04/01/2026
I’m reminiscing and this is long, so feel free to scroll on by!
March 31, 2015. Eleven years ago today. That’s when the first Sew Busy Originals purses appeared on my page. I had tried to make a purse for myself and it was a flop. So, I tried to make another one…and then another one…and then another one. You get the drift. After I’d made about 20 of them, (because they were fun to make!) my dear husband kept asking me what I was going to do with all of them. (I was buying lots and lots of fabric and purses were hanging on every available spot in my sewing room by then.) I told him I might try to sell them…with no actual selling plan in place at that point. Next he said, “Well, I guess if you can’t sell them, you can throw them out at a parade.” Seriously?!? What in the world kind of a parade was I going to be in where I could throw purses out to unsuspecting parade goers along the parade route?!? Geez. His sarcastic comment made me mad so I thought ‘I’ll show him!’ and I made a whole bunch more of them! Finally, one day, March 31, 2015 to be exact…my daughter-in-law was here and I said to her (not in front of my husband, of course) “Sophie, what am I going to do with all these purses?!” She instantly said she’d make me a page and wanted to know what I wanted to name it. And, in about ten minutes time…Sew Busy Originals was born. And then…out the door she went…leaving me with no knowledge of what to do or even how to use Facebook. Within a few minutes of my page appearing, people started “liking” and commenting and asking how they could buy this purse or that purse. I was shocked. So, I learned how to use Facebook real quick! In the beginning, I would post a new purse every day; but when it got to where I had 50+ orders on my waiting list, I couldn’t sew fast enough to keep up with that plan and had to limit my posts to three days a week. I loved it! I was sewing A LOT and having a ball. Each purse was (and still is) an original creation and got its very own name. Once in a while, I’d write a short…or long and “too wordy” as my husband told me…story about the purse on which I was working. This went on for several months and then our first grandchild, “sweet little Miss Wendy” was born and I started babysitting for her on Fridays, which meant I didn’t sew on those days. One Friday, I decided I’d post a pic of her instead of a purse…and that turned into “Friday Night Grandkid Pics” which grew even more after “Baby Will” and “Mr. Mason” came along. Those three little blessings became the highlight of my world! By then, the “purse stories” and “grandkid pics” had become ingrained in Sew Busy Originals. Many, many people have told me how much they enjoy both the stories and seeing my sweet grandbabies. Well, eleven years have gone by in the blink of an eye…and many things have changed in my Sew Busy world, but some things have also stayed the same. My grandbabies are no longer babies, but are growing into wonderful, interesting and unique little people…who bring me happiness beyond my wildest imagination. Many other “life events” have happened, some good and some not so good, but that’s just the way things go for all of us, especially as we age. As of now, well over 950 purses have been delivered from the Sew Busy Originals sewing room, which is an unbelievable fact that I can barely comprehend. All stemming from one unsuccessful attempt at making myself a purse! The best part of all from this eleven year story is all the people, now friends, I’ve met because of my purses…another wonderful benefit I never expected to happen from that first Facebook post back in 2015. So, even though my posts are more random now because of my ever-changing and continuously busy life, I’m still here in my little sewing corner of the world and Sew Busy purses are still being made and delivered, which brings me to the pics I’m sharing tonight. These two pics show the fabric combos I’m using to make several purses celebrating the 250th anniversary of our great country. What a perfect theme for an original Sew Busy purse! So, thank you to all of you…new friends and old…for being a part of this amazing story that has brought me so much happiness…and, as always, please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need a new Sew Busy Originals purse!
