Our Story
That’s Sew Karen's foundation is built with a love of creativity, sustainability, and giving forgotten pieces a second chance. What started as a passion for sewing and thrifting quickly became a way to turn discarded fabrics, clothing, and materials into something beautiful and completely unique.
In a world of fast fashion and mass production, That’s Sew Karen was created to celebrate individuality. Every piece is thoughtfully handmade and designed to have its own personality, story, and charm just like you.
clothing should feel special, not disposable.
We believe fashion can be both expressive and sustainable. By reworking thrifted materials into one-of-a-kind designs, we hope to inspire more conscious shopping while creating pieces that help people feel confident, creative, and unapologetically themselves.
No two pieces are exactly alike and that’s what makes them special.
My Story
I don't know if you guessed it, but my name is Karen :) and I am the very proud creator of That’s Sew Karen.
I’ve been sewing since I was around eight years old. As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved clothes and fashion. Back in the day, there was a show on Disney Channel featuring an inspiring teenage psychic who loved fashion and designed her own clothes. I wanted to be just like her. That show inspired my social media usernames, which eventually inspired the name of this company. can guess the show?
Sewing has always been something I love, but as you probably know, life comes with a lot of ups and downs. For a long time, I stopped sewing altogether. I was focused on school and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and sewing got pushed to the back burner.
After graduating college with a bachelor’s degree in business, I still had no idea what I wanted to do. After another year of searching, I decided to become a preschool teacher, so I went back to school and earned my master’s degree in early childhood education. I started teaching, and I truly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the pay was not allowing me to make ends meet, so I took on a second job helping with marketing for a quilting company.
At that job, I got to make videos of sewing quilts, and it sparked my love of sewing all over again.
I worked both jobs for about a year, but the stress of balancing them (along with my own mental health struggles) eventually became too much. I left my second job, and after experiencing difficulties at my teaching job, I ended up leaving.
During this time, I was also part of an intensive mental health program that helped me process trauma and learned how to use therapeutic coping tools. Through that experience, I found a new love for myself and a confidence in my abilities that I had been missing for a long time. It was an incredibly difficult journey, and I am forever grateful for all of the support I received along the way.
Through all of this, I felt reborn and finally ready to follow my dreams.
Just like the clothes I create, I am one of one. And so are you. There is no other you in the world, and that is what makes us special. Just like these clothes, we all deserve a second chance, a rebirth, or even just a little upgrade. That’s Sew Karen is not only a way for me to follow my dreams and create unique, wearable art, but it’s also a way to give clothing a new life and help it reach the full potential it deserves.
Thank you for taking the time to see my work and to see me. I hope you feel inspired to give these clothes a second chance at life… and most importantly, TREAT YOURSELF!