My Passion for Patterns
by Tricia King, from ComeSeeComeSew
I am a wife, mother, and high school English teacher
by day and small business owner by night.
I needed an outlet for my crafty creative side and this is my story.
My husband
Shane and I have been married 6 years and we have two beautiful daughters. Zoe is four and already loves to create and
sing, just like her mommy. Piper is twelve
months old and has just started to show her loving personality to us. We live in the beautiful state of West
Virginia and even though we live “in town” in the busy little city of
Parkersburg, we still make time to get the girls out in the fresh air to enjoy
everything our naturally beautiful state has to offer.
Shane and I love all things vintage, retro,
and antique. When I met Shane, I was in
awe of all his collections. His small “bachelor
pad” was full of antique fans, vintage Coke advertising, antique cameras, and
miles of music on vinyl.
When I asked how he began collecting history, he
turned me on to auctions and “thrifting” and I have never had more fun shopping
and collecting.
It was during a regular weekend thrifting excursion
that I stumbled across a large box of vintage 60's and 70's sewing
patterns. My mother sewed constantly
when I was growing up. My younger sister
Allyson and I were always among the best dressed each Sunday at church, thanks
to her crafty talents. I desperately wanted to learn to sew for my girls and my
mom was more than willing to teach me. I bought the box for five dollars and went
home thinking I would pick out a few dresses my mother and I could bond over
sewing. What happened next still
astonishes me.
I started looking for
patterns anywhere I could and I became obsessed! I have a small craft room in my attic and it
was slowly being swallowed up by patterns.
It became clear to me that I was on my way to becoming a professional
hoarder!
Then it hit me.
I could turn my obsession into a lucrative business opportunity and
that's exactly what I did.
I began to research my patterns, collect more, and
learn how the fabulous professional pattern sellers on Etsy made their dreams a
reality. I wanted to follow in their
footsteps and I opened my store Come See Come Sew in December of 2013. The
store has been hard, but rewarding work.
When I sell a pattern, I not only feel a sense of accomplishment, but
also know I have had a hand in preserving history. Too often these beautiful patterns are
ignored and discarded. My goal is to
take a small step to ensuring their life continues to bring beautiful vintage
clothing to life. Balancing a full time
job, two small children, and a business is difficult, but entirely worth
it! I am so excited to see what this
business has in store for my family and me in the future. 
