Apr 05 2013

Home Sewer Bio: Jes Goulet

3 comments

We always think it’s exciting to share part of our world with all of you at home. Something you don’t often get to see or know much about is our amazing and talented and beautiful mama’s who home sew for us! We want to do a bio on one of our home sewers once a month so you can meet the faces behind the dolls and the frocks. They are such amazing and invaluable members of our team and us gals at the studio appreciate the heck outta them 🙂 So without further adieu, our first home sewers bio is on Jes who sews frocks for us….

I have always been a firm believer that when you NEED something (and I really mean need here not want) the universe brings it to you. That is exactly how I found myself sewing teeny tiny frocks for Bamboletta. It turns out Christina was looking to start hiring frock sewers outside of the shop and I (with two kids suddenly in school full time and desperate for an income) was looking for something flexible that could make use of my neglected sewing skills and industrial machines. Et voila! Kismet. Almost two years into this and still loving it.

Sewing for Bamboletta involves a lot of large and small batches and a fair amount of repetition. In order not to completely lose my mind I have to keep everything that I am working on very organized. It is helpful to have a plan, know how each piece needs to go together before I start, keep everything sorted in their own little piles, and do all of the same step for each batch at once (ie if the cuffs of the sleeves need to be serged then do all the sleeves at once)… and don’t forget to change my needles regularly. <3

When I am not sewing for Bamboletta – which is not that often actually- I am teaching my son to play the piano, discussing the plot of various ‘Warriors’ books with my daughter, trying to figure out what to make for dinner (with new gluten and dairy sensitivities in the family), feeding and watering chickens, turkeys, dog, cats, planning out and working on the food garden, weeding said garden (we didn’t have a winter this year so the weeds have a head start), trying to remember to get some laundry done and did I arrange for the kids to get picked up from school? and maybe if I am lucky crashing in bed at the end of the day to check out facebook, pinterest and various blogs before maybe sleeping through the night if kids and cats will allow. O and did I mention I sew for fun too….

I am a big advocate of the ‘locavore’ ideal. I am inspired by the people who try to live with smaller footprints while preserving skill sets that are being lost, who run businesses where people mean more than money, and environmental impact is more important than how cheaply an item can be manufactured. My goal for my family is to move us towards a lifestyle that is more self sustaining and I am always inspired by others that are doing the same.

Jes

3 comments

Nan - April 5, 2013 - 1:39 pm

How lovely a bio and blog entry. Jes, I so enjoy the sweet frocks that keep these dolls so innocent looking and appreciate the cuffs and small details. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and endeavours on living in a way that leaves a smaller footprint. I, too, enjoy reading how others go about doing this. It is inspiring and every small change is significant, I am coming to believe. Hmmm…
I need to purchase less dolls and less frocks perhaps than I have in the last month :), but Bamboletta as a company feels like the right place to splurge every now and again.

Skye Copeland - April 7, 2013 - 11:54 am

I love learning more about the lovely ladies who sew all the gorgeous frocks! This sounds like a perfect pairing. I wish I had this talent!!

Colleen - January 1, 2021 - 6:39 am

My grandkids love your dolls!