Occasionally we like to use this space to help you get to know the ASDP membership a little better. With the speed of business, technology, and life ever increasing, it can leave us feeling a certain disconnect from our communities and our peers. One of the most fantastic benefits of being a member of the ASDP is that it connects sewing professionals to one another when we are often sole-proprietors going it along.
This month, we'd like to introduce you to new member, Abby Stroot. Abby is the superb owner of Pincushion, A Sewing Shop, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
My name is Abby Stroot and I grew up in Andover, Kansas where I started sewing in middle school as a part of our local 4-H group. I am a third generation seamstress; both of my grandmothers made beautiful quilts and my mother made every school formal dress and Halloween costume I could come up with. After middle school, I got very involved in my high school theatre program. Throughout my high school years I volunteered with the Music Theatre of Wichita, working in various departments of the theatre. It wasn’t until college that I became more involved in costuming. I graduated from Wichita State University with my Bachelors in Theatre and during my time there I worked as a stitcher for the theatre costume shop. During the summer, I worked as Head of Wardrobe for the same theatre that I had initially volunteered for. As a member of Wardrobe, I spent most of my time working backstage during performances and some of the time working on alterations in the Costume Shop. After college, I worked for a touring production for awhile and eventually landed in Las Vegas.
When I first moved to Las Vegas, I didn’t really know anyone so I got involved in the community theatres as a way to meet people. In my first year in Vegas, I costume designed for over 10 productions across various theatres. Along with my volunteer designing for the theatres, I started working for Cirque du Soleil as a Wardrobe Attendant. I had been working for Cirque for 5 years when I decided to take the huge step of opening my own sewing shop.
The great thing about Vegas is that the artistic energy is everywhere and there are so many work opportunities within the city. I found myself and several of my friends working on various freelance gigs across the city. The only problem was that we were all trying to make masterpieces out of our tiny living spaces. There are so many stories of people turning their kitchen floors into a cutting space or trying to make a costume on their small dining table. This is where the idea for Pincushion sprang from. I felt that the city needed a space for people to make their masterpieces and not feel cramped. Office co-working spaces are such a huge industry right now, so why couldn’t we have an artistic co-working space? I wanted Pincushion to be a comfortable shop where people could come in and have the space to work on their own projects or to learn something new in a casual atmosphere.
Right now, Pincushion offers all things sewing. We do alterations, make custom orders, and offer sewing classes ranging from basics to advanced techniques. We also offer a rentable sewing work space, and we offer consignment retail for local artisans. We are in the heart of the Arts District in Las Vegas and we couldn’t be in a more perfect spot. The local businesses in the Arts District are incredibly supportive and everyone is very excited to help each other out. The Arts District is growing more and more every day and we look forward to what opportunities that means for Pincushion.
I’m really looking forward to the learning opportunities through ASDP, whether it’s at conference or through other member offers. Everyone has different tips and tricks to how they do things and I’m always interested in ways to improve my existing skills.
