SAHMs Start Business After Frustration At Stores

rrstar.com:

Just outside Gretchen Schwalbach’s front door, two shoulder-high topiaries are draped with strips of funky fabric, lying in that casual-yet-just-so way that makes Martha Stewart fans swoon.

And then, when Schwalbach waves a hand at the topiaries and admits they’re just “leftover scraps,” you know you’re dealing with a home décor goddess whose talents far surpass your own.

Indeed, Schwalbach and partner Melissa Budd are using their trendy styles and sewing prowess to make a name for themselves in the local home decorating industry. Their business, We Sew Crazy, started as a part-time venture by these sisters-in-law who just wanted a few cute items for their homes.

What they didn’t expect was a business that would bring them closer and give them a sense of solidarity — even through life’s roughest times.

With a background in retail design, 41-year-old Schwalbach long has had an eye for colors and fabrics. Budd, 42, came from the corporate world, but had a sense of style nonetheless. The stay-at-home moms say they were trying to decorate their homes on a single income and were frustrated with the options they found around town.

“We started making things at home because we couldn’t find them at stores,” Budd said. “And we were on shoestring budgets.”

So the women put their basic sewing skills to work, played off one another’s creativity and began sewing pillows and draperies for their homes. If it didn’t turn out exactly as planned? No problem.

“Sometimes the best things look good after a mistake,” Budd said with a smile. Over time, orders began flowing in from other Rockford homeowners.