After being in lockdown for 8 of the last 12 months it has been wonderful to finally open our doors. We want to give a huge thank you to all our loyal customers who continued to give their support through online ordering and ‘click & collect’ (we are still offering this service as still lots of people prefer to shop from home).
We’ve had some huge deliveries of beautiful new summer pieces, new products are being added to the website every day.
It’s certainly been a year to remember and so much stress and loss for so many. Here at Scape we’ve tried to keep focusing on the positives, looking at new ways of doing things, keeping us and our customers safe, looking towards things we can do rather than things we can’t & protecting our mental health.
For me personally I have used lockdown to create a healthier lifestyle with lots of walks in the countryside and along the beach, taken up paddle boarding, cold water swimming and am currently rearing a litter of 7 gorgeous puppies, something I never would have envisaged doing 3 years ago when owning a dog was just a distant dream.
So many others have also used the Covid restrictions and lockdown to turn a catastrophe into an opportunity and I want to share one such story with you of my dear friend Louise...
Hi my name’s Louise and I’m a friend of lovely Lisa who I’ve known since my childhood. I’m a seamstress working in the field of my dream job which I set up exactly a year ago and have wondered why on earth I never did it sooner but let me tell you a bit about how and why I finally got there.
As a young girl I loved making clothes for my Pippa dolls which were tiny and recently I recalled my mum suggesting I try hemming a pair of jeans which I proudly hand stitched in red thread. I clearly remember the look of horror on her face and I looked back to realise I’d made massive thick running stitches which were not acceptable in any shape or form. I think from that moment on I knew the importance of precise sewing and to be honest I’m sure my school thought I was only good at sewing and art. But I had the best ‘old school' teacher who gave up holding me back and let me work at my own faster pace. I went on to art college and studied fashion but never knew how I’d use it and instead worked in my family pizza business for years.
In more recent years, recognising a great lack of dressmaking skills in schools I decided to get the qualifications in order to teach but soon realised that wasn’t for me. I chose to study for myself and got on the costume construction course connected to the Royal Opera House whilst also working voluntarily as wardrobe mistress for our local theatre society. I did that for three years and had some amazing experiences.
I had my own cleaning business which I enjoyed but it wasn't helping my health, then last year at the beginning of lockdown, thinking I’d be taking a few weeks out, I asked a local online group if anyone would like me to make them masks in return for an NHS donation. This went crazy and over 500 masks a few weeks later I was able to donate £1000 cash to Southend hospital.
I absolutely loved being back at my machine, sometimes till 2am and immediately knew this was what I wanted to do permanently. I’d built up a fantastic customer base and just went for it.
My health really improved and the time was just right to change my career. Through all the previous years I hadn’t recognised this outlet and I wouldn’t have known how to promote my business but I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect reason to finally start and 12 months later I’m altering some weird and wonderful items, making some bespoke clothing and being inundated with bridal work. I couldn’t ask for a better job.
You can find my business Seamstress by the Sea on Facebook, Instagram and Google.