Questions. It seems some of you have had a few of these. Questions about how this journey of WHOBREY began, and how it all came to life considering my career background is not in fashion.
So, considering I am a natural storyteller and love to share stories, I thought I would take this month of February to do just that. To bring you on the decades long path that brought me here to this point and brought WHOBREY directly to you.
And so we begin...
I come from a long line of seamstresses and sewers. I come from incredibly hard working women with an eye for detail and a critical need to provide for their loved ones and themselves, which they did through their skill of sewing.
I feel a strong sense of responsibility to keep that family tradition and timeless skill of sewing alive.
As a child, I fondly remember “sewing days” at my grandmother’s home in rural Kentucky. Mamaw Betty and I would gather in a back room in her basement that was a makeshift office/sewing room. The room held a massive rolltop desk that didn't quite meet my natural Type A organization requirements, an ironing board that was always ready to go, a wall full of threads and other sewing notions, and an endless array of pieces of thread on the floor that always seemed to be there regardless if sweeping had occurred. Each “sewing day” would focus on a different project, and every lesson taken at her side increased my interest in sewing and my confidence in learning the skill and craft. I have vivid memories of having a sewing day in May one year, right around my grandmother’s birthday. After spending hours working in the back room, we arose to look out the basement doors to discover it was snowing outside, in May! Kentucky weather is, well, interesting.
Over the last several years, I have been on a journey to cleanse unneeded products in my home, to perhaps minimize the clutter and maximize my space and, thus, my time. (Which proved to be very helpful considering we moved last year...) In this process of cleaning through boxes in my basement, I discovered a neatly folded stack of clothes that Mamaw and I had made during our “sewing days”.
It felt like such a surreal moment. A reminder of a time and season of my life filled with fond memories that I had placed in the back of my mind and hadn’t recalled for quite some time. The experience was like walking through a time capsule. An apron we made for my younger brother because he wanted to help us bake chocolate chip cookies. A three piece striped ensemble of shorts, capris, and tank top that I specifically remember wearing to school on multiple occasions. A gorgeous, white lace tank top that felt calm and lovely that I also remember wearing. And a dress that took my breath away...A dress that we made that possessed a silhouette so similar to the Monroe dress I designed for my first collection that it seemed to have been held unconsciously in my mind for nearly 30 years.
Recently, I visited my Mamaw Betty and informed her of my discovery of our treasures we crafted in her basement many, many years ago. She specifically remembered the dress, and exactly the event I wore it to, which I didn’t personally recall. The moment we shared, that recalling of those special days gone by, and the physical proof that we had of those memorable lessons, was lovely. Mamaw looked at me and said, “Would you have ever thought you would be doing what you’re doing now?”, followed by, “Do you think that’s where your love of this all started?”
I smiled and responded, “Yes, yes, I do.”
What gratitude I have for Mamaw teaching me a skill I was so interested in from a young age, for introducing me to a passion that I privately held locked in my chest and gut for years before ever bringing it to the public light.
So, I ask you, what passion have you held close to your chest, locked tight without sharing it with the world? What would happen if you finally pursued it?
Send me an email at whobrey@whobreythreads.com and share your story with me. I would consider it a privilege. I am a natural storyteller, I love to listen to others, and your secret is safe with me.
(P.S. - I have a master’s degree in counseling and worked as a school counselor in my previous life. I’ve got the listening skills and confidentiality thing down pat.)