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By Sara ChangSew Cool! -- Q&A with Hope Meng of the Stitch LoungeHave you ever seen something in a store and thought to yourself, "I could make that ... if I had a sewing machine"? Now all you need is a vision because you can just pop over to Stitch, an urban sewing lounge, to turn your ideas into great duds. Actually, you don't need to even have a fully-formed vision as the founders of Stitch have a new book coming out in October, Sew Subversive, that is full of great sewing ideas. We spoke with Hope Meng, one of the three friends and authors behind Sew Subversive. You and your friends Melissa Rannels and Melissa Alvarado created Stitch in San Francisco. Do you have a design/fashion background or a business background? Or just a great idea and determination? 
Actually, none of us had direct experience with the fashion industry, but we've been sewing and crafting since we were young gals (I've known the Melissas since 7th grade, and the Melissas have been friends since kindergarten). We reconnected again after college and found ourselves hauling our sewing machines over to each other's houses to sew and craft together. That's when we realized sewing didn't have to be a solitary activitywe spent many a late night bonding over needles and fabric. Since there isn't much room in your typical San Francisco apartment, we started dreaming of a space where we could go to socialize and make our own clothes. That's when the idea for Stitch was born during those late night sewing and bonding sessions.
How difficult was it to go from Stitch concept to reality? Melissa A. was the first one to propose the idea for Stitch, an urban sewing lounge, where tools and supplies would be provided in a hip, cool space the modern version of a sewing circle, if you will. We did about a year of planning before actually opening our doors, meeting once a week over dinner and some wine to hash out our ideas and brainstorm. Additionally, Melissa A. and I took entrepreneurial training classes from an organization called Women's Initiative for Self Employment , where we learned the ins and out of running our own business. We graduated from the program in December of 2003, and went through the process of completing our business plan. Stitch was the first sewing lounge in the country, and while we did a lot of research prior to opening our doors, there was really no way of knowing if our idea would be a success. People were really excited about the concept, but would they come and use the space? By April of 2004, we had secured financing for our business (also from Women's Initiative) and worked non-stop for about a month to open Stitch on June 5, 2004. That's when we knew that the idea had struck a nerve...about a month before we opened, we put a sign in the window pointing people to our website, which at the time was just a splash page with minimal info about our concept. Within a week, we were getting emails from across the country asking when we were going to open Stitch Lounges in New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, you name it. In hindsight, we were very lucky we really didn't have a lot of major challenges going from concept to reality. I think we were pretty fearless in those early days (probably more out of naivetŽ than bravery!). Getting into business with friends can be very tough on the friendship. What have been some of the issues that you and the Melissas have had to deal with and how did you handle them to keep the friendship intact? From the very beginning, the Melissas and I recognized that working together might be challenging, and we definitely have had some bumps in the road. We actually wrote in our business plan that we would seek relationship counseling if we were facing challenges that we couldn't resolve ourselves! Ultimately, we have a lot on our side we've known each other since we were very young , and nowadays we are more family than friends. I think we approach a lot of conflicts with this in mind you can't "break up" with your mother, and in the same way, we can't "break up" with each other. We're in this relationship for life. That really helps keep our conflicts over the business in perspective. How did you guys decide to write a book and what was the process like once it got started? 
Once again, luck was on our side when it came to the book. An editor at Taunton (Pam Hoenig) contacted us after hearing about Stitch only a few months after we opened. Sew Subversive was a collaboration between ourselves and Pam--she proposed the title and we proposed the content back to her! Writing the book went very smoothly it's much easier than running a business together, that's for sure! Our process was very similar to the way we started Stitch. We had many brainstorming meetings early on to talk about the projects we wanted to cover. In many cases, we just looked to our own closets for inspiration! In terms of writing, we had a "round robbin" process of sorts one of us would start off the chapter and pass it to the other two for editing. This method was not only efficient, but it helped us "reality check" our instructions and make sure the tone was consistent throughout the book.
The Subversive Seamster is your second book. Do you guys see a "Subversive" series? It's definitely something we have talked about! There are so many opportunities to be subversive in Sew Subversive and Subversive Seamster, our focus is on refashioning peoples' closets, but who knows where the next book may take us! The "pants into a top" idea is fantastic. How do you guys come up with your designs? Does it just come to you as you find a piece of clothing that catches your eye? 
Thanks! Yes, you never know when inspiration may hit sometimes it's the fabric, sometimes the cut of a certain garment you can even generate ideas from a single button! We hope that our readers will come away from the Subversive books with a mind opened towards the endless possibilities that exist in the world of refashioning.
Are thrift shops better than consignment stores when it comes to finding great project material? Well, I think you can find inspiration anywhere, most of all where you least expect it! Consignment shops, thrift stores, your own closet are treasure troves for great fabric and patterns. A lot of people like thrift shops best because the items are so cheap--and the price really does help in encouraging people to experiment-for a $1 shirt you can wield your scissors without fear! What are some basic sewing items that everyone should have on hand? A needle, thread, a good pair of scissors and a seam ripper is pretty much all you need to get started. Of course, all the other tools do make the job a little easier (and more fun if you're a gear junkie!). For those of us who have never sewn a thing, what type of project would you recommend as a good starter project? We wrote Sew Subversive with the beginning seamster in mind, so the book is full of great beginner projects. I would encourage people to try some of the simple embellishing techniques you'll be surprised how the smallest touch can really alter the way you feel about a garment! For a full refashioning project, the tie wrist cuffs are easy, fast, and they make a great gift! Once you've got a few projects under your belt, check out Subversive Seamster for some more involved projects! What's next for you? Well, we just celebrated our 3 year anniversary at Stitch, so we're at a point where we are trying to decide our next steps. So, I'm not really sure what's next, but I can tell you that we will continue to spread the sewing gospel! |
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Photo by Matthew Carden Subversive Seamster and Sew Subversive by Melissa Rannels, Melissa Alvarado, and Hope Meng. Published by The Taunton Press Reproduction of material from any jademagazine.com pages without written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. © 2007 JADE Magazine. All rights reserved. DISCLAIMER |
