And the ball gets rolling
Bike shops and bike people are really something special. Bicycles create a common ground between all sorts of people. People of varying beliefs, age, wealth, background and so on. As different as we may seem, we belong to the same tribe. It’s a family. It has a language. Everywhere I have ever lived, I found my community through my bicycle and through local bike shops. It’s really a special thing. YELLOW BIRD THREAD WORKS is truly a product of that special community and culture. As you spend more time with these bike people, you start to find the other hobbies and interests that overlap. Frequently you find other mechanical interests, building things and working on cars, computers, and such. After a short conversation with one of the many unique characters that seem to come and go in this world, a connection was made over sewing. This guy named Shawn told me that he makes paniers for bike. He makes them. I had to know more. I was really getting hooked on bike camping and had a pretty good idea of what I wanted a frame bag to be and I really wanted to make them my way. Shawn invited me to his studio, let me use and learn with his beautiful industrial sewing machines and encouraged me to learn more. To top all of that, Shawn GAVE me a sewing machine. It’s a 1950s SEARS Kenmore. The deal was, if it did what I needed and I would actually use it, I could keep it. If not, simply give it back. Now, i’ve been using this beautiful old machine for about two years. It’s been a real pleasure. My skills, confidence and creativity have grown. In fact, they have outgrown the state of being a small hobby. In the past few months I have made a few batches of items and I have challenged myself with some more complex designs. With the encouragement and reassurance from a few key people, I am here, starting the next chapter. I hope you all dig what I am up to! Cheers from YELLOW BIRD THREAD WORKS.
P.S. Have a look a Shawns ETSY page if you have a moment. Heck, buy something too!