The first sewing class I ever took was open to students who were eight years old, and older. I was only seven, but my passion and my talent was enough to convince the teacher to let me in. While I was taking that class, my mom got me my first sewing machine, a Kenmore. I sewed dresses, curtains and pillows, and also a pair of pants for my mom. Life took me away from sewing and to Barnard College where I studied Russian and traveled to Eastern Europe. And then I decided that I was going to go sailing. At age 25, while on a Cheoy Lee 30 Bermuda Ketch, I challenged my little Kenmore to marine upholstery. That Kenmore got my foot in the door. I made a wind scoop, worked briefly for Evolution Sails in Deltaville, VA (2021), and then I set out on my own.
In Fort Pierce, Florida (2022), while on my Columbia 26, I repaired a pontoon boat’s cushions, and then I was offered the opportunity to replace the UV on a 51’ Formosa charter sailboat. When I told the owner I had never done such a job before, he said, “this could be the beginning of your professional career.” So I borrowed his SailRite for the job, asked Hodges Street Sail Repair (in Oriental, NC) for help, and I did the work. It was a success, and I bought my own SailRite with the money I had earned.
I sewed myself a banner, advertising myself as “The Sailing Seamstress,” and I hung it up on my boat.
I sewed my way from Fort Pierce to Key West and all the way to the Dominican Republic (2023), building, repairing, and modifying a variety of canvas projects on charter and private vessels, including stack packs, traditional sail covers, UVs, cushions, awnings, sails, instrument covers, and more.
My workshop was aboard my Columbia 26, which I soloed from Florida to the Dominican Republic. And then my workshop moved aboard my Bristol Channel Cutter 28, which I refitted (2024), and sailed from the Dominican Republic to Oriental, North Carolina (2025).
In June of 2025, I completed my first major project in Oriental, NC: sewing ten stack packs for my dad at Bow to Stern Boating. I quickly realized I could turn it into my own business and I formed an LLC.
In 2026, I outfitted my shop space, including an upgrade to a new Consew 2206RB-14-7-DD-1. I’ve been sewing in Oriental ever since.
Though I have some formal training, I am mostly self-taught from books, YouTube videos and my own experience out on the water. I get guidance and ideas from professional mentors, the demands of each project, and the needs of each client. While I value the jobs that can be repaired and modified, I thoroughly enjoy the process of creating something from scratch.
With over four years on a sailboat, three of which solo, I know, firsthand, the importance of quality canvas work. In that way, I am the Sailor’s Seamstress, and I am so grateful and excited to be able to help you go on your own adventure.
When I’m not sewing, I enjoy teaching a traditional Hatha yoga at Prasada Yoga Studio in Oriental, and writing my epic fantasy series.
