My mom gifted me my first sewing machine at 13 along with 1 set of sewing lessons that I took with my neighbor. We made these super lame drawstring bags and I was over sewing before I’d really given it a chance. When I was in my first marriage, I think my mom saw that it was getting ready to end so she gifted me with yet another sewing machine so that I could have a hobby that was just mine. As a plus size woman struggling with finding clothes that I loved, I was ready to rock this sewing thing out–until I saw the directions for what was supposed to be a simple dress.Simple, not.I struggled to dress but was determined to teach myself how to sew. This was before YouTube University was really big so I bought some books to teach me the sewing jargon I needed and set out to learn. But then I filed for divorce, ended up pregnant and obviously distracted. While pregnant with my 2nd daughter, I broke out my sewing machine and I was determined to upcycle clothes to create a maternity wardrobe. I mean, if I couldn’t figure out how to make them from scratch the least I could do was take someone else’s starting point, right?From there I’ve grown to sewing 90% of my wardrobe along with my 3 kids and husband.Follow Aaronica here: Website: https://theneedleandthebelle.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/needleandthebelle/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronicabcoleCheck out our NEW website and signup for our newsletter to be the first to know who we are interviewing next, submit questions for the podcast, and so much more!New this year in 2023: THIRSTY THURSDAY - Behind the scenes content to get to know us and our guests on a more personal level. So grab your drink of choice and join us over on Patreon every Thursday for some tea. https://www.patreon.com/thesewcialhourpodcastJoin us next Tuesday as the hosts chat with Terrance Williams Designs! Follow The Hosts:Ashley: https://linktr.ee/charmedbyashleyBethany: https://linktr.ee/CraftwithbethanySupport the show -  https://www.patreon.com/thesewcialhourpodcastPreston Vaughn Pulpit Series Live, unrehearsed and unedited reading of past sermons preached over 20+ years of...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify Support the show