The art of the restart

Tremor Textiles, as you find it today, began in lockdown, as we find most things did these days. How crazy is it that lockdown was 5 years ago. I’d made a few things for friends, all out of crochet back then, and had received the few usual comments of ‘this is great, you could sell these you know’. In fact, my first ever commissioned piece was a fuzzy grey bunny that I made for a friend’s daughter, who was due to have a baby, for which I charged the high high price of £30. I can happily say that that is still the proudest thirty quid I have ever made.

Next came the earrings – daffodils, shells, and crowns, if I remember rightly – all hand made and presented on little cards that I made myself which sported my carefully thought-out business name ‘Tremor Textiles’. These were posted on Etsy and the hardly followed (as it remains) Instagram account, and although I didn’t sell a single one, everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Eventually, I went back to university and my little crochet empire was pushed to the side.

Those of you who have known TT from the start – hello, all 3 of you – will know that the website has evolved many times. Its first version was one put hastily together as part of my journalism course at Uni, complete with a mismatched colour scheme and a singular blog post that gained one view from my mother, and perhaps one from my Nan. Version 2.0 with its almost psychedelic green icons arrived in July 2023, and toned down a little in January 2024. Then abandoned once again.

Aesthetic, when it comes to my brand, has always been the main source of struggle. Of course, people love a floral, and anything to do with nature, especially in the hand embroidery community, and although I made some designs I loved, it all felt a little bit prim and proper for me. I wanted to create something more raw, more individual, and my god, isn’t originality an overwhelming prospect.

Having a complete lack of any sort of audience – sorry, no offence – is somewhat of a blessing in this case. You can change the ‘vibes’ as many times as you like and go virtually undetected. If history is anything to go by, I will probably do it again in the next 5 years. But the goals are different now. Back in 2020, I wanted, as much as it shames me to admit it, to be like the small art businesses I saw on TikTok. Sell out sales, high quantity of products, and just find a way to make money. The gaze has shifted now to building a community of likeminded crafters, who all delight in creating art that they love, even if to an outsider it is far from perfect. I want people to use this site as a place to look away from the perfect garments and complex embroideries that fill their insta feed, and remember that if you just like sewing, that’s totally okay too. I declare the name of our little community shall be the Tremor Chaos Collective! Use the hashtag liberally and with gusto!

The other push away from creating a high volume of handmade products was the task of it. I know by now that when it comes to creativity, I can barely stand any form of repetition, so ask me to make more than 2 of an original item and you will find that I avoid my sewing machine for weeks. I want to delight in the individuality of the pieces that I create, and it’s extra special that there is only one piece like it out there in the world, that only one person gets to own.

Another reason for the so far fizzled-out nature of this miniature excuse for a small business is a lack of routine. I thrive on it, and sure, giving myself the freedom of just creating a blog post whenever I want is creatively liberating, it also acts as an excuse to avoid it. However, I know from personal experience that unrealistic goals can be just as damaging. So lets start it slow, shall we? Three main posts a month comprising of one diary entry, one stitching story (I can’t wait to talk sewing with all of you!) and one make of the month.

So that puts us here, at attempt number 4/5. Now a full grown adult, with a big girl job, having my ‘screw it, let’s try this again’ moment.

Keep and eye on the website, Instagram and maybe the odd TikTok for this small business rollercoaster. Except I’m the only one riding it, and for some reason this rollercoaster keeps needing to be repaired…