Yep that's me!  Hi I'm Jade.  The person behind the business.  Its an odd name isn't it, "Sew Jealous" especially for a yarn and craft shop that doesn't even sell machine sewing supplies.  ​The truth is this isn't the first iteration of this business.  I started out sewing, a looong time ago but I just sort of fell out of love with it.  It didnt bring me joy anymore!​ BUT... I loved my branding, and my customers loved it too.  It was a name with meaning and Sew Jealous has always meant high quality, bright colours, and fantastic customer service (if I do say so myself).  

 

So how did we get here?  I have always been creative.  Some of my first and best memories were cutting up old cards (christmas, birthdays etc) with my Great Grandma (we called her Real Nanny) to make new cards for people.  Real Nanny gave me my first taste of machine sewing too.  I literally used to sew fabrics scraps together but I loved it!!!  Like most crafters and creatives I have tried most things over the years and some stick and some dont.  Knitting was the first thing I ever did with gusto but adulting got in the way a little bit and I stopped.  Once I finished University (where I studied Law & Business) and got my first job in law, I found some time to take for myself and started knitting once more, teaching my colleagues and knitting for charity.  I fell into sewing one chrsitmas when my husband got me a childs sewing machine (for jokes) and I was literally hooked.  I made about 30 cat toys for my wee furbies and it escalated into a small side hustle in my spare time making bags and purses and clothes and more.  

 

Then it happened.  I had some physcial health issues which  became really hard to manage and then during the Big C and lockdown my mental health quickly followed.  I found myself for the first time depressed, crippled with anxiety and doubting myself as a lawyer.  I found this hard because my job was everything to me.  It was how I dentified myself.  Jade the Insurance Lawyer and team Manager!  I had no time for creative outlets and slowly but surely who I was withered away.

 

With a couple of diagnoses and some treatment my physical health got better and I had more time for my creative outlets.  I took up crochet in lockdown and despite trying several times before, and never getting it, during lockdown something just clicked.  Crochet literally became the sword to help me battle my mental health demons.  When I was crocheting that pesky inner self critic (which had gone into overdrive) was finally quiet.  It brought me such peace and joy and I can count the days I have not crocheted on one hand since then!  

  

I started back up my side hustle but this time instead of sewing it was crochet.  I attended events, markets, set-up online sales days and after some success and a growing realisation that my lawyer job was part of my continued mental health issues I finally took the plunge and went full time.  I have never felt so scared but so full of excitement and joy at the same time.  

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My making is focussed on soft toy makes like plushies.  I quickly learnt about the UKCA legal requirements for soft toy testing and decided to open an online shop selling UKCA compliant materials to other soft toy makers.  After a few successful craft shows and lots of people asking if we were planned on opening a shop...... we took the plunge!

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I say we because Sew Jealous wouldnt be possible without my husband, who absolutely deserves mention here!  He is such a beacon of encouragement, and is constantly pushing me to reach my full potential.  Not only does he do all the heavy lifting and driving but is also my sounding board on all things Sew Jealous, and always willing to give up his time to help me.  

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For me crochet has become such an important part of my life now.  It is a fantastic anxiety support for me, and brings me so much joy working with bright colours and creating from different fandems and styles.  And the science says so too.  There has been a significant amount of study findings that conclude activities like knitting & crochet can lower blood pressure, stave off mental decline as we age, and offer similar affects as yoga or meditating.  Its even been found to significantly  help with pain management!  Knitting was where it started for me so very long ago and to do this full time and to give back to the community through the shop makes it even sweeter. 

 

​I am living proof of the positive impact crafts like crochet and knitting can have on a person.  Its why it is so important that these crafts don't die out, that we innovate, and mash traditional with modern techniques to bring something truly wonderful into creation that everyone will be 'Sew Jealous' about once they see it and learnt you made it!!!  Its never too late to learn and we do our best to make that process as easy and accessible as possible with our in person workshops and video tutorials too.  

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SO long story short, Sew Jealous is back.  She is different and in some ways better, but she still upholds all the things that made the name so special in the first place.  I know its a little odd and perhaps confusing but we hope you love her regardless!  So what are you waiting for, buy that kit or book that workshop today and join in the fun!

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