A time for everything...

Let me first say "Thank you!" Thank you to all of you who have supported my family by being a part of the world's best clients. You all have allowed me to be at home with my babies and earn toward our family's income. If not for all my clients (and those of you who encouraged me, gave me good ideas, and informed me that some of my ideas weren't so good) this three year journey would not have been possible.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 the Bible says, "For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."

So, in short, there is a time for everything. I know, my paraphrasing skills are out of this world. There was once a time to learn them, and now is the time to use them. Okay, sorry. Moving on.

Three and a half years ago we moved here to Maryville and Eli was just a tiny little sprout. I desperately wanted to stay at home with him, but we were at the point that we had to have more income than what Tim was bringing in. So, I dusted off my sewing machine (the same one my mom learned to sew on in seventh grade!) and turned out a few items. Thankfully, other people liked them (or pitied me) enough to buy them and little by little God grew my business. There were hard times and harder times, but I would not trade my experience as a designer and seamstress for anything in the world! I got to make things for very famous clients (one of which you all know as the STL Cardinal who broke the record for homers in one season!) and had the honor to make things for children in need. Best of all, I got to be a part of YOUR family by making clothes, bedding, curtains, costumes, and just about anything you could think of!

Just as with most things in life, there always comes an end. And after much talking, praying, talking, a bit of crying, talking, some fighting, talking, and a little more talking, Tim and I have decided it is the best move for our family for me to close my business, Stitches and Seams By Gwen.

I am in the process of closing my Etsy shop, but will leave up my website for 3 more months to honor my commitment to the Mommies-To-Be registered with me. I will also be glad to service my local clients on a limited basis through Christmas of this year, but please know that my turn around time will be much slower since my focus is turning from sewing to being the best dern Mommy I can! And of course, all current orders will be completed on the time schedule I originally gave you.

I shared our decision with a few clients today at the market and they all said the same thing, "But WHYYYYY?!?"

That's a great question, and let me share my heart with you.

Over the last three years, I went from sewing a few hours a week to sewing 40, 50, even 60 hours a week. It went from something I enjoyed doing while Eli was napping to something I was doing while Eli was watching TV all day or I was staying up until 4am regularly to do.

Don't get me wrong, I still love doing it (most of the time) but it has become more of a burden on my family than the blessing of having the income. God has graciously provided a new way for me to earn income by teaching at a WONDERFUL school, so it seems that, in the words of my very best girlfriend, that "God is providing a way to do what He's calling me to do."

First and foremost, I am so thankful God allowed me to have this amazing opportunity to learn so many things through my business and that I got to meet so many great people. I never would have met my sister-from-afar (who I've never actually met in person) Christy Bozeman, I wouldn't not have gained my market sister and partner in crazy living Lori Rehg. Life just wouldn't be the same without my entire Goshen Market family! And I will never forget the kindness of the Tie-Dye lady from Edwardsville that packed up my booth the morning Fred died and I couldn't return to the craft fair.

I'm beyond thankful and indebted to my mom, Karen, and grandma, Blanche, for taking my frantic calls and talking me through fixing mis-haps, broken machines, threading the surger (GRRR!), and picking me up off the floor when I'm ready to throw my sewing machine out the window. Without them, I would have been out of business ages ago!

And I would be remiss to leave out my life partner, my soul mate, and my Skip-Bo enemy Timbolicious. He's made fabric runs (literally, 11pm fabric runs), taken box after box after box to the post office, and accompanied me to more craft fairs than any man should have to tolerate.

My knuckles are white with tension as I desperately try to hang on to my business, but I'm slowly seeing that life at the Lawson Dude Ranch will improve ten-fold if I choose to close this wonderful chapter in life and begin a new one. Gosh, perhaps I'm blowing this out of proportion. It sounds like I'm dying. Sorry guys, this is a big deal to me. Just hang with me. I'm almost done.

I just want to thank all of you one last time from the bottom of my heart. You all are such a blessing to me!

Oh, and one last thing. Is there a change God is calling you make? Is there something BIG (or maybe just big to YOU) that you could/should/would do? If so, give it some thought, a big ol' heap of prayer, and seek some wise counsel. You never know what God could be working on without you knowing it!

I love you all!

In Christ,

All Sewed Out

PS- Is it too late to delete this post and let's go back to the way things were 5 minutes ago?? Oh dear, this is not going to be easy.... Deep breath, Lawson! Deep breath!