Skip to main content

Behind The Scenes | Employee Spotlight

Today we are continuing to show a little more behind the scenes of what makes Fabric Mart so special. Aden, whom we featured last week, isn't alone in his fabric describing adventures. We sat down & asked another one of our lovely fabric describers the same questions... Let's get to know Kayla!

Who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm originally from the east end of Long Island! A mom to two cats, I spend most of my time playing video games, watching soccer (go NYCFC!), prepping a Dungeons and Dragons game, and thinking about various sewing projects. If I'm lucky I might even start one of those projects! Currently planning costumes for PAX Unplugged in December!

How long have you worked at Fabric Mart?

It'll be 2 years this October!

What are your main responsibilities? What do you do?

Photographing new fabrics for the website, running them through photoshop to make sure the photos accurately reflect the fabric, and describing said fabrics.

What’s your favorite thing about working at Fabric Mart?

Riffing on fabric related beer names with Aden, like the Lawn Lager and Ponte Knit Pilsner for our dream Fabric Mart spinoff microbrewery.

What question are you asked the most?

"What are you doing?" While cutting swatches for the Julie's Picks swatch club.

Do you consider yourself crafty?

I do! I have a background in technical theatre, and have been working on props, sets, lights, all sorts of background theatre things for nearly a decade.  Ironically costuming is the part I have the least experience in! I picked up sewing in earnest during the pandemic. I made a bunch of little plushies as Christmas presents that year. 

Favorite thing to do outside of work? Any hobbies?

Besides obsessing over my two cats?

Do you collect anything?

Half started hobbies.  Re: a bin full of candle making supplies, a keyboard, a second bin of felt for plushies, etc. None of which have been touched in well over a year.  Oops.

What is a TV show you are currently binging?

Criminal Minds and Animal Planet's The Zoo. And I'm about to start my yearly Over The Garden Wall rewatch 🍂

If you could only eat one dish for every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Pasta, in its many forms. 

Drop some knowledge… What’s the best advice you were ever given?

"Stop stressing and send the damn email."

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Keep tagging us on Instagram in your Fabric Mart makes! I love seeing what everyone is making. Especially when it's a fabric I described!

Comments

  1. Kayla, it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for your wonderful descriptions. How well you and Aden describe FM fabrics keeps me coming back again and again for new, yummy pieces!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Made by a Fabricista: What to Make with Silk Taffeta

You may have noticed that Fabric Mart has a *HUGE* selection of silk taffeta right now.  A lot of it is either large plaid or large stripes.   I was curious about it, and not really sure what I could make with it, but I just knew it would be gorgeous fabric and had to play around with it.  Turns out, it's actually great for quite a range of projects!  The dress above is my third project. Let me show you the first two. My first was to make some queen size pillow shams.  They are the plaid ones in the back of the photo.  I also made the two printed ones in the center from another Fabric Mart home dec fabric special!  I wanted to make the covers removable with a zipper, and include a braided trim.  As luck would have it, I found a whole card of braided trim at an estate sale that worked with my taffeta for just $2! To start, I used a zipper foot to stitch down the braided trim all around one side of the pillow. Then I serged ...

Made By A Fabricista: Mechanic Chic!

When it comes to buying ready-to-wear garments as a sewist, I only ever spend in three categories: heavy duty winter jackets (life in Maine!), bras… and jumpsuits! I love a good jumpsuit, but unfortunately the ones I used to buy have been impacted by the tariff situation and I can’t get them affordably anymore. This can only mean one thing, folks: it’s time to roll up my sleeves and sew my very first jumpsuit!  When I started planning for this project, I knew I wanted to use a heavyweight linen for cozy comfort in the fall and breathability in the summer. I wanted something that would wear beautifully and soften with age, and something with neutral tones that could go with everything. Naturally, when I came across this 100% linen canvas on Fabric Mart, my heart skipped a beat! I love the ikat-inspired geometry and something about it reminds me of leopard spots too. Bold yet wearable! I am pretty sure this fabric was intended for home decor which I don’t mind at all and in fact of...

Made By A Fabricista: Tried and true summer basics that fit.

Happy Summer Friends! As I am writing this, we are headed into a nasty heat wave…so the timing could not be better to share two of my favorite summer patterns and fabrics.  But first, let me tell you about the fail I had heading into this month’s blog… As Fabricista’s, we get to pick out fabric for each of our blog submissions. I fell in love with this gorgeous lilac jacquard knit that I thought would be perfect for a pop of color in my summer wardrobe. But I made a fatal error - I grabbed a pattern I haven’t made for years, quickly went up one size to account for a few new pounds, and sewed them up. And they don’t fit, will NEVER fit, and will never be worn. Sigh…when will I learn?? Here’s a flat lay pic so we can at least look at the lovely fabric: The lesson I learned (relearned!) is that just like with off the rack clothes, the things that worked well for me years ago don’t work well for me today.  And that’s the case with both tops and bottoms. So I went back to two patt...

Made By A Fabricista: Burnside Bibs

Hi everyone, this is Byrd with my latest Fabricista make! If you’re looking for the perfect handmade piece for spring and summer travel, these just might be it. This time around I’m sewing up the Burnside Bibs by Sew House Seven using Fabric Mart’s gorgeous Aquamarine/Umber Brown 100% Cotton Floral Artisan Batiks Jungle Dreams by Robert Kaufman. From the moment I saw this fabric, I was completely drawn in by the colors. The combination of aquamarine, brown, and cream feels both earthy and vibrant, making it perfect for warm weather sewing. I immediately knew it would make an incredible spring or summer garment. I’m a longtime fan of Robert Kaufman fabrics and always appreciate the quality and artistry behind the prints. As always, and especially because this is 100% cotton, I gave the fabric a thorough wash and dry before cutting into it. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way over the years that addressing potential shrinkage before sewing is always worth the extra time. This blouse is...