By stitching fabric, they weave a story.
Three Taylor students share an interest in sewing. From clothes to art, they’ve made their works known to their families and friends at Taylor and beyond.
Sophomore Bronwyn Craddock started sewing when her grandmother would sew for her and her siblings.
When Craddock was twelve years old, her grandmother bought her a sewing kit, which began her hobby of hand sewing. One of her first projects was a stocking for her grandmother, which Craddock taught herself to make.
“Once I knew pretty much the basic things, it was pretty easy,” Craddock said. “I think it would have been more helpful if I had a bit more understanding of the best ways to layer cloth and cut things properly. But the things that we were making weren’t super fancy, so I felt like my sewing capabilities were okay.”
During her time at Taylor, Craddock has continued her hobby and even sold some of her works at Shop the Loop.
“That’s been a fun way,” Craddock said about getting her work noticed. “I don’t make a lot of money because the things I make aren’t very big so I don’t like charging very much at the Loop. But I’m of the mindset that a little money is more than none at all. And also, a lot of the time, I make things for gifts anyway, so I’m not really doing it for money.”
A fellow student whom Craddock has enjoyed sewing with is sophomore Jillian Voges.
Voges began sewing as a hobby during the initial COVID-19 quarantine when watching a YouTube personality Micarah Tewers. It was difficult for her to find someone who had the same interest. She taught herself more and more with each project she worked on.
At Taylor, Voges has three sewing machines, which are an embroidery machine, a serger (a machine that sews over the fabric’s edges), and a regular sewing machine that she named “Gladys”.
Some of her favorite projects to make are plushies, handmade down to their patterns, she said.
“It’s so nice to know that people around campus have my stuffed animals,” Voges said. For about two and a half years, Voges worked for a company called Once Upon a Time, where she helped sew dresses and costumes for Disney-themed parties.
Children would often dress up as princesses, wearing the dresses that Voges made.
“It’s so fun being able to expand my horizons and learn about new body shapes,” Voges said.
Sophomore Audrey Moore began sewing during her sophomore year of high school when she took a sewing class and was complimented by her teacher.
It wasn’t until the end of her senior year that she started to enjoy it on her own, when she made her own graduation dress. This sparked her continued love for sewing.At Taylor, Moore has learned to balance her hobby with classes and other aspects of her life. “My friends always know what I’m up to, because I’ll always be showing them,” Moore said. “Or my friends wear my dresses to different galas or events and at Shop the Loop, where I made a bunch of stuff.”
Moore is currently a part of Taylor’s Multicultural Student Association (MSA), as well as Integration of Faith and Culture (IFC). Several of their events such as Mosaic Night and other cultural events, have inspired ideas for her future projects.
Moore advised that sewing is a process of trial and error. For every successful project, she had about six failed projects, she said. Although it’s easy to give up, the more one practices, the more rewarding the process of sewing is.
Ultimately, she’s found joy in the way this rhythm has impacted her relationships with others and with the Lord.
“I think sewing has been really beneficial to me,” Moore said, “because I think the Lord has allowed me to use my creative abilities as an outlet through sewing, which I’m so grateful for. And I think through that, he’s also allowed me to make other people feel beautiful when they wear something I’ve made.”
