OLFA Interview – Catherine Holbrook
Guest Designer: Catherine Holbrook
IG BringSewingBack-------------------------------------------
From sewing hacks to tips to Bernina Ambassador, see what makes creator Catherine Holbrook tick. Her social media content is fun and quirky!
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Introduce yourself to our readers – where are you from, how long have you been sewing, your specialties.
Hi friends! My name is Catherine Holbrook and I am a small town mama of 3 residing in Richmond, KY. Though I have been in Kentucky most of my life, my sewing journey actually began nearly 10 years ago when my husband and I moved to North Carolina for his 4-year long residency program. Within 6 months of moving there I KNEW I needed to find a hobby to occupy my long boring days. While googling “hobbies for a twenty-something year old” I stumbled upon a sewing blog, and I was hooked. I asked for a sewing machine from my mom for Christmas, and the rest is history. It was a love at first stitch!
I dabbled on and off with beginner friendly projects, but was too intimidated to try my hand at garment sewing. So after the birth of my second son, and a move back to my hometown, I decided the time had come. I pulled my sewing machine out of storage and whipped up my very first clothing item, a refashion project from Goodwill. That same day I posted the “before and after” on Instagram, and @bringingsewingback was born! Since January of 2019, I’ve been posting my sewing journey nearly daily and have gone on to become a pattern designer, an affiliate for different sewing brands, and a BERNINA Ambassador. It’s amazing how much you can grow when passion for your craft is leading the way!
(Picture is the first before and after project I posted in January 2019)
We love the Bow Jean tutorial. The sweatshirt bow is cute, too. What are some of the techniques you learned from doing them? (Link: Bow Jean Tutorial )
If you can’t tell, I am a sucker for anything with bows on it. Before learning to sew, my options for that signature style of mine was limited. But, knowing how to sew means I have the ability to add my favorite design detail on nearly any clothing item! So when I saw these two tutorials on how to add a ribbon bow to your outfit, I was sold! I learned it is actually fairly simple to tie a ribbon bow by hand! I takes less than 30 seconds, and can then be applied to any clothing via sewing or fabric glue.
Why do you feel shopping at thrift stores is important?
Refashioning items from Goodwill is one of my absolute favorite things to do! The reason I love doing these projects is because the risk is low, yet the reward is great! Thrift store items are usually a more affordable option for sourcing material, and so if the project goes sour, you don’t feel bad for messing it up. But, when it goes well, it’s extra exciting because it was kind of a gamble to begin with and you were able to save it from being tossed in a landfill. The fact that you are able to breath new life into an abandoned item is always rewarding!
(Here are some of my favorite refashion projects links + pictures)
Reel 1
Reel 2
Reel 3
When you are scouting the thrift stores for items to repurpose, what are you looking for? Do they have to be in perfect shape or can you work around damage or features you don’t like. What’s been your favorite score so far?
My main focus when entering into a thrift store is on fabric quality and color. The original silhouette itself does not matter to me as much as the quality and color of the fabric. There are so many ways you can reimagine the silhouette, but if the fabric is poor quality or if the color is one that won’t flatter you, no matter what magic you work with the design, you won’t love the outcome. So I always look for a fabric I will love to wear, and then I get creative with redesigning the fit.
Recently you became a Bernina Ambassador. What does that involve? Which machine are you using and what do you like about it? (Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBG2rWxRS6z/)
Becoming a BERNINA Ambassador has been an absolute dream of mine since I won a BERNINA competition in 2019! Honestly, the BERNINA 435 sewing machine is the reason I fell in love with sewing to begin with. A few short months after beginning my sewing journey I saw that BERNINA was hosting a competition for their new B435 sewing machine. The objective of the competition was clear. Create a bag that most represented you and your unique style and you had a chance to win their B435. I spent countless hours creating a brightly colored floral bag that I painted and hand embroidered. To my great surprise I won! As soon as may hands touched the BERNINA 435 I was in love! I have been sewing with BERNINA machines since 2019 and now I get to represent the brand for their 2025 Ambassador class. I will be teaching my audience all of the cool features the L890 has to offer. It is a serger and coverstitch duo machine - meaning you can complete both functions within one machine! It’s incredible!
(Pictures are from the competition)
For a person who is just beginning to sew or has been away from it for a while, what features should they look for when shopping for a machine?
What kind of sewing machine needles should people have on hand if they are using more than one type of fabric? What machine attachments do you think are necessary to make sewing easier?
My biggest advice to any beginner sewist is to buy a walking foot! Of all the sewing feet I have in my collection, a walking foot is my most used! A walking foot allows the foot to lift off of the fabric as it is sewing, which alleviates tension and prevents the fabric from pulling or stretching out. This is invaluable to have when working with knit fabric!
On your Instagram account, what are some of your reader’s favorite content or reels?
Hands down the most engaged content is when I take my audience on the journey of creating something from start to finish, allowing the audience to vote on and choose the next steps in the design process. I have done this when creating ball gowns and refashion projects. It is so much fun! The end result of the project is a 50/50 partnership between myself and my audience. These are not only my audiences favorite projects, but mine as well! What a joy it is to create and make something special WITH other people.
(Pictures and links to these types of projects)IMG_2937
You sew with a variety of fabrics. Are there some you like to use more than others? Are there some you stay away from?
I honestly love sewing any fabric! I’m up for any challenge. :)
What are your favorite colors to use – and least favorite!
Clear Winter Colors are my go-to! Think bright jewel tones colors (Scarlett Red, Royal Blue, Emerald Green, Fuchsia, Royal Purple, ect). My least favorite colors are warm toned dusty/muted colors. Those colors tend to make me look tired and faded. In fact, I actually purged my fabric stash of all those colors a year ago so that I knew anything I made would make me feel good! I cannot recommend getting your colors done more! It makes the fabric shopping process much simpler.
Do you sew often for your kids or just for special occasions?
I am what some would call a “selfish sewist” LOL. I prefer to sew for myself mainly, but when my sweet children actually ask for an item, I tend to drop everything in that moment to whip it up for them :)
Are there any fashion trends you see coming that you’re excited about and eager to try?
I am SO thankful that skinny jeans are “out”. Flared jeans are much more flattering for my body shape, so I am eager and excited to start on a pants making journey. My hope is to master the art of altering pants patterns to fit my unique shape.
In the next few years, how do you see you and your business evolving? Is there something you’d like to try?
For the past six years of sewing my own clothes and posting about it online, I have been in the early years of motherhood. Staying home and raising my three children has been my primary focus, so social media has simply been my hobby. However, starting in September 2025, I will enter into the life season where all of my children are in elementary school. Having a full schedule to dedicate to working will inevitably open up more opportunities to plan and dream about where my business could go! There are so many ideas in the pipeline! Until then though, I will be happily showing up on my Instagram as a fun pastime. :)
Is there a snack you have hiding in your sewing room that your family doesn’t know about?
For whatever reason, I tend to not snack while sewing. But drinks, that I do! I always have two or three drinks with me at all times in my sewing space. A water bottle full of electrolytes, an afternoon pick me up latte, and some sort of sparkling soda. Diet Mountain Dew has been my most recent hyper fixation.
Be sure to check out Catherine's Scalloped Edge Tank Tutorial.