same kinda outdoor adventure, step-by-step, story led invitation, um, for growth. Yeah.

[00:52:09] Yep. Very cool. I'm very excited to see that come out. Well, you'll have a little something, something plopped onto your doorstep here at some point. Okay. You have to tell me what you think. All right. Well, I will be very excited to be looking for that. I guess as we, as we wrap up this part of our interview, what else would you want to leave people understanding about?

[00:52:28] So you're adventure? Cool. Just that they're invited. Mm-hmm. Um, this is like. Doors open. I really see this as a beautiful movement. Mm. That I can't wait to see, you know, all of us just jump in and have fun with this. Okay. So I like to end my interviews with some fun questions, so I'm gonna start going into those.

[00:52:47] Okay. Cool. Yep. Okay. So you are headed out of town for a beach getaway. What are some of the essential to you items that are in your carry on? Oh my gosh. Ooh, this is hard. Um, let's see here. Well, I would have, well, definitely something to take photos with. Mm-hmm. I take way too many photos. Um, so definitely a way to capture and soak it all in.

[00:53:17] I like to pack very light. Um, my family has, we have learned the trick of packing into a small carry-on like, like a personal size bag each. Hmm. And so, you know, a couple swimsuits. Okay. Uh, we p we pack pretty, I'd say a couple swimsuits. Take some pictures and snacks. I would say something, something salty.

[00:53:41] Mm. Probably a bag of tortilla chips and guacamole in my bag. Oh, that's solid. Yep. Yep. Good choice. Mm-hmm. Okay. So what book or books are most likely to be gifted by you to other people? Ooh, that's a good one. I love gifting really beautiful journals. Mm. Because, um. We get to fill the pages, you know, we get to fill the pages with our, with our own stories.

[00:54:07] And uh, for me, I always have a journal or notepad of some sort in my bag wherever I go, just to brain dump, you know, like all the things that I don't want to forget. Cool stories and ideas or what ifs. And so I love giving people journals. Just that are a beautiful companion, you know, for them to carry with them.

[00:54:28] Yeah. I love it. Mm-hmm. I love to get journals, so we're a good peer. Yes. If you could become proficient in a completely new skill or hobby, what would it be and why? Okay. Fast answer. I signed up for a beginning painting class. Um, I have a good friend who is a brilliant like artist, like actual artist, well, you know, Mandy West.

[00:54:51] And I have a friend Anna, who is a brilliant, you know, painter in California. And I just, I have ideas in my head. Hmm. And I wish I could put them on the paper, you know, so my secret dream would be to actually design fabric, you know, the fabrics that I wanna drink in. And so very slowly, I'm starting my first painting class this fall.

[00:55:17] For two reasons. One, that is something I would really love to be able to do. My mom is a painter and that is something I've always just admired about her. And, uh, so I'm gonna start learning. And it also puts me into a place of being a student again, like getting curious again. And you know, that just being that place of getting better at being bad at something, you know, at the beginning.

[00:55:43] And it's, it's good. It feels really good to be at a place where I'm growing and I'm learning new things. And so I would love to learn, yeah, paint, just illustration. But my secret someday dream would be to. Would be to design fabrics. Mm-hmm. Oh, I love it. That's so fun. I know. So what's the medium? What kind of painting?

[00:56:07] So this one is acrylic. Okay, cool. Yep. Cool. This class I'm doing, it starts next week. It's just a one week acrylic, learn the basics and you know, I'm swiftly brought back to the beginning. It's like, I don't know what I don't know. Right. You know, and so just, yeah, following the, the checklist of what I need to gather, it's like.

[00:56:27] Eyeopening. Yeah. To be back at square one again and it feels kind of, it feels good. Yeah. It's exciting. It's like, Ooh, okay. I don't know what's in store, so. Oh, fun. Yeah. We'll have to hear about how that goes. Yes. Okay, so now I'd like to invite you to give your own shout out. Who would you want to tell Thanks for doing that and why?

[00:56:43] Okay. There is a lady who lives, unfortunately, fortunately, about two miles from me, and she bakes. Oh, are you by chance talking about Baker Acre? I am talking about Baker Acre. Okay. I have some exciting news. What's your exciting news? I think Baker Acre has agreed to come on the podcast. Yes. Which, for the listener that has not had her cookies yet.

[00:57:08] Oh my goodness. You don't know what you're missing. Maybe don't. Because there's limited supply. Okay. And I, yeah, I just saying she might cut into our supply. Yeah. They're not worth, don't want the cookies. Yeah. Totally. Not worth it. Okay, so cinnamon rolls. Why bother? Oh, don't eat. Shh. Don't talk about the cinnamon rolls.

[00:57:22] Oh my goodness. Okay. So tell me more. Okay, so, um, Tori, I've known over a few like, chapters of life. Seasons of life. And this is something I feel like it was a wham outta nowhere. You know, she like popped up this big, okay. Come to find out she has some, like, some talent here, you know? Yeah. And, uh, she's now a household name.

[00:57:44] A couple weekends ago I picked up a six pack of her cinnamon rolls and my daughter, who is very much a baking connoisseur and our family in general is kind of cinnamon roll connoisseur. She said, mom, these are the best ones I've had in my whole life. Which is a really tall compliment coming from, you know, a 12-year-old who considers herself a baker.

[00:58:06] Right. So well done Baker Acre and if she's gonna be on the podcast, I would say bingo. Bullseye. She hits the mark in spreading good things. Yeah. Into the world in her work. Yeah, I am. I'm really excited. Me too. Me too. And I just, you know, it's funny because I have also been enjoying her sourdough bread. Oh, very much so.

[00:58:31] And I'm very sad when there's no longer sourdough bread to be had because other people have bought it. Right. Shoot. Yeah. So this, we better keep this under wraps. We, you know, I'm just gonna have to delete all of this, but nevermind, nevermind. Forget it. No, but yeah, I wholeheartedly agree. And hopefully more to come on Baker Acre.

[00:58:47] But, um, Laura, thank you so much for joining me. This has really been so fun. And gosh, I wish you guys could see this. This journal that belonged to Minnie, her great-great-grandmother. It's, it's just like, it's pretty cool. So old and beautiful and the pages, it's wild. Oh, mm-hmm. I just love it. I just love it.

[00:59:07] But Laura, I end all of my shows by presenting to you a haiku that I've written just for you based on like why I wanted to have you on and just thanking you. So, oh wow. Here's the haiku I have for you. Okay. Okay. Thanks for doing that. Building skills and connections one stitch at a time. Beautiful. Thank you, Heather.

[00:59:30] You're so very welcome. This felt like coming. Like into the home of a, an old, new friend, you know? Mm-hmm. Like I'm really glad we got to just geek out and talk through all this stuff. Yeah. And enjoy some good tea while we were at it. Mm-hmm. The only thing missing was maybe some of those cookies. Yes. Next time.

[00:59:47] Yeah. Next time. Same time tomorrow. All right. See you then.

[01:00:01] Thanks for doing that. Is presented to you by the apiary, a place for beholding and becoming, and thank you for joining us for today's episode. Before you go, I have a couple of invitations. If you found it meaningful, could I invite you to take two minutes to rate and review the show? I also invite you to help me create an upcoming episode of thanks for doing that by nominating someone or suggesting a topic.

[01:00:27] Let's link arms to call out the good and the beautiful that we see around us because I really believe that finding delight in our divided and difficult world could make all the difference.