Meet Trissa Bouwhuis

We were lucky to catch up with Trissa Bouwhuis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Trissa, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
For the most part, I have always had a positive outlook on life. I find that it is easier to look on the bright side of a situation than to dwell on the negative. I also hate to be sad (I mean, who does?). Growing up, I learned how to be resilient and optimistic for my own sake and my own sanity. I also have two little kids now and I want to share with them a positive outlook and life.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
By day, I work in finance, by night, I’m an avid crafter and mom. I am one to have too many hobbies and interests, but it keeps life interesting! For the last 8 years or so, I got into sewing and making my own clothes. I think it is so neat to have a pile of fabric and be able to turn it into something I can wear. I love that I have a creative outlet and I get something out of it that lasts a long time. I’ve also done a few sew alongs, which basically are a compilation of videos that break down the different steps to a sewing pattern. Patterns are usually in written form with photos, but seeing a video is often a lot easier to see what is going on. I also did a big jogger comparison where I sewed up 27 different pairs of joggers and compared them. I’d love to do that again with other garments; tees, leggings, sweaters, etc! I love being able to have a helpful resource for people to refer to. Eventually, I’d love to open up a fabric shop with a little studio where I can hold classes or sewing nights where people can work on projects and I can be there to help them along the way. In addition to sewing and making my own clothes, I started getting back into music; writing and playing my guitar. It’s been a lot of fun going out to open mic nights and just playing music with my kids.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The biggest thing is…don’t be afraid to fail or mess up. It’s inevitable and it’s going to happen. Especially when it comes to sewing, you’re going to make mistakes, and silly ones too. Good quality material is so worth it! Sewing on cheap fabric vs good quality fabric is a total game changer. It really does make a difference. You will save yourself from a few headaches by just using better quality fabric. Often times fabric companies will have mystery boxes. This is a fabulous way to get different types of fabrics to try as well as good quality fabrics at a decent price. It is a mystery, so sometimes you’ll get fabrics or prints you don’t love, but they make great material to practice on. Last but not least, go slow and ask a lot of questions. There are so many fabric and sewing communities online that are willing and able to help with any questions you have. I started a facebook group this exact purpose.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Right now my biggest challenge is time management. Being a single, working mom, time just vanishes! I still can’t believe the year is more than halfway over. To help resolve this issue, I plan on sitting down and roughly outline my free time. Instead of trying to pack everything into one day or a weekend, etc., I think it would be helpful to designate certain days of the week for certain projects. For instance, I could have a day for working on my blog or any online content, another day to work on a sewing project, another day for working on music, etc. I also get distracted easily, so minimizing any of those distractions would really help with my productivity.

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