Finding My Creative

By Stace Yater-Wallace

Have you ever lost your “creative?” I did. I had been without it for probably 8 years. How did I lose it, you might ask? Well, you have all most likely had it happen to you at one time or another. Life gets in the way. Sometimes creative creeps away; other times … boom! it’s just gone.

Luckily, I got my creative back. It took a bout of cancer, a year or two in a job that stole it away, and my sheer determination, but I got it back. This time around, however, I wanted my creative to follow some rules. You see, I have been self-employed quite a few times.  To my great satisfaction, I was able to keep most of it financially worthwhile.

Having kids pretty much zapped me. Aside from sewing clothes for them, and teaching sewing in my Girl Scout troop, I didn’t pick up a needle. Then, my youngest child hit his fame as a freestyle skier, and I became his manager/agent. My husband, meanwhile, was unavailable, so I was parent to both of our children. I had no free time to be creative, not like when I was a child.

I grew up in the textile business. I began sewing at the age of 4 or 5. My mom was a seamstress. I made all of my clothes, and I made them to look different than “normal” fashions of the 60s. I also worked in theater sewing; making costumes.

I grew up in southern California; Santa Barbara. My Mom made bikinis and swim trunks, and started her own company, The Bikini Factory in Summerland, CA. (my Dad made surf boards, Yater Surfboards). Making things with my hands was in my blood.

I created my first clothing line, Cabbage Patch, at age 15. I sold it in local stores. When I moved with my sewing machine to Aspen, CO at 21, I started a children’s resort wear line of t-shirts, High in the Tee Tops, while I was working as a nanny. There was a lack of this kind of clothing. It grew into a line sold in resorts all over the U.S.

Recently, I began to sew again. I was finally able to sit down and find my “creative.” I’ve designed a new line of children’s clothing, “Sew What?” that is just getting off the ground. It was important, before I started again, to have a business that made sense financially. I wanted to follow a set of parameters, and not design on the fly.

I also wanted to help other people make a living, and these days, it’s sad to say, that doesn’t always happen. My line needed to be made from comfortable fabrics that kids would love to wear. I wanted the clothes to never fall out of season or fashion. And it had to follow the “mix, don’t match” rule.

My clothes had to feel soft and cozy, and appeal to a range of ages. Above all, they had to be fun to sew, so I could let my creative side flow when I designed a piece.  This new line meets all of my goals, and more importantly, I really like the clothes, and think that the kids will, too. Finding my “creative” took a while, but I’m happy it came back. It was there all the time; I just had to let myself take a minute to find it again.

Stace looks at a piece of fabric and sees a costume or a dress or a set of curtains. Also a wonderful baker, anything she makes with her hands is a work of art.  Handiwork comes easily to Stace, so it is fitting that her “creative” makes good use of her natural talents. When she’s not out exploring in her Vanagon, she is doing something to help others, and now with Sew What? for herself!