Where It All Began
I started with fat quarters — you know, the kind you bought for $3.95 at the fabric store. Pacific Fabrics, back when they still had a storefront in Bellevue, was my go-to. I was a mom on a budget with a business idea. That first bow wasn’t perfect, but it was something. It was a product I made with my own hands (and a sewing machine) and not just a pretty piece of fabric. And it planted the seed for what would become Fig & Moss.
As my confidence and skills grew, so did my materials. I began investing in Japanese double gauze, Liberty lawns, and silks from Mood Fabrics — choosing premium textiles that matched my vision. I don’t know what was more fun — adding these amazing looking textiles to cart, or getting them in the mail and break opening those mailers to get to what magic was inside.
Building While Mothering
Running a handmade business while raising three kids isn’t exactly a slow-brew setup. It’s more like boiling three pots at once — with velvet dye in one, lunchboxes in another, and a simmering to-do list that never seems to cool.
But from the very beginning, motherhood wasn’t a barrier to my work — it was the work. The bows I made were for my daughter. The soft textures, the playful colors, the dreamy details — they were designed for tiny hands, family photos, and moments I knew would become memories. My kids weren’t just part of my life; they were stitched into the brand.
Of course, there were nap-time hustle sessions, late-night sewing marathons, and plenty of times when orders were packed on the playroom floor while someone built Legos beside me. It wasn’t glamorous — but it was real. And the customers I connected with? They got it. They were moms, grandmas, gift-givers, people who understood that handmade means imperfect and heartfelt and human.
Some days, I wanted more time. Other days, I was so proud of what I was doing I could burst. The throughline? I never stopped showing up — to motherhood, to creativity, to my dream. Fig & Moss was built in those tiny cracks of time that mothers learn how to stretch like magic.
The Velvet Underground
It was around 2019 when I leaned into velvet and felt the difference. Something clicked. The luxe texture, the rich colors — it felt like an elevation of everything I’d been working toward. And when I started dyeing velvet myself in 2021, it deepened even more. I was no longer just designing — I was creating from the very fabric up. Eventually, it evolved into a small-batch dye practice in my home studio, where each piece of velvet is now hand-dyed with intention and artistry. No two cuts are ever exactly the same.
That’s when I stopped calling it a side hustle. Fig & Moss had become a studio, a brand, a reflection of who I am as both a maker and a mother.
Of course, the velvet dyeing journey deserves its own deep dive — the messy, magical, alchemical process of turning white yardage into luminous, soul-soaked fabric? That’s a story for another day.
Tiny Keepsakes, Big Memories
There’s a certain kind of magic that happens when something you made — with your own two hands — becomes a part of someone else’s story.
I’ve had customers tag Fig & Moss in their family photos — birthday mornings, Easter egg hunts, first-day-of-school smiles, twirling through fall leaves in matching flannel and bows. Sometimes it’s a Christmas tree in the background, or a proud little girl blowing out candles.
And there it is — a bow I made, woven into that moment.
One of the most meaningful pieces I’ve ever created is the Birthday Bow — a velvet keepsake with a hand-stitched cake appliqué and teardrop gems for candles. I personalize the number of candles with age up to five, and some moms tag my shop on birthday pictures every year. It’s more than an accessory — it’s an heirloom.
That’s the heart of Fig & Moss. Not just to make pretty things, but to offer pieces that carry weight, that hold memory. Because the details matter. And sometimes, the smallest ones — a bow, a sparkle, a perfect tie — are the ones that stay with us the longest.
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