And now it is Summer at the farm!

August 12, 2020 by ThreadTheory 16 Comments

Wow, Summer is certainly our busy season this year! Since the pandemic began Thread Theory has become exceptionally active so we are actually thankful that Matt’s usual work is at a stand still so he can join in to pack orders, do runs to the post office, and keep up on emails. I have been helping with this and also chugging along at pattern development. One pattern is completely done and just waiting for our graphic designer (my sister-in-law) to come back from maternity leave and add in our test sewer feedback. The next pattern is well under way! I’ve got most of the instructions roughed in. This has been more time consuming than our past couple of patterns because it is a very involved design full of all manner of construction details – topstitching, a full lining, zippered pockets, elasticated cuffs and much more. Perhaps you can guess what it is?

Outside of Thread Theory, homestead life is, predictably, at it’s most busy time too! We’ve finally settled on a name for our property – Forgotten Pond Farm – after setting out to put a small tadpole pond in our fern garden only to discover a huge concrete-lined pond is already there! It had simply been filled in with stones and dirt at some point. We have been excitedly digging and cleaning it out. After one last chance to dry in the sun we will build some rock ledges for plants and then fill it with water! I can’t wait for the frogs to take up residence!

Our garden is pumping out zucchini, kale, collards, garlic, potatoes, beans and more. The only disappointing harvest has been tomatoes so far as they have a very dismal case of late blight. We have built a bit of a cold room off our kitchen (it used to be an unused entry way that we’ve closed in and put up shelving and added ventilation). I can’t believe how quickly it is filling up with food! So far most of my preserving efforts have involved dehydrating, curing, and freezing but I plan to launch into canning once blackberries and tomatoes are fully ripe in a week or two.

You may have noticed I have been silent on social media. I must say, I don’t miss it! Personally, I was finding Instagram, in particular, to be a huge drain on my positivity and confidence. Professionally, Matt and I felt we had to clear the airwaves to leave these platforms free for those who need them for social change rather than marketing right now. We purposely didn’t make any statement on the pandemic or on racial equality since we have the perspective that any such statement would not be truly genuine – as a business, any post we make is a form of marketing (whether we intend it to be or not) and thus we don’t feel an important social statement would come across as genuine on the social media account of any business. Personally, I am more than happy to talk with you about the subject! Our business will not though.

Now that we’ve stepped off of social media and given ourselves some time to digest how we feel about using such platforms as a business, I am feeling quite happy with my decision. I feel like I can connect with other sewists most genuinely by blogging and reading blogs so I am reverting to that format of engaging with the sewing community online regardless on the impact this might have on Thread Theory financially.

Please feel free to continue using various Thread Theory hashtags if they are helpful to you… but please never feel obligated to do so when you post about our patterns! If you prefer to keep your sewing projects private or shared just amidst your friends and family, there is absolutely no obligation on your part to promote our patterns using hashtags. We have always been a little mystified by the sense of obligation I have read many people express when they sew with indie sewing patterns. Despite being a small family run company and despite the fact that we love how a community of menswear sewists has developed through use of our patterns (I can’t believe how active the Facebook group is) I have never felt comfortable with the role many of our customers set themselves. You have purchased our patterns and we thank you for that! You do not need to spend your precious creative time reviewing them, sharing them and otherwise marketing them unless this is also something that enriches your life!

All that being said, the Thread Theory social media accounts will remain active for now as I have committed many years of work on them and I know many of you enjoy engaging with them. I’ll just refrain from engaging myself and may make a more permanent decision later. For now it seems to me there is no reason to actually close them.

Now, I’ll get back to my sewing machine and pattern development (and hanging out with little Noah!), as that is really why you all check in with Thread Theory, after all… you are waiting for more sewing patterns so you can get busy at your machines too! Happy sewing to all of you and thank you ever so much for reading about my life and my current perspective on social media. Please don’t hesitate to share your opinions in the comments as I know many of you differ in how you expect small businesses to act on social media. I look forward to hearing the diverse array of perspectives.