Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggy Schneider
Hi Maggy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always loved the act of stitching and have been plying a needle and thread since the age of three. When I was ten I fell, hit my head and started having seizures. My mother believed I was brain damaged and handicapped, not merely a child with a neurological condition. With parents who no longer believed in me I felt I was in free fall. I don’t usually talk about this but in the hopes of inspiring others, I want to come clean. After all, something happens to each of us, it is how we deal with those occurrences that makes us who we are. I kept putting one foot in front of the other and I think it was the meditative act of many types of needlework that helped save me. I could lose myself in creating and have something to show for it in the end.
I went to a liberal arts college where I focused on literature and writing, but stitching was always in the background, a part of my existence.
I had no idea there were schools where you could learn to design, make patterns and sew, so I was self-trained until, as an adult, I started sewing for local designers as well as my own private clientele. I credit the many amazing women I worked with for supplementing my sewing knowledge, helping me develop my innate skills to become the sewist I am today. It was because of them that I opened Sewing Lounge, hoping to pass on some of the things they taught me.
My passion is beading, but garment construction has been my work.
My advice to everyone: Believe in your uniqueness and follow your bliss.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I used to teach out of my attic studio in our old Victorian home but the city got wind of it and shut me down. I had no idea I was violating ordinances. Stubborn and determined, I moved to my present location where I have been for the past 14 years. Four months into my occupancy I got a certified letter from someone in North Carolina who had trademarked “Sewing Lounge” and was giving me 15 days to quit using it in every way, shape and form. A friend’s attorney husband seethed at the injustice, filed a lawsuit and won, giving me a 500 mile radius of St. Paul where Sewing Lounge was mine exclusively.
In 2013 it was clear that YouTube was here to stay. People were saying “I’ll just look on YouTube”. Classes weren’t filling so it was retire or reinvent. Although I had never aspired to doing retail, but again exercising my stubborn streak, I thought I’d try it and I must say I love the shop! Three shelves gave way to more and I kept making the classroom into a smaller space, eventually abandoning classes altogether to focus solely on retail. Obstacles and challenges exist so we can stretch our comfort level and meet our opportunities. As one of my customers told me, “You keep turning lemons into lemonade!”
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What to do with accumulated sewing knowledge? Open a sewing lounge, of course! It all began in 2005. Originally focused solely on sharing the skills I learned in the wild via camps, classes and private lessons, Sewing Lounge has evolved into a fabric store specializing in garment fabric and supplies. There are a lot of wonderful quilt shops but it can be tricky to find nice apparel fabrics. I focus on natural fibers, predominantly wool, linen, cotton and silk, and also have the supplies you need for the inner workings of a garment – manufacturer grade interfacings and linings, plus all the notions you need to complete a garment, including buttons. I have a large selection of buttons! Three years ago I bought a plotter so I can print PDF sewing patterns for people on wide paper at a reasonable price. There are so many incredible independent pattern companies all over the world and this service puts them at your fingertips.
Although I no longer teach, classes have resumed under the tutelage of Izzy Winegar, whom I met when she was 12 and started coming to my sewing camps. Off she went to design school and is now a technical designer. Her favorite thing to do — fit pants! Students love her depth of knowledge and authentic nature.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I would say getting a job in the field you want to go into would be invaluable. You may not even realize someone is a mentor but if you are always open to learning your world will expand. Listen to your gut instincts; they almost always put you onto something.
Contact Info:
- Website: https:www.sewinglounge.com
- Instagram: @sewingloungemn
- Youtube: @MaggySchneider-oj7jr
