You have just over 110,000 YouTube subscribers. One year ago, you had just under 16,000, so it's grown quite a bit. I saw an opportunity, and I think it paid off.
It's really taken me, like, 10 plus years to find that balance and to, like, figure out how to do it with maintaining my, like, sanity.
So I wanted to ask, when you first started trying to actually build an audience, what was the thinking there? Oh, I could talk about this for 10 hours.
If you could give any advice to a creator starting out in the space, what would you tell them? Define your goals and define your audience. You don't need every single post to go viral. That doesn't have to be your goal.
Are there any revenue streams that you don't have that you would like to have? Ooh, that's a good question. Welcome back to the Creator Spotlight podcast. My name is Francis Zira. And I'm Natalia Perez Gonzalez.
And today, we are speaking with Sydney Graham, a sewing-focused creator with over 600,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
So Sydney, as we speak, you have just over 110,000 YouTube subscribers, uh, and one year ago, at the start of June 2024, you had just under 16,000, so it's grown quite a bit.
Um, and I was looking at Social Blade, which tracks these kind of things- Mm-hmm...
uh, and it seemed pretty steady, but there were four spikes, and I looked into these months and what video got the most view in each month, and it seems each one is attributable to a specific video.
So I want to start with the first one. Okay. June 2024- Mm-hmm... you brought in 5.4 thousand subscribers, which was a peak at the time.
You've brought in more month over month, but that was a peak at the time, and it seems related to a specific video that now has 91,000 views. I forget, how do you pronounce this brand? Gani? Johnny? Oh, Ganni, I think.
Ganni. Okay, well that was totally wrong of me. I'm not sure if that's how I would say it. Okay. Yeah. Well, we'll say, we'll say Ganni.
But it's, um, [laughs] the title of this video is, "Ganni Tie Top Dupe Tutorial [beginner sewing tutorial] Sew Along Syd Tie Top Pattern."
Uh, so it seems pretty clear to me that this was, like, people looking up Ganni dupe tutorials, and this was like a hot item at the time, yeah? Mm-hmm. Yeah, for sure. Definitely.
So this tie top, if you're unfamiliar of its prestige, it is a very popular shirt. It's basically a shirt that has, like, a slit down the middle, and there's three ties, and it has a bit of, like, a peplum, um, bottom.
And I feel like fall of maybe 2023 was kind of when it's, like, launched or when it kind of- Mm...
started gaining popularity, and so there were a lot of, um, like, hacks and ways to make your own because it is quite a simple shirt really, um, or at least I feel like it's pretty simple.
Um, so anyway, it started kind of gaining notoriety. I had made some of my own just in my... for me, personally, you know, not teaching people how to do it.
And then I created a pattern that is quite similar, but this pattern, as with all my other patterns, there are multiple variations, ways you can hack them, ways you can do different things with them.
And so when I created my pattern, which I call the Syd Tie Top, I specifically made a video that would show you how to hack the Syd Tie Top into basically a replica of this Ganni tie top that is quite famous.
And so I knew that people would be searching for it.
I knew that they would be looking for it, and it felt like a great crossover because not only can I show you how to make that exact one, but then you get the pattern where you can make, um, a dress, a different style of shirt.
You can add sleeves- Mm... you can take away sleeves and whatnot. So I saw an opportunity, and I think it paid off pretty well. So you, you haven't done as...
I mean, maybe I'm missing one, but I don't think you've done really any of these other, like, using the name of the popular thing, uh, and then, you know, making a dupe tutorial.
Like, clearly, that was a tactic that worked, but you haven't really done that since, yeah? Not so much on YouTube.
I mean, I do a lot more, like, on TikTok, um, especially when I was getting started out, like, before I even had my own business where I'm making patterns.
Um, that's kind of how I learned to sew is just by seeing clothes, usually on Pinterest. I'll, like, find, find a garment, take a picture and be like, "I could probably make that," and then figure it out. And so my...
all my TikToks initially were kind of like, "Here's this shirt," or, "Here's this dress I like, and now I'm gonna like go for it and see how I, see how I can make it myself."
But it was less educational, less, like, teaching people how to do it, and more like, "This is me just figuring it out." So I feel like I do that more on TikTok. But you're right, I haven't done that a ton on YouTube.
Maybe I should start doing it more. I mean, it certainly worked. Um- Yes... so another one, the next one that was a big spike was, uh, a while later, October 2024. You were at...
or it drove 9.5 thousand subscribers that month, and it seems attributable to a video titled, "Attempting to Sew My Fall Wardrobe in One Day | Sewing Vlog"- Mm-hmm...
which now has 323,000 views and is your most popular video, um, on YouTube, period, by like 40,000 views. This one I feel like is pretty... uh, it's pretty clear. The title is like, "Oh, wow. Is she gonna pull this off?
No way. That seems impossible." Um, tell us about that one and, and how you came up with that idea. Yeah. Uh, that was literally...
H- That's how I sew often is, like, I'll see a day, an opportunity where I have a whole day where I can sew and, and get it done. And this one, I actually... I almost didn't film it. Like, I really was that morning.
I was like, "I'm just not gonna film it," 'cause, you know, it's like I'm trying to cram as much into the day as I can. Filming will take longer, whatever.
So I almost didn't do it, but I saw my opportunity because my, my family was going out of town.
I have a husband and I have two kids, and they were going out of town for the weekend, and so I was like, "This is my chance." Like, I can literally, like, not eat or sleep. I can just sew.
Like, I don't have anyone else that's relying on me for anything. So I had all these plans and ideas of things I wanted to sew
that were, like, building up just for me personally, and I was like, "Let's see how many I can get done in a day."
So I just filmed the process, and I very much didn't put pressure on myself to make it, like, highly stylized or make it any sort of, like, super fancy editing or anything like that.
I literally was just like, "These are the things I'm making. Let's see if I can get it done." And that title, actually, I remember I changed it, like, 10 minutes into the video.
Like, I had posted it, and I can't remember what my first title was, but I think it was just something likeSewing my fall wardrobe or something, and then I changed it 10 minutes later.
I was like, "Oh, I didn't even say anything about, like, I tried to do it in one day, and that's an interesting concept."
And so I remember changing it, and I did get a few messages from friends being like, "That title's so good. Like, I totally need to watch that." So yeah, I need to do more of that as well.
I feel like that, that one's been really popular. Yeah. There's, there's, there's no, like, crazy thumbnail or anything either. No.
It's just this, like, sewing vlog and, like, a photo of your workbench and then you standing in front of your, your [laughs] workshop. Yeah. [laughs] Um. Yes. But the title really worked.
Uh, okay, so the next one is from January of this year.
You drove 12.2000 subscribers this year, and this is another one that, like, has one of these great titles that, like, of course people are gonna watch this, though I don't think it has a crazy, like...
No, I mean, the thumbnail's pretty good, but nothing's, like, so crazy about it. But it's, um- Yeah... Trying On My Entire Me-Made Wardrobe: Patterns- Mm-hmm... Fabric, and Sewing Stories.
And so this one has 103,000 views. It's, like, your ninth best viewed video or something like that. But, um, yeah, another one that seems to have driven a lot with, like, a really, like... No way. Like, that's...
It's, like, an hour long too, and, like, the thumbnail is, like- Yeah... pic- like, 12 pictures of you in all these outfits or something. So what, what was the... How did you come up with that one?
I mean, that one's a popular, [lips smack] uh, like, piece of content that people make.
I think for sewing and for a lot of other things as well, right, if you have, like, a craft or whatever, people will do, like, my entire closet or everything I've made this year or whatever.
'Cause it's January, you know, people are kind of taking stock of what they have, what's in their closet. Um, and a lot of people are starting to sew also in January. It's like a New Year's resolution.
So I wanted a piece of content that was very much like, here's everything that I've made, and kind of trying to go as rapid fire as possible, but as you said, it's an hour. It's so long. [laughs] I really had to...
Like, it could've been two hours if I didn't edit it down even more. Um, but yeah, just showing everything that I have because I think a lot of people are curious, like, what do I actually wear? What do I actually own?
'Cause, you know, they see these snippets of things I make. Um, and so it's, it's all in place, and I use it as a really good resource for... I get questions all the time of, like, where did you get this fabric?
Where did you... What pattern is this that you have? So it's like, if you want to know anything about my closet, like, it's all there and it's all linked.
Like, I have everything, um, like, all those resources in the description.
So it's a really great, uh, content piece just for people to be introduced to me, to see my wardrobe, to see everything I have, but also a great resource for me to link people to.
I'm, I'm constantly, like, referencing it. So yeah, it's b- it's been a good one. Mm-hmm.
Um, okay, so the last one is, is interesting 'cause I feel like this one wasn't necessarily the full driver, but this, it seems like more of a, a mark that now you're growing kind of without any of these, like, individual videos driving so much.
So, uh, last month you had a spike, um, in May. Mm-hmm. 11.9000 subscribers, and your most viewed video, though, only has 76,000 views that was posted that month. It's just, Maine is the Cutest: Part One.
[laughs] Knitting and Deeking, Hiking, Reading, and So Much Brunch. Um, so- [laughs]...
just kind of like a s- almost a standard performance in terms of views for your videos now, but, like, even as there are these spikes, like, they've gotten, like, you know, the first one I read was 5.4000 subscribers back in June 2024, and they keep going up.
And now this one is actually slightly less than the spike in, in January. Um, but it seems like you've kind of reached some si- some sort of escape velocity, yeah. Like, you're kind of just- Yeah...
growing more sustainably. Yeah, definitely. I, I've, I like to in my content, especially on YouTube, to not have it so, like, educationally focused and informative. Like, for sure there's videos like that.
Like, I feel like all the ones we've talked about are quite, uh, they're teaching you something. They're giving you information about something. They're very, um, yeah, like savable, shareable, things like that.
And I like to also sprinkle in these things of just more, like, this is what I'm up to. I'm going on a trip to Maine, and like, yes, I did plan... Like, I planned to film it.
The Airbnb I picked, I did think about, like, is this gonna be cute in the video? Like, for sure I did think about those things.
Um, but I love following and watching people who I actually care about their lives and things they're doing and whatever. And so these trips that I take, these vlogs that I do, I feel like they aren't quite...
Like, you know, I thrifted fabric while I was in Maine, sure, but, you know, it's kind of just, like, me living my life, doing my thing, and I think it, it helps kind of build that community aspect and that relationship with my, with my audience.
And so I do feel like I've kind of...
I don't think I ever was really boxed in, but I do, I feel like I'm firmly escaped from being, like, just a sewing creator and can kind of show people whatever I'm interested in and it, it still makes sense on my, on my channels.
Um, how do you define the term creator? Oh, I know that you ask people this. [laughs] I've been listening to some of your as- episodes. I feel like I maybe fall a little bit outside of what
some of, maybe some of your other guests have typically, uh, defined it as, just in that
I don't put any sort of box around it in that it needs to be monetized or that it even needs to be very strategic or, um, intentional, but it's just if you are posting things and creating things, I think it's fair to call yourself a creator.
And I know some people are also like, they don't want to say, like, "Oh, I'm not trying... I'm not an influencer. I'm not trying that hard," or whatever. Um, so what- whatever people feel comfortable with, but with.
If they don't want to feel like they're trying that hard, you don't have to, like, define what you are.
But I do think there are a lot of people who put a lot of effort and, and, um, thought into the things they're posting, and they can be called creators even if they're not making money off of it, even if they're not, um...
Like, I think the creator word, that being creative, is really- Mm-hmm... what would define it. If you're being creative online on purpose, then I feel like you can be a creator.
I, yeah, I, I would tend to agree with you.
Uh, one of the parts of our more formal definition, which, which you might know, is, like, anybody, like, besides that part, which is the first part what you've just said, um, is anybody trying to build an audience in earnest beyond their immediate friends and family.
So I wanted to ask when you first started trying to actually build an audience besides just, you know, friends and family who followed you on Instagram.Yeah, I don't know if this counts because it was more as a business than as a, me as a person, although I sprinkled person- my, my own personal stuff into it a lot.
But my first, uh, Instagram, I guess, that was beyond friends and family was when I had my old, um, my old business that was handmade children's clothing.
So it's, like, a similar vein, but not quite the same as what I do now. Um, and my husband was the one who was like, "Oh, you should make an Instagram for that." And this was 2014. No, 2015.
So it was a really long time ago. The landscape was so different, right, than what it is now. And so there really weren't, like, corporate Instagram as much as there is now, or, like, business Instagram.
It wasn't really m- as much of a thing. And so that's the first time I was, like, trying to speak to people that weren't just, like, my friends and family, right? And it was so much fun.
I remember, like, I'd go to sleep at night and wake up and be like, "40 people followed me while I was asleep? Like, why do they even care?"
Like, it was so much fun, and I, I just, like, threw myself into it and, um, didn't have any strategy.
I was just kind of exploring, and I feel like I learned so much 'cause I had that business for almost six years, and just by, like, daily trying new things, doing new things is ki- how you kind of just learn and grow on social media and, and Instagram especially.
What would you say your relationship with your, like, audience and community is like now? Especially, like, when you first started, there's, like, there's a wonderful fluidity to how you're approaching it.
You're like, "Oh, I kind of, like, like this. I wanna start sharing it. I wanna make a business account." So when growing followers, making them into a community, how has been your approach to relating to them?
I feel like I'm not super tactical about it. Like, I'm not thinking too strategically about, like, ooh, what, what plans should I have to relate to my audience and my community?
It's just the people that follow me, um, are people who I would wanna hang out with, and I feel really lucky in that way that...
I mean, I guess it makes sense that the things I'm posting are attracting people that are interested [laughs] in the things I'm posting, right? So those people make sense to me. Like, I totally get them.
I get what they wanna see because it's what I wanna see and what I wanna do. And so I feel a really, like, a kinship with these people, and, you know, when I get DMs from them, I feel like I am chatting with friends.
And, uh, yeah, just I, people I would wanna hang out with. So it's not really much of a, [clears throat] a stretch or an intention around, like, "Let me build this c- certain type of community."
It's more just, like, I'm so lucky that the things I talk about are bringing in these people who, who are fun and that I would wanna hang out with. That makes sense.
I am also, I mean, like, when thinking about this space, one of my best friends is a fiber artist, and you also- Oh, okay... you guys, you guys both create similar content.
Um, and so I'm curious as to, like, for the people listening who are curious about the sewing creator landscape, I am, I would love to hear more about, like, who is the biggest creator in the space right now and why.
What, what do you, what do you admire about them? What makes you different from them, et cetera? Yeah.
Okay, I was trying to think about this, um, of, like, who, who are the big creators in the sewing space, in the, uh, fiber arts, 'cause that i- that's another area, right? It's not just sewing.
There's all sorts of, uh, artistry that's going on there. And like with all niches, I do think it's quite varied because there are some creators, like, one that came, came to mind was, um, Kiana Bunolo or Bunoyo.
I'm not exactly sure how to say her name. She's got, like, gotta be over half a million on You- or on Instagram, and I know she has a YouTube channel. I'm not exactly sure how big it is, but she's quite big.
But her niche is very much, like, Project Runway st- type things, like couture. She recreates, like, red carpet looks, um, and has, like, really great content around, around that.
Like, she'll be like, "Let's make this Met Gala look," and then she'll kind of, like, redo it herself, which is very much, like, not what I do.
It's different from what I do, but I'm sure there are people who are interested to kind of see both. Um, so she's one person that comes to mind, even though it's kind of, like, a different space.
Um, but then there's some creators like, um, From Carly B is another one.
I'm not exactly sure how big her audience is, but I know she has a YouTube channel that's great, and her vibe is very, like, whimsical and colorful, and she does these, like, really big patchwork-y dresses.
And I don't think she has, like, patterns or a lot of educational content, but her content is much more, like, "Come sew with me," like, vlog-type things. "We're gonna make these fun things."
She sewed her wedding dress recently. She makes couch covers, and it- So impressive. [laughs] Yeah. It's just kind of, like, fun to watch.
A- a- and again, like, her aesthetic isn't exactly mine either, but that's just how, you know, how it works with artists. There's all these people. But then I also think there is a...
There's very much, like, an Instagram bubble of sewing creators who all, uh, they make the same types of patterns, use the same kinds of fabrics.
They use the same specific hashtags, even though hashtags are kind of going away on Instagram.
But there's, like, a s- a, a certain, like, script they follow in their captions and, like, ways to do things, and it's very much this, like, bubble.
And I'm aware of it and dip my toes in it sometimes, but I feel like I'm also able to kind of look outside of that and talk to people who aren't so entrenched in this, like, specific, um, sewing community on Instagram.
Are you, are you in, like, are you in community with any of these people?
Are there, like, other creators who you've met somehow through making content who you, like, you know, commiserate with or, like, trade, you know, advice or anything with? Yeah, definitely. Um, two that come to mind.
So one is, she's kind of like my mentor, really.
When I was initially like, "Okay, I need to figure out how to make patterns," 'cause I had just sewn for myself personally and my children's clothing business, but I need to figure out how to make, like, patterns for adults, um, and sell them.
I stumbled upon Jessica, Jessica Capalbo, um, or Jessy Lu's Closet is her handle, and she very much focuses on sewing pattern education.
Like, she teaches people how to make sewing patterns, and so she's, uh, definitely a big person in that, like, Instagram bubble space. Um, she has her own patterns but also teaches people how to make patterns.
But then there's also, like, a bazillion, like, smaller creators, um, even though they're not that small. Kelsey White is another one who comes to mind. I think she's got, like-30,000 something on Instagram.
But she's great. She's like a friend. We chat all the time.
We like, we DM and talk about things, and I don't think she has any patterns, but like she has an e-book about learning to sew, and she just is like making things for herself, posting about the things she's making.
She has just a really fun, like aesthetic and vibe, and like she makes my patterns and so she- I get tagged in her stuff. And yeah, for sure.
There's like a ton of people that I chat with, and, um, I feel like it's, it is a really great community on there, for sure. Mm.
But it can feel intimidating because it's like there's all these people making the same things, and what if I'm not, what if I'm not as cool as them or whatever? There's definitely that, that feeling sometimes.
Well, how, how important is it though to you to like, to talk to people like this? Is it like... D- like how important is it to your day-to-day, to like your coming up with ideas, to the way you approach this work? Yeah.
I feel like it is important, but I also do have a kind of a more outside view because I think a lot of people in these communities, um, have been s- either sewing for a long time, or
they're kind of really into the specifics and the technical aspects of things.
Whereas my audience and the people that I relate to and speak to the most are either beginners, like people who have not sewn at all, who have always maybe wanted to sew and thought it looked cool, but it's just intimidating.
Like, the way that sewing is often taught and spoken about is very like, "Have to do it this way. Definitely learn this. Don't do this. Oh my gosh, that's a bad fabric to use," whatever.
So it's very like, "Oh, I'm gonna make a mistake, and I'm gonna do it wrong." And I feel like my approach is more just like, "You'll figure it out. Like I'll give you my tips, but you're gonna be fine." And so
when I'm planning my content, patterns, everything that I'm gonna make, I'm not super focused on what other people are doing, or I don't collaborate so much in that way.
I more just do it the way that it would make sense to me, or that I wish, the, the instruction and person that I wish I had when I was learning to sew. Mm. Because it all just felt so intimidating.
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[screen whooshes] Tell us how you view, how you view Instagram, how you view TikTok, and how you view YouTube, what, what your relationship with these different platforms are.
'Cause from the outside, I'll just say quickly, it looks to me like, like Instagram and TikTok are almost the same for you. But then YouTube, you know, you've got the growing following there. It seems to me that YouTube
is like the one you are most interested in now. But I'm, I'm saying too much. I'm putting words in your mouth. Um, yeah, what, what does [laughs] YouTube mean to you? What does Instagram mean to you?
What does TikTok mean to you? How would you rank them? Yeah. I think you guessed it. W- right now,
I am probably the most excited about YouTube, and when I have like lightning strike moments of ideas of content that I wanna make, it's usually YouTube or TikTok. Um, [clicks tongue]
so when I'm planning, like I have a very organized color-coded calendar where like I throw my all, all my ideas on and kind of like map them out, and it's always, like my ideas always lead with YouTube and TikTok.
So I feel like they're kind of tied for first place, although YouTube's a little bit more fun for me right now. Um, TikTok second place, and then Instagram is like third place, but in my brain it's like 50th place.
[laughs] It just gets all of the leftovers and kind of like I'll repost stuff on there. I'll throw carousels up on there just because it's like, yeah, like I could kind of...
Whenever I feel like it, I'll post stuff on there, but I'm just not... It doesn't inspire me, and I don't feel like super motivated to be on there. Um, so I don't intentionally plan content on there much.
I'm curious about your calendar. I'm also a color-coded girly. [laughs] Yeah.
[laughs] So tell me more about how like you decide what content you're gonna post on YouTube versus TikTok, versus like you mentioned that you post some carousels on Instagram, and I also know that you mentioned that it's kind of fluid, and there's not as much strategy.
But like how does your fluidity lead you in planning which content is gonna go where? Yeah.
Yeah, so I think my, um, my time at Gigi Pip really, like [laughs] I've always been an organizational person, a spreadsheet person, love a spreadsheet.
Um, but my time at Gigi Pip really solidified like content calendars because, you know, as a social media manager, you have to have a content calendar, and you're working with, you know, the whole marketing team and [clicks tongue] whatever.
And so we had these calendars there that, you know, any time there's a launch or anything, you have a whole, uh, plan built out around th- this launch or the sale or whatever, and you have things planned for every platform and specific stories and TikTok content and whatever.
So that's very much carried over into now. Like I need that visualization of any time.
So like for example, when I launch a pattern, um, I launched one in the very end of April, so I knew, like I could see when launch day was coming up, and I know that I have, like my YouTube tutorial is going live that day, so I know I have that on there.
And then I have like specific stories that have specific purposes of, of, um, things I wanna talk about and why I wanna talk about them, and it's very specific as far as how many slides I'm going to have because I know that after a certain amount of slides, you know, the viewership drops off so much, whatever.
[clicks tongue] And then of course I need to post about it on Instagram, and what's that gonna look like? And so, um, I'll have that and TikTok and whatever.
And then I know kind of like the, the aftermath of the launch, so like, okay, what's day two of the launch what looks like? What does day three of the launch look like?
Um, and on which platforms, so that it kind of all like works within itself. Like it, it references other things.
Make sure I'm linking the tutorial onto my stories and make sure I'm referencing, um, like there's certain things I want to reference on my TikTok to lead people to other channels.
And so they all are married and connected, but it, it's also-Um, mapped out individually.
So obviously, a pattern launch is, like, a big scale thing, but even smaller things like my trip to Maine, I had, you know, my YouTube videos, which are, like, the posts of content of, like, what that's going to be.
But then I also had, you know, stories and Instagram posts and TikTok posts planned out that can kind of push people toward those, like, posts of YouTube content. Yeah. [lips smack] Awesome. So. I love, I love that.
That does make sense. Yeah. Um, and I'm... A- another question about the content planning, how much of it is based around...
'Cause, you know, you mentioned, like, "I'm going to Maine, and I'm picking a cute place to stay-" Mm-hmm... that is gonna look good [laughs] for the background, which is important.
Um, so how much is based around, like, "Oh, I have this plan for what I'm gonna do," and, or, "I'm doing this this weekend, and I'm gonna make a video about it, because why not?"
Um, and how much of it is based on, like, maybe, like, sewing trends in the space or joining a discourse in the, in the space that you're in, or just any wider trends?
I'm wondering how much that shapes your planning as well. Yeah, that's a good question. I think largely it doesn't, my content doesn't revolve around trends as much.
As far as, like, I feel like the Ganni top is an example of a time where I really did kind of jump on a trend, although it's something that I actually- Right... wanted to make. I am never posting anything that
I, uh, that I'm only posting because I think I should. Like, that's never a thought in my brain. So very rarely am I jumping on trends for those reasons.
But, like, TikTok I feel like is a good example of, with this, because there are, like, trending sounds, for example, that...
And I, I never use trending sounds because it's like, "Well, this is trending, so I feel like I need to jump on it for views or whatever."
But sometimes you see a sound and you're like, "Ooh, that would be great with, like, this sewing thing," for example. Like, um, are you guys on TikTok at all? [laughs] Do you- Oh, absolutely. I am not, but- Okay. Okay.
[laughs] Okay. So there was this trend, like, a month ago. I feel like it's sort of still circling around a little bit. But there was a trend of, like, this...
It might have been the Jaws music or, like, it's some sort of, like, shark-type thing where, like, you, it's just very, like, ominous and you can, like, hear these things.
Anyway, people were doing this trend where in the frame of the TikTok video, every time there was, like, that ominous music or whatever, you'd see a person, like, walk by really fast, and they're, you know, and then they'd like- [laughs]...
walk by again, and it's, like, just this creepy- Yeah... like, person. Yeah.
And so I made a TikTok video about it that's like, um, me when someone says they want to learn how to sew, and it's me just, like, ominously, like, in the background because it's like I'm ready to, like, pounce on you and, like, teach you everything because I'm so excited.
Like, I love teaching people how to sew. So that's, like, kind of the vibes.
So as far as that goes, like, I do, I do trends in that way because it's, like, fun and exciting, and that's, that's one reason I love TikTok is because I feel so inspired by it and I get so many ideas there, whereas Instagram just doesn't have as many, like,
fun, fun things that I'm, like, so excited to make. That's so, that's so interesting 'cause, like, as- Yeah...
from the consumer side, looking at both, it's like, you know, scanning, it looks like it's the same videos, but you're saying that, like, there's actually a feedback loop for you on TikTok, whereas, like, Instagram is kind of dead.
And, like, if you were just hanging out and scrolling on Instagram, you wouldn't... You, you would have nothing, no new i- uh, not that you would have no new ideas, but, like, there wouldn't be as much input for you.
Yeah, definitely. When I'm scrolling on Instagram, I... It feels like an obligation. It feels like I need to be on here.
Like, I need to, as much as possible, I'm not great at this, but I need to, like, when people are tagging me and making my patterns, like, they're taking time out of their day to, like, make something that I had a part in, and so I feel like I need to be liking it and commenting it or whatever.
It feels like I need to follow up, whereas TikTok is, like, just an explosion of inspiration to me instead of- Mm-hmm... uh, like, I never feel obligated to be on there.
Um, and it's funny because that video I just talked about is a great example. I don't cross-post everything, but some things I do.
Like, I'll make it on TikTok, and if it does well or if I like it, whatever, I'll also put it on Instagram. That video I loved. I was like, "That's cute. That's a good idea."
So it did, like, okay on TikTok initially, but I was like, "I love it. I'm gonna put it on Instagram." Crickets. Like, nobody cares, because it's not a trend on Instagram, and it's not like...
'Cause everybody on TikTok, they're like, "Oh yeah, I get it. Like, I know that sound. I see it all over the place, so, like, we're in on the joke. We get it."
And on Instagram, nobody knows that sound, and so everyone's like, "Why are you creepily walking in the background of this Tik- [laughs]... of this- Right... video? Right. Like, it's weird.
So it was like it didn't do that well. But then after a few weeks on TikTok, uh, that blew up, and I think it's close to a million views right now, and I've gotten tons of new followers from it- Mm...
because, you know, I knew that that video is speaking to a person who, like, wants to learn to sew. Like, if you're thinking, "I want to learn to sew," like, this video is for you.
And so then they go to my profile and they're like, "Oh, this person actually is gonna teach me how to sew," and then they follow me. So it, it, like, totally makes, makes sense. I thought it was great.
Do you have, do you have, like, different relationships with your audience on each platform? Or rather, I guess, does your audience have different relationships with you?
Like, are you getting maybe more comments on TikTok versus Instagram, or, like, the comments you're getting are more, like, actually engaging with what you're doing?
Is there a, a difference in the audiences that you notice? 'Cause al- also, too, the audiences are about the same size. It's 258,000- Yeah... on Instagram and 243,000 on TikTok.
Um, so both are about the same size and pretty big. Yeah. But are they different? They're totally different, and it's actually really interesting because, um,
the sewing, like, the sewing creator and, like, fabric companies, pattern companies, it's so, like, rich and saturated on Instagram.
Like, there's so many people on Instagram talking about that stuff, and they all, like I said, they all kind of do the same type of thing. It's, like, kind of a, it's th- like, you can follow a structure.
TikTok is, like, barren of sewing people. Well, not completely. There's definitely sewing people on there. But I personally feel like if you were gonna make a SWOT analysis, it would...
TikTok is the O in SWOT analysis for sewing creators, because there's so much opportunity there, and I feel like there's-All these creators and l- fabric companies, pattern companies who are not capitalizing on it.
Because there's all these young people on TikTok, they're not all young, but a, you know, a lot of them, like Gen Z type of people, who they want to learn to sew, they want to make cute stuff, but it just feels, right, like traditional sewing, the way that tr- sewing is traditionally taught and, and spoken about is so intimidating.
And so it's just, like, ripe for the picking. These people who, like, really want to learn to sew, they don't want to be in the weeds of, like, this is how to make a dart the right way.
They just want to, like, make cute stuff and not feel scared about it, and I feel like that's, that's kind of my bread and butter is like, yeah, we're just gonna make fun stuff, and it's gonna be, it's gonna be fun, it's gonna be chill.
We're gonna have a good time. We're gonna make, we're gonna make cute things.
So to me, TikTok feels so, so easy because it's like, yeah, it's just people who want to make cute stuff, and I can do that, so it's gonna be fine.
I'm shocked that there are not more sewing people on TikTok, to be honest. Honestly, same. I was like, I was surprised to hear you say that, and I...
It also makes me curious, like, with your approach to growing on the platform, um, and, and the people that you've been able to engage with, like, how- do you feel like you've been able to find other more, more sewing creators, or, like, have there been more since you started, or what has been the vibe there?
Yeah. It's definitely grown a lot. I mean, it's so hard because I'm also, like, I may have blinders a little bit, you know, because I'm like, I'm in it, so just from my perspective, and this might not be true.
But it feels to me like the last couple years, there's been a big boom in, in sewing creators, and especially with, um, like, there are certain, like, courses that you can take to, like, learn how to make patterns and things like that, and I think those have gained popularity.
And so there are people who see others, like me and other people, who are having success with, like, this being their full-time job.
So I think there are a lot of people who see that and think like, "Oh, I want to do that too." Um, and so now they're, they're trying it out. So I definitely think it's grown.
I think there's been a lot of people wanting to do it in the last, uh, couple years.
But I still think, even so, I think most of those people are on, on Instagram, and they, they kind of have a hard time connecting to, to the TikTok audience as much.
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So I think I have them all, which are, uh, brand partnerships, you do some of these, um, platform revenue share, ad payouts, and sewing pattern sales. Is it just those three or is there anything else we missed?
I have a couple, uh, like affiliate channels, like I do. Um, I have like a m- what's it called? Amazon- Mm. Amazon Storefront... Market. Right? Yeah, Amazon Storefront.
[laughs] I have an Amazon Storefront that I link people to, and there's a couple, like, fabric companies that have, um, affiliate programs, which, if any fabric companies are listening, like, there need to...
Like, more people need to have them. I've, I've talked to some of my favorite fabric companies about it because I think it would be so beneficial for them.
But yeah, there are a few, like fabric and, like sewing, sewing companies I work with that have, um, affiliate programs. Mm-hmm. And, and those have been good as well.
What's, like, the approximate percentage breakdown of these, these four different things, how they compose your entire revenue? Yeah.
Um, if it's a pie chart, honestly, about 85% of it is pattern sales, and that fluctuates a little bit.
Like, obviously in a month where I launch a pattern or something, it would be much higher, like it would probably be like 99% for that month is, is pattern sales.
But then there are months where, um, I don't push my patterns as much and I'm, like, more focused on YouTube, more focused on content and things like that, and, and that'll jump up.
Or if I have a partnership, um, the, the percentages might cha- change a bit. But for the most part, uh, pattern sales is the majority of my income, and it's nice because it is passive.
So I'm not having to, yeah, constantly be sewing dresses anymore. [laughs] Well, that's kind of your, your dream, right?
Isn't that kind of the goal, that you, you want to be a sewing business first rather than a creator first- Yeah... correct? Yeah. And it fluctuates. I actually...
This is like the thing I love about my job so much, is that I kind of have these two different areas that I can focus on.
Like, sometimes I'm feeling really passionate and motivated about a specific pattern that I want to make, and so I throw all my time into that, really focus on that, and do like a little bit of content sprinkled on the side.
And then there are other times where I'm so burnt out sewing, I, like, can't look at
a, a bobbin anymore, and I just focus on YouTube, or maybe I'll go on a trip to Maine or something like that and, um, do more content side of things.
And so I can kind of go back and forth to what I'm feeling, like, passionate and excited about at the moment.
Like, uh, my first three patterns, let's see, I launched one in November and then December and then March, and so they were all, like, really close together. And
y- you might not have the context of that, but, like, patterns are like, it's a lot of work, and it's a lot of like, uh, tons and tons and tons of time.
And so for those first three patterns, I was, like, killing myself to get them out there. And then once, once they were there and things were kind of churning, I could kind of sit back a little bit more.
Um, and yeah, once you're done with the pattern, it is like, I feel so overwhelmed that I, I need a break. So it's nice that I'm able to kind of shift, shift between, uh, focuses.
Are there any, like, similarities or, like, very marked differences between the creative process for, let's say, a longer, more in-depth video versus a pattern?
Like, are there, [laughs] are there patterns perhaps between, uh, your creative process for making media and making patterns?Yeah.
Um, I feel like they're actually quite different, and it's, it's sort of a difference of, like, left brain, right brain a little bit. Um, and I think this is something that a lot of creators probably have to
grapple with is, like, are you more creative or more analytical? Because it is, like, a blend of the two, for sure. Um, and I feel like I've always been, uh, quite, quite in the middle.
Like, I feel like I have both and can, like, access both.
Um, but there are a lot of, there are a lot of sewing creators who maybe are more creative-driven and don't have that, like, analytical side or, you know, maybe vice versa.
Because in creating a pattern, when you're actually making the pattern, I do feel like it is, it's quite technical and quite, um, analytical, especially, like, my, my, uh, history of learning to sew and things like that was very much like, go with the flow.
Make it up. You know, like, I'm tr- I'm tracing things. I'm guessing, whatever. That's kind of my, the way I learned to sew.
But when I'm making an actual pattern, I am, like, to, you know, to the millimeter, like, doing all this math, and then, like, writing the instructions.
You have to word everything [laughs] perfectly, and it's, like, so technical and exact. Um, and then with content, it's much more, at least for me, it's much more, like, go with the flow.
And like, yeah, there's a lot of planning, like, talk about my color corded- color-coordinated calendar. Um, there's a lot of that just because of who I am as a person, but for the most part, it's very go with the flow.
And, like, in the ideation process, I might be a little bit more, like, planny and specific-y, but then when it comes down to it, I'm just, like, whatever.
Like, on the day, it's very much like, [laughs] maybe I won't film this anymore, or, like, I'll be doing something and in the moment I'll be like, "Ooh, this would be a good TikTok."
And it's very wishy-washy, whereas the patterns that I make, I'm, I'm not wishy-washy at all. I'm, like, zoned in. I'm really curious, like, both of these two are very time-consuming things.
You just described that patterns are very time-consuming- Mm-hmm... and content is also in its own way very time-consuming. How have you made it so that it's, like, sustainable for you, especially starting out?
I'm curious how you decided, like, "Oh, I can do this," like, because I know you started out more like, "Oh, I'm gonna make content and, like, see what happens," but what are steps that you've taken to kind of like, all right, this is all taking a lot.
You also have a family. You have small- you have children. So it's like, how have you designed your life to [laughs]- Yeah... you know, be sustainable for you? Yeah. That's a question I get a lot is, like, how...
I think it looks like I... I mean, I do a lot of things, but I think from the outside it does look like I'm constantly doing things, and so that's a question I get a lot.
And it has truly taken me, it's been 11 years from, like, when I started my first business and have been doing, you know, some sort of what I'm doing now for that long.
It's really taken me, like, 10-plus years to find that balance and to, like, figure out how to do it without, um, w- with maintaining my, like, sanity.
Like, truly when I was at the peak of, of, um, my children's clothing business, I was like, I was in a bad place, like, mentally. Like, things were just really chaotic.
And so it's taken me a long time to figure out, uh, yeah, how to do it all, and I'm very grateful that the, the way that I've set up my business now, it's largely passive income, right?
And, like, I'm con- you know, I'm constantly, like, pushing things and talking about things, but it is all based on what I want to be doing and what I'm passionate about and what I'm excited about.
I never am doing anything out of obligation or anything that's like, "Oh, I feel like I should do this," or like, "Oh, I, I need to do this many patterns a year," or, "I need to have this many YouTube videos."
It is all just, like, whatever I'm excited about and passionate about, I just, like, run toward that thing, and I, because I love working, it all kind of balances out and has been quite successful.
Um, but yeah, I just never put pressure on myself to, to do something that I don't wanna do, which I'm very privileged to be, to be able to do that. No, that's amazing. I'm so glad to hear that.
And I'm also, like, w- in, in the same vein of, like, you building this up to where it is, I'm also... I would love to chat about your Discord Sewing Besties. Oh, yeah.
Because you, I think, present the vibe of a Sewing Bestie. You've talked a lot about making sure that your content is accessible to people who are learning how to sew.
Um, and I think that that's really cool, 'cause you're, you're making a niche product, but it's still very much accessible to people who are not in the space if they are interested in learning more about sewing.
So with your Discord, how, how did you decide to start one? Yeah. This is, I think, flows really well with the last question, um, because my Discord is, I hesitate to even call it my Discord.
It's, like, run by the people, really. Like, I'm very rarely in there.
I, like, peek at it every once in a while, but the reason it came about was because, you know, there's all these people who are learning to sew, um, and getting into it because of whatever content they've seen from me, patterns they've seen from me, whatever, and they feel like they're the only person, like, they don't have in real life friends and, um, family members and a grandma to teach them and things like that.
And, like, I've been there. Like, I know how it is to feel like I wanna learn to sew, I wanna make cute things, but I literally don't... I even now have basically no friends who sew in real life.
[laughs] Like, n- nobody I actually know.
My sister-in-law was just telling me that she was gonna l- like, learn to sew and make one of my patterns, and I was so excited because I never talk to real life people about this.
Um, but yeah, I, like, I know how that feels, and I get it.
And so I made a Discord hoping that all of these, like, lone sheep could find each other and, like, be in community with each other because they're all, like, the same type of people, you know?
Um, and I was very, like, upfront and realistic about it, even in, like, you know, when you get into the, the server, there's like, "These are the rules," whatever.
And in that, I'm like, "I'm here, but, like, this is you guys." Like, I can't, I don't have the time. Like, I just wanna be super honest.
I don't have the time to be, like, chatting with you guys, answering your questions. If you have, like, a specific, like, sewing technical question, like, I'm not gonna be in here to answer it for you guys.
So this is you guys. You guys have fun, chat with each other, be best friends, but, like, I can't-I can't be super involved. And so I think it's gone well.
Like, e- every time I check back in, people are, like, chatting and having fun and whatever, but I know that if I had put the pressure on myself to be super involved, it would turn into something that I am not passionate about or, or happy with.
Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, taking a peek at it a couple of times, like, there seems to be a really engaged community. There's many channels. There's people sharing- Yeah... patterns.
So I feel like it's doing what you would like it to do, and I feel like- Yeah...
a lot of people that we've spoken to on this show who have Discords h- are usually like, "I'm just gonna fall back and be a facilitator, and just kind of like make the space for people to come and talk about this thing that we're all kind of obsessed with."
Yeah. So that's great. [laughs] Yeah, and I was so scared at the beginning, 'cause like, you know, these... I feel like the reputation that, like, Facebook groups [laughs] and things have is that it's just- Yeah...
a bunch of people fighting, and I was so scared. I think I even said in, like, the, the welcome message, I was like, "If you guys... Like, don't test me. If you guys fight on this, I'm taking it down. Like, we're not...
I'm not tolerating any nonsense." And so far, as far as I've seen, it's been really positive, so I'm happy with it. Wait, that's interesting you said that you would, you would take it...
Not that you would kick them out or something, but- Yeah... like, the whole thing is coming down. I, I like the kind of more, uh, communal accountability that that has. Yeah, I mean, w- we'd see.
I guess I was just scared that it would literally be, like, everybody fighting. So I s- I suppose if it was just, like, a, a rogue person being a jerk, then yeah, I'd probably just kick them out.
But I really don't have qualms about shutting things down, and I feel like that's one lesson I learned, uh, even though it's slightly different.
That's one lesson I learned about when I closed my whole, um, clothing business down.
I f- in that moment, like at the time, I felt like a failure, but I feel like it taught me such a good lesson of, like, yeah, you can just quit something. Like, you can just stop doing something.
And I really am not scared. Like, when the TikTok ban was gonna happen, I wasn't, like, super stressed about it, because I know that, like, eventually you'll find something else to do, and you'll...
Like, I think I've learned for myself, no matter kind of, like, what happens and what direction I want to go in, like, I'm gonna land on my feet and it's gonna be fine.
So yeah, if I have to shut down the Discord server, sorry. If I am just gonna, like, randomly leave YouTube one day and never come back, it'll be fine.
I'm, like, not, not super attached or concerned about any one platform. Mm-hmm. Um, going back to the monetization briefly. So brand partnerships.
One of your most watched Instagram reels of all time, es- and definitely recently, uh, is a partnership with Hatch Sleep. It currently has 1.8 million views, and I'm guessing that they...
It says the paid partnership thing on it, so I, I'm guessing they put money behind it as an ad, too. Uh, but tell us about how you approach brand partnerships, and if you've done... I, I, I couldn't find so many of them.
Um, but yeah, h- like, tell us about this as a revenue channel for you, brand partnerships. Yeah. Yeah, I do a few of them.
I'm very, uh, particular about who I work with, both in, um, making sure that the brand and product makes sense for me, that it's something that's totally not out of left field, um, and that the, the people, like, the team on the brand, like the marketing people or whatever, are, like, people I wanna work with.
Um, and I think I'm in a kind of unique position where for me, a brand partnership isn't just, like, making a video or posting some pictures with, like, a drink or whatever, which not to minimize, like, influencers' work or anything like that.
Like, I... That's 100% work, and that's not what I mean at all.
It's more just that for me, making content for brands often also involves creating a garment or, like, making a product, too, and so that's, like, that's part of the work. And especially in times...
Like, I did a collaboration with, um, Spoonflower, which is a fabric company. I mean, they do fabric and wallpaper. It's all, like, custom print stuff.
Um, and so they came to me about specifically making a, like, patchwork quilted garment, and if you know anything about fiber arts or anything, quilting and patchwork things take way longer, 'cause not only are you...
Like, it was a vest that I was gonna make. Not only am I making this vest, but I have to make the fabric for it, because I'm piecing together all these other fabrics to make, you know, the larger thing.
And so I was super upfront with them and just told them like, "Yeah, I, I, we can do that, but then it's, you know, it's gonna take me, like, seven days to make the thing," and that's not even invo- like, that's not even the content.
Like, the content then is gonna take me time to edit, and, and whatever. So
for me, I value my time so highly because not only do these projects take me a really long time, because it's, it's so much more involved than just posting a product, but also because I have my own products and patterns and things like that to work on, that if I take a week or two weeks to work, you know, for a brand and do a partnership for a brand, that's taking two weeks of time away that I could've been working on a pattern.
So I do value my time super highly, and um, and very particular with the brands I work with for those reasons. So, uh, yeah, usually it, it doesn't work out. Which, like, my...
the budget that I would request is, like, doesn't work with most brands, and, like, that's completely fair, but I c- I don't wanna, uh, diminish my work either.
Uh, what was the first brand partnership you remember doing, and how did that come about? My first big brand partnership must've been Spoonflower, because, you know, I get inbound stuff all the time.
Um, and I usually just say no, or when I say yeah, but then, you know, you have to pay me this much, then they say no, which again is totally fair. Um, I think Spoonflower was the first one where it, it made sense.
Like, yes, this product makes sense. This brand makes sense. You guys are like, you value my time as well, so we're good. We're gonna go ahead and do that.
I think that Spoonflower was the first one, and I've really only done three or four of them, and I'm fine with that. I don't, I don't love doing them either.
Like, I mean, I, I've loved the ones that I've done.But just as a revenue stream, it's not something that I'm like, "Oh yeah, gotta do more of those. Those are awesome," you know?
It's more just like, if it works, it works. Amazing.
If you could give any advice to a creator starting out in the space or any creator who's, like, kind of, like, pursuing a niche of their own and wants to turn it into a business, what would you tell them?
Yeah, um, this is a question I get a lot too. I think my two things for being a creator specifically, like so social media type stuff, are define your goals and define your audience. And by define your goals, I mean,
I think a lot of people when they think about social media, the goal is just to, like, have as, a big of a platform as possible, just have as many followers as you can get.
And I personally feel like that is not the goal for everybody and can be detrimental as well.
Because right, like, if my goal was just get as many followers as possible, make your YouTube videos have as, as many views as possible, I feel like my... I wouldn't be staying true to, like, who I was.
Like, even you were saying, these YouTube videos where I've had spikes, it's not like the thumbnail was crazy, right? Like, it's not me being like, "Ugh," like pointing to something [laughs] you know?
And like, that's just, like, not who I am. And yeah, maybe if I just wanted, like, 50 million views on something, I would do something scandalous, and it would be, like, clickbaity and whatever.
But that's just not my vibe. And so in defining your goal, decide what you actually want.
And for some businesses especially, like on Instagram, it's okay for your goal to be like, "My goal for Instagram is that I have a corner of the internet where people can, um, get a sense of who I am."
So, 'cause I think a lot of younger generation especially, when they're s- looking for a clothing company or, um, a business or maybe even, like, a pet groomer or something like that, you might search them on Instagram before you Google them.
And so it's totally fine for you to have an Instagram that's just, like, a profile of, like, this is who you are, and you have some content pieces that kind of, like, define you as a business.
But you don't, you don't need to want every single post to go viral. Like, that's, that doesn't have to be your goal. I always say it's okay to just make a business card account. Yeah, totally.
Like, it, it can just be like a business card online. Um, so define what your goal is. It's okay if it's kind of small scale.
And then in defining your audience, I feel like because I've been doing this for so long, I have a real, like, intuition that has been learned for who I'm talking to for every piece of content that I'm making.
Like, I know exactly who that's going to reach, and I'm very intentional.
Like that, like, shark TikTok that I talked about, like, I know exactly, it's for the people who have always thought, "Gosh, I wanna learn how to sew, but I don't, I don't really know how to go about that."
Because that was me. That was me, like, 12 years ago. I- That's exactly what I was thinking.
And so I feel like I know when I'm talking to those people, or I know when I'm talking to people who, who do sew all the time but are looking for maybe a different type of, um,
yeah, a different type of pattern or people who know how to sew but wanna make the ganny top.
Like, you know, I, like, I feel like I always kind of know who I'm talking to, both broadly and specifically with each piece of content.
Because I think a lot of times people make, make a video or whatever, and their idea is like, "Oh, I wonder who this is gonna reach."
Like, "I wonder who's gonna care about this," or like, "I hope people care about this."
And I think you just need to be thinking more specific about, like, know exactly who, who are you talking to and what, what do you want them to know about you? Uh, perfect. I think that's a great place to leave it.
Thank you for coming on. [laughs] Mm-hmm. Know who you're talking to. All right. Um, where should people go to find your work?
Um, you can go to my YouTube channel, which I think everywhere that I am is hiSydgram, is usually my handle. Mm-hmm. So YouTube, TikTok, as I've said, those are my favorites. I'm on Instagram.
Uh, you can definitely find me there as well. Perfect. Well, thank you for joining us. And listener, we will see you next week.
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