Latest / The Hands That Make / S1 E3: Cassidy, Eben Quilting Co. ~ Joy in the Season You're In, Alignment, and Navigating Change
Transcript
- Casey: Hi, and welcome to The Hands That Make, a podcast for conversations about making things, running businesses, and raising our kids all at the same time. For this episode, I'm joined by Cassidy of Eben Quilting Co. Cassidy is the heart, hands, mother, and quilter behind Eben. She sews timeless handmade heirloom quilts out of her Tennessee home. While Legos are being built and baby dolls are rocked to sleep. Cassidy has so much creativity and wisdom to share about building a business in a season of change and unknown while maintaining the balance of what's truly most important to their family and I can't wait to share our conversation with you. This episode of The Hands That Make is sponsored by Bear Hands. As a busy mom running a handmade business, I use my hands often. You can usually find me sewing, baking, making, moving, and creating, and for me, this means I prefer to have unpolished fingernails. I love the beauty of using my hands to create heirlooms that will last through generations, but quite honestly can't stand watching my hands make these works of art or nourishing food for my family with chip paint on my nails. The Bear Hands Dry Glass Manicure bridges the gap for me of wanting cared for and polished hands without the toxins, chips, and upkeep required with nail polish. I can care for my hands and the margins of time that come in this season of life in a way that fits my work, arts, and lifestyle. You can find the Bear Hands Draglass Manicure Kit and more non toxic hand and foot care essentials linked in the show notes below. Let's get to today's episode. Cassidy Gray: Yes. Yeah, this is awesome. Okay. Casey: Super exciting. Yeah. So why don't we start with you? Who are you? does life look like for you? Where are you at? Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. Well I'm Cassidy Gray. So I'm the hands behind Eben Quilting Co. I am a mom to two amazing kids. So I have a four, almost four and a half year old, and then I have a two and a half year old. and then I'm married to my high school sweetheart. So we've been together since we were like fifteen. Which is crazy. It's like the Casey: So sweet. I love that. Cassidy Gray: majority of our life at this point, now that we're getting into our later twenties, and we're like, what Casey: Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: was life literally what was life before we've been together? So which is really cool. Casey: Yeah. Yeah, no, that's really cool. And I Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. Casey: I was not with my husband in high school, but we started dating in college and it really it feels like you grow up together. Like even from college, you go through so many different life seasons and looking back at who I was when I was twenty when we met, that's I am not the same person and you are not the same person and Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: yeah, that's and I can only imagine how much greater that would be thinking back to high school. Cassidy Gray: Yes. Yes, yeah. Well it's like all those weird phases. Yeah, it's like all those weird phases. Casey: Little little high school me Cassidy Gray: You go in and you're like, you saw me at like that phase and you still loved me? Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: No. Casey: Yeah, my husband and I have talked about before, maybe being glad that we didn't know each other in high school. But no, I think that's so special. Cassidy Gray: Totally. Totally. Well I laughed. My husband used to have really long like he dyed his hair black. He went through a grungy phase before I met him. And so I remember seeing pictures of that and being like, We would not be here today if you had that hair. You were in that phase. So it's funny. Casey: feel that's such a special testament to I don't know your commitment to each other and your commitment to marriage to really have years and years of growing with each other and loving each other through different seasons and as you become different people that's I don't know I love that Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah, it's been fun and it really is. I know, it's kind of a thing right now to be like, Well, I am somebody outside of all of these roles and I totally am but at the same time they are such a huge part of who I am and I don't ever wanna diminish that because I am alive. That is a huge part of who I am. Casey: Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: and I really do love it. Like I do we we joke we shook hands at fifteen and I was like, I wanna stay home with our babies and he like, Well, I wanna like work and provide and I was like, I don't know why let's do it. So we're Casey: Yeah. Dale. Seriously. Cassidy Gray: Live a dream and it's just been amazing. So Yeah. Yeah. It is. It's amazing. Casey: That's awesome. I love that. 'Cause it is the dream. It is the dream. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So tell us more about Eben Quilting Crow. What what what is your business? Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. Heirloom quality quilts. I will do pre-made custom, but custom has definitely taken the spotlight in the last few months. I have possibly a little drop of some pre-made coming up soon. but yeah, custom has definitely taken the spotlight, which has been amazing. I just dabbled into releasing patterns, so I have one pattern out available right now, and then I have one in the works that's out with some testers, and then of course, a million ideas of other. Casey: Right. Cassidy Gray: quilt patterns that are always floating around in my mind that are one day gonna happen. So but yeah. Casey: Seriously. Yeah. No, that's a beautiful treasure trove to have. But I I can relate to that of just having Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: so many ideas and wanting to do them all right now. And but just the nature of quilting is it takes a lot of time. It's not a fast process to write a pattern Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yes. Casey: or to to make your first round and to test it and it's yeah, I wish I could put them all out there right now, but it's impossible. Cassidy Gray: I know There's times where I just have to get it out of my mind and I have to write it down on a piece of paper and like okay it's gonna go in the drawer now, but at least Casey: Yes. Mm hmm. Yep. Cassidy Gray: it's like put down somewhere and it can be released from my mind. So yeah, it's Casey: Yes. Yes. Cassidy Gray: been really fun. I love the challenge of stepping into something new. I love quilting. I don't like the redundancy of doing the same pattern over and over. So doing new patterns, doing the custom quilts especially is so fun for me. Getting to just have another challenge, something to think. about whether it's baby clothes or it's they want to change something in this pattern or whatever it is they're always different and I love that so much so that's been so fun. Casey: Yeah, I believe it. And I I love the the feeling of bringing somebody else's vision to life and I can only imagine how amplified that is with like the baby quilt or baby clothes in the quilts. Just how special that is to turn that into something that that family will treasure forever. Cassidy Gray: Absolutely. I remember my first box that I got of baby clothes and I was emotional going through her baby. They weren't my baby's clothes, Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: but they were hers. And I was like tearing up going through all these newborn zero to three month 2T clothes. I was like, this is a whole box of just the most precious memories ever. And I was trusted to do whatever I want with them basically. And so I don't take that lightly. That's such an honor and I truly like I love it so much. Casey: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I was talking with somebody else about just the nature of making a keepsake or something that's gonna become an heirloom. And I feel there's so much weight to it and it's easy to be like, it's just embroidery, it's just quilting, it's just it's just I don't know. I feel like it's something Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: But there I I really do feel there is so much weight in that and especially with baby clothes or making a baby quilt for somebody, it's just it feels weightier than maybe like just the surface level image. I don't know. Cassidy Gray: Totally, yeah. And I think that's the dichotomy in motherhood is like we're so excited for them to get bigger and it's so fun watching them grow into the people they were created to be, but then at the same time you miss those younger years and so getting to be trusted with like, okay, you can hang on to those younger years a little bit in this quilt or with these precious things that you've given me, but also look forward to the future because a lot of these moms are using them for like quilts as they get into bigger beds and things. So not only are they full of the younger year memories, but they also being created in those older years and so that's just been so special too. Casey: Yeah. Yeah, I get really sentimental thinking about larger size quilts and how they're gonna be used on the road. They might be on their big kid bed, they might be on a guest bed in their house someday. Like I just that's so special. I don't yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: I love that so much. Casey: so how long have you been sewing? How long have you been quilting? How long have you had Eben Quilting Co. Cassidy Gray: So I think this shocks a lot of people when I talk about it. But Ebon has been open as Ebon Quilting Co. for about five months now. super fresh, super new, and has definitely just blown up within the last three to four months, which has been amazing. Yeah, I've been sewing for sewing and quilting. I learned at the same time for about two years now. after our second baby was born, our daughter. I just found myself really needing to use my hands. Sorry about that. I sound Casey: No worries. Cassidy Gray: really needing to like use my hands just to like create. I just felt this longing and I've always been crafty, but now as a mom I wanted something that was also kind of productive that I could use I could use for my family as well. And so my grandmother quilts and sews, and she has my whole life. She made us like, you know, Halloween costumes and quilts and all of that. And so I just asked her for advice. I was like, hey, if I were to get a sewing machine, like, which one would you recommend? And she was like, Well, it's kind of funny. I've been waiting for someone to ask, but I have an old sewing machine that I've kept ready to just be passed on. And she was like, I'd also love to like teach you the basics and get you started. And I was like, sign me up. Let's do it. Casey: Yeah, seriously. Cassidy Gray: And at the time our our daughter was only a few months old and so getting those afternoons with her of okay, my husband had the kids, I got to learn a craft, I got to put my hands to something, it was really life changing. It was really something where I was like, Wow, I feel fulfilled in doing this. so eventually I just took her sewing machine home and I ran with it and yeah, I am where I am today. It's just it's just amazing. It's been so fun. Casey: Amazing, yeah. And what a special thing to learn from your grandma. Like, I love the the thought of passing generational skills down and my grandma and my mom both quilt and sew as well. But I didn't start quilting or sewing until after I moved away from home. So I was Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: like, What am I why did I not do this way sooner when I could have asked my I could have gone down to my grandma's house and and Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: asked her to help me and to teach me, but I just Cassidy Gray: Totally. Casey: The the timeline the timeline worked out perfectly and it was what it was, but I was like, I just wish I could just walk over to my grandma or just yeah, go see my mom and say, How do you do this? But Cassidy Gray: I know I call her all the time. I'm like, okay, listen, I'm having an issue. You know, like I need your help, which is such a blessing to have someone just to call instead of having to go to, you know, the quilt shop or whatever and but getting someone to just call up and yeah, I love the generational aspect. My daughter loves my sewing machine and I love I mean there's definitely Casey: Yes. Cassidy Gray: a time and a place, but I love getting for her to just sit on my lap and she sits there and she's like, This is so cool and sometimes she wants to mess with the buttons and things and Casey: Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: but I love the idea of I'm getting to pass this real skill down to her, She doesn't have to go and buy a new shirt if it gets ripped or if a seam rips or something. Like getting to teach those real like life skills. so that's really Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: fun to think about. Casey: Yeah, definitely. I love that stage of when they're small enough to sit on your lap and also just watch and my daughter, she's a little too big to be sitting on my lap while I'm sewing, but she has a little station next to my sewing machine where she'll do her own crafts and then she really likes to press the the scissors button, like the thread cutter on my sewing machine. So whenever Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: I get to the end of a row, I'm like scissors button time and she presses the button and then goes back to her crafts. But yeah, and then even she's never like we've done a few smaller projects where she sat on my lap and I've pressed the pedal and we've moved like we've done scrunchies. but she'll Cassidy Gray: Yeah. cute. Casey: talk like I'm such a good quilter and I just love quilting and it's it's so precious and I love it and I love that that is Yeah. It she'll even my husband and I both work from home too, so then the kids see us working and they'll talk about their jobs and she will often talk Cassidy Gray: Love that. Casey: about my job is quilting and it's so cute. I love it so much. But it's just so special Cassidy Gray: that's amazing. Casey: to yeah, to share those things with with her and and Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: I just want to give her every opportunity to be creative and to make with her hands and to really Yeah, pass that love of just making and and doing down to them. That's Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah, I feel like we were really designed to do that. We were designed to create, use our hands. And sometimes when we're not doing that, like in the midst of motherhood, it can feel like why am I feeling this way? Why am I like feeling the need to do something? And yeah, and it's cool to find an outlet for that where you feel fulfilled and even if it's serving your family in another way. Like that is just so fulfilling and so great. Casey: Yeah, definitely. Well I was going to ask, are there any influential makers or artists in your life or in your family who have taught you or who you've learned Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: from and you've obviously shared about your grandma? Is there anyone else in your life too? Cassidy Gray: My husband's grandmother actually sews and quilts as well. and so I was exposed to that. They are very advanced in their quilting. They do like the long arm quilting and just like very intricate quilt pattern. So like very small pieces, a lot of applique, which obviously isn't necessarily my style of like the larger block work, but I love it. It's been so amazing to see the detail they put in. also getting exposed to the quilting world because I'm still not the most educated when it comes to the technical terms and all these things. I have friends Casey: Yeah. Right? Cassidy Gray: can you teach me to sew? I'm like, I'll teach you how to physically do the thing. But if you have an issue with Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: I'm probably not the person to go to. But Casey: Yeah, definitely. Cassidy Gray: yeah, but it's been really sweet to have them around and get to just glean off of their expertise in what they're doing. I feel like my husband's grandma's always had a quilt show and so it's cool to hear the things that she's l seeing from other quilters around the US and stuff. but yeah, they've really been a big inspiration to me as I've like journeyed into this area. Yeah. Casey: that. And so you said that you've o or you've been running Ebon for five months and such a Cassidy Gray: Yes. Casey: whirlwind of a five months, but what was that moment like for you when you decided to turn your skill and your hobby into a business? Cassidy Gray: Yeah, it actually came out of a need. as much as I had the desire so I've always had a desire to have some sort of small business. And I always imagined it as a brick and mortar, like even from my younger years before we were even married. And obviously that comes with its own challenges that we're not really in the season Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: for right now. But I've always wanted a small business. Ebon was a few things before it was Ebon Quilting Co. And it was just I I did like silhouettes for a minute. I resold some vintage in person at a little booth for a while. And so I always had my my social media up. The branding similar to what it was, but I had told you before we started recording that we had made a big move to Middle Tennessee and my husband had gotten a new job and we were so excited, life was great. We moved out here and that job completely fell through. And so we were in a new location, no family, no friends. Job fell through and we were like, okay, what are we doing here? And so as my husband was in the midst of figuring job stuff out, thank God he has a background. in blue collar and so he was able to get back to work right away. in the midst of all of that it's lots of questions I also had a lot of free time on my hands because it's just me and the kids. We don't have a community built around us just yet that I'm responsible for being part of that village. And I was like well what can I do? Like I don't have a skill set. I don't have a degree like I had mentioned our kind of agreement when we were younger was like I'm gonna stay home with the kids and raise our family and he was gonna work and but I wanted to like do something. And so Eben I already had an Etsy up for what it was previously And I was like, well, I've been told that my quilts are pretty good and I could probably sell them. I might as well try. All I have to do is buy some fabric and get to work. And so I listed a few of pre-made quilts and then I put a listing up for custom quilts and it kind of blew up. And I was like, whoa, people actually want these things. Casey: Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: really exciting. and so yeah, just from there I kind of got serious about branding. I got serious about making sure it was pretty. And what a Casey: Yeah, yeah. Cassidy Gray: real business was supposed to look like. And yeah, that's what it looked like really was out of a need, out of a desire to help out my family. And just in like this weird season that we were in, and it definitely feels like there's favor over my business that it was blessed and I feel like you know, we I've been gifted with something really beautiful that is impacting a lot of women and a lot of people and sometimes it's a little overwhelming because it was not planned. It wasn't something that I really was Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: like, Okay. I'm gonna have this big business and do these things. But I feel so grateful that I've kind of been thrown into this business. because it's been really such a blessing to me as well and so fulfilling. Casey: Mm. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, and that's so exciting. And I I really like hearing, like from other business owners. It seems like everybody has had so many ideas before the business Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: that they're in now that maybe is more successful. And it feels like so many Cassidy Gray: Totally. Casey: have just, you know, tried everything or tried multiple things. And then it's just it's really cool to see when you get to the one that clicks and the one that feels different. And I feel maybe I'm still searching for words for how to describe that, but I feel there's such a distinct feeling of of this is different and I don't know if I can explain it, but I feel like I just have to give it a try. And Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: I I don't know if you have any any thoughts on that. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. I think And some this is something I've deciphered over the last few months of why is this different? Why does this feel different for me, like you're saying, but also why is it clicking with other people more? Why is I mean everything's very organic that it's growing. Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: And what I've come to realize is it truly hits like my heart for people. this is something like that we were talking about the generational aspect of it, even like the heirloom side of things, getting to pass things down, but also serving other people. Like I truly want to serve my clients or the people that are coming through Ebon like that is the true desire like I've started doing video consults instead of just emailing back and forth kind of figuring out how they want their quilt I'm like no I want to make it personal. I want you to know me because I'm making you something super special but I want to know you I want to know who it's for and I want to serve you to get it to be the best that it can be or the best that you envis envision it. And so I think when you when all of that aligns and it's like your heart for people plus kind of where what people are wanting, I think when that clicks is when like the magic happens and you know what Casey: Mm. Yes. Cassidy Gray: I mean, if that makes sense. Casey: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Yeah. And I feel maybe that's even just encouraging for I don't know, somebody else who is out there still trying to just s see what sticks Cassidy Gray: Right. Casey: and try to find what aligns and it's such a process Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: and there's so much trial and error. But when when it when it clicks it clicks and Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: somebody else was describing it as, you know, like when you know, Like it just feels right. It just it just works and that's real that's really exciting and Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. I feel like it's honestly almost surprising too. You're like, really? That's what like everyone likes? Or like that's what works Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: out. You're like, okay, like we'll just go with it, you know, and that's been Casey: Yeah, definitely. Cassidy Gray: cool too to see like it's almost the unexpected that is actually where where it's at, you know. Casey: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Unexpected and then Yeah, just feel I don't know, that feeling of I think this is gonna work and I'm gonna give it a little bit more and I'm gonna see where it goes and that's really exciting. So in this Cassidy Gray: Yeah, totally. Casey: season of owning a business, having small children at home, being in a new place, away from friends and away from family, what does what does Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: like what does life look like for you? What are daily rhythms that you have? what works, what doesn't work, what anything. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I feel like I want a disclaimer, 'cause we're still figuring it out. it's been just Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: a few months and before I didn't have a job, like necessarily, something I was really responsible for as far as outside of motherhood and homemaking. And so still figuring it out. but again, I have a two and a four year old and they're a little bit more independent now. I don't really have a baby at home. And so there's a few things I've learned. I think the biggest one recently has been where to Where can I use my time correctly or most efficiently? So I've learned that if I have my sewing machine out, I'm not getting any work done when they're awake. They love my sewing machine. They want Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: to sit, they want to watch, which is beautiful, and that has a time and a place, and I love that. But now that I'm responsible for real deadlines for other people, I kinda have to figure that out. Like is this really responsible Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: to be doing this right now? But they don't care at all if I have an iron out, if I have my rotary cutter and matte out, they don't care if I'm cutting fast. Fabric. So I've learned to use my time wisely and if they're awake, if they're playing independently and I have a window of time to work, it's usually probably cutting or pressing fabric. And then when they're napping, when they're, you know, after bedtime or if my husband's home, that's when I'm at my machine. And it's cool because I have I've learned to just prep everything. I pin everything. Everything's like in a basket ready. And I just sit down. I pop my headphones in and I just sew. Like I just get it all done. And that has really changed the game as far as like efficiency. even just like keeping our house peaceful because it's easy to get frustrated when you're trying to work and they're really Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: interested. And so I'm like it just kinda keeps the peace. Like it's I feel more productive. They don't feel like I'm like leaving them out of anything. So that has been a huge shift in probably the last month or so, of getting work done in things. So that's that. I think as far as daily rhythms go, I don't work in the morning. it's so easy. I think we talked about having ideas in our head, wanting Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: to get things done. It's easy first thing when your eyes open, okay, I really need to get started on XYS, you know? Like I haven't even brushed my teeth yet, but I really have to get Casey: Seriously. Yeah, right. Cassidy Gray: this thing done. But I've learned I have to be disciplined and you know, we have our slow morning, we have a solid breakfast, we all get dressed, we get, you know, our hairbrushed, teeth brushed, and then by that time they're pretty independent. or we get outside, you know, get our feet in the grass or something. And then at that time I'm like, okay, now if I have a something I really need to get to, or if I have the, you know, availability. You know, now I can get started on something. But we've eaten, you know, we have clothes on, you know, my teeth are brushed. And Casey: Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: that is really it sounds silly and you're like, Yeah, that kind of makes sense, but it's really easy to get wrapped up in the like, I gotta get this done. Nothing else matters right now. Yeah, I would say that's been our biggest shift is those two things. Just utilizing time correctly and having a solid morning routine has been game Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: teachers. Casey: Yeah, definitely. No, I can imagine that. And yeah, I feel there's so much there's so much wisdom in being able to put things down that need to be put down when you're trying to do things from home with kids because it can be so hard and it for me it can be so easy to just like hold on, I just have to finish this one thing and the kids are like, But I I wanna do this and I wanna be with you and it's there's so much wisdom in being able to put that down when it needs to be put down and I feel it's like a constant internal battle for me of this really Cassidy Gray: Young. Casey: doesn't this really doesn't matter right now and I really need to just stop what I'm doing because Cassidy Gray: Topic. Casey: because yeah our kids are the prior the first priority and Cassidy Gray: Totally. And that's something that my talk to my husband about but really had to come into agreement with myself on is that what is the priority in this season. And we have two really young kids and is my priority growing our business. Like thankfully I have a husband who provides very well for us and I don't have to produce a certain amount. Like it's very nice for our family and it's amazing and I really Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: do love it. but I don't have that real pressure of okay I have to work but internally I really want to work. You know, I want to do these Casey: Yeah, right? Yeah. Cassidy Gray: I have to come, I have to like really agree, like, okay, my priority is to sew into my kids first and you know, make sure my house is in order first. And I'm not perfect at that by any means. I mean, I am constantly learning, constantly having to give myself grace on that. Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: But just knowing at the end of the day, okay, it's you know, our faith, family, and then business. And that is something that you know, it's con I'm constantly learning, constantly pivoting and adjusting. And but it of course, every time I pivot back to that. alignment, it serves our family better and we all feel better about that. So Casey: Mm-hmm. Yeah, definitely. And yeah, when everybody's feeling better then then then the business stuff can will just follow along, you know, it'll fall into place when when the priorities are in the right place. Definitely. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: Totally. Yeah, it's funny how that happens. You think if you put it first, okay, if I put business first, it's all gonna go well. But in reality it actually doesn't. When everything's in that proper Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: alignment, you're like, everything's going great now. Like, how did that happen? So it's it's cool. Casey: Yeah, definitely. And probably for me too, avoiding burnout, 'cause that can be so real. This yeah, I don't know, feeling feeling like the the one woman sweatshop and it's like when Cassidy Gray: No. Casey: when everything is is in alignment, then it's yeah, I feel I feel that that burnout feeling or like overworked feeling less when when everything else is in the right place. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Or and even if I'm making sure I'm eating. It sounds silly, but it's so easy be like, Casey: Yes, so real. Cassidy Gray: I can skip lunch today. I just gotta keep working. I can't stop. And then I feel horrible by the end of the night when I'm trying to work at, nine o'clock at night. I'm like, wow, I feel horrible. It's probably because I didn't take five minutes to eat some leftovers or something. So Casey: Yeah. Seriously, yeah. Also I feel like lunch is just really hard in general. At least for us. It's like I don't because we usually do leftovers or I don't know, maybe like a lighter lunch, but Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: it just feels like lunch is the hardest. We do a big breakfast and we always do dinner as a family, but I Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: don't know what it is about lunch. It just feels hard for us. Cassidy Gray: I'm glad you're saying that because there's some days where I'm like, this this stinks. I don't even know what we're gonna eat. We do like cheese and crackers half the time. And it's right Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: at nap time. They take kind of nap or quiet time in the middle of the day. So Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: do we eat before? Do we eat after? Do we have like 10 snacks? I don't know. Casey: Yes. Yeah, right? Yeah, definitely. And yeah, like between breakfast we always do a big breakfast, but you know, everybody wants like eight hundred snacks before lunch and Cassidy Gray: Totally. Casey: so we get to lunch and the kids are not hungry and Yep. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: We just have we have like girl lunch. We just have crackers and salami. It's like a little charcuterie recording. All right. Casey: Yeah, for sure. No, and whatever works, yeah. I mean yeah, we do a lot of sandwiches and fruit and cheese and it's it w it is what it is. Kid lunches are sometimes just good. Yeah, definitely, yeah. Cassidy Gray: I love that. Yeah, a little lunchable. That's perfect. Casey: So you talked about a little bit already, just the season that you're in and it's kind of a wild one. but Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: how are you and maybe we touched on this a little bit already, just with priorities, but how are you managing your business growth while maintaining your priorities in the correct alignment and managing sustainability? Cassidy Gray: Yeah, man, that again is still something we're figuring out. I feel like because of Evan's growth and how we've gotten such a large audience in such a short amount of time. We're just playing catch up. I really want to utilize how much love we're getting, how much people love what we're doing. I don't want that to like go away. I really love the community that's being built. so I feel like sometimes there's a little bit of the stress of like, okay, are we doing enough? Are we interacting enough? but also trying not to put the cart before the horse. And because again, we have I have a million ideas of the vision I have for where Ebon can go. but Also, I don't want to do too much and it not be the right time. And then it put a big stress on our family. So the way that I've been able to kind of manage that is my husband actually, he's blue-collar, but he's also kind of white-collar. He dabbles in like big business. he's like a jack of all trades, it's pretty awesome. And so he's like a little quilting business, I can for sure help. So he's like my go-to when it comes to like I needed like a tax number or ID or something. And I was like, my husband is Miles. I'm like, Miles, I I this is like this is gonna put the straw that broke the camels back. Like I just have so much work to do and tax law is not anything I'm built for, like at all. I was like, Can I just like hand this to you and you take care of it? And he was like, duh. Of course I can do that for you. Casey: Amazing, yeah. Cassidy Gray: It's like that's been like the secret sauce. I am so thankful for him for being just the biggest supporter and being willing to take on. Obviously he's not a quilter and d doesn't necessarily have that creative side. He's very, like very analytical, very smart, very intelligent with like numbers and things. So I love the fact that I'm able to pass those things that can be really overwhelming that I don't I don't do well in off to him. And I really feel like that's how I've been able to manage so much growth. and just like moving forward at the same time is just his help. It's really, really been amazing. I wanna make sure I honor him for that because he does do a lot for me and it's been great. Casey: Yeah, I feel husbands are the un unsung heroes because without them I our businesses would not be here. My business Cassidy Gray: No. Casey: would have never been established if I didn't ask my husband how do I make an LLC? I don't know. It's like I have no Cassidy Gray: That is. Casey: idea what I'm doing. And then two even just all all the background all the other stuff too, like outside of actual business, but just you know, keeping a home, raising kids. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's one of those things before Eben, I was perfectly happy doing everything at home. Like my husband worked so hard, and I was like, Yeah, don't touch the laundry. Like, I got it all. Well, now our bl our laundry is piling up, and I'm like, I am so sorry. And he's you know what? I don't mind tossing in a load. I don't mind putting things away. Like you, and he's such an he so has so much encouragement and really and he is in business, so he really s knows the back end, like the heart behind it, and like really wants to see me succeed, but us. as a family to succeed. And so it's Casey: Mm. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: cool to see him take on roles that initially weren't his just to help me out and to like help me feel less stressed or anything. And yeah, it's just been really cool to see him step up in those ways when he really doesn't necessarily have to. Casey: Yeah. No, that's beautiful and yeah. Just yeah, very fortunate to have yeah, supportive husbands and and when they say that like choosing your husband is the most important decision you'll ever you'll make. It it really is. And it yeah, it's yeah. Cassidy Gray: Yeah, and it's really cool to see when things get hard. there are dips in especially business and you're like things aren't working out or you know, I can't figure this thing out and my website launches tomorrow. And to see them like kinda pick it up and be like, No, we're doing this, and to be that Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: leader and say, No, I'm gonna even if I'm like pulling you along the way, they're I mean, he's just been amazing at just being like, No, we're gonna make sure you succeed and it's been great. He's so cute. He we have might have some merch and things in the works right now. Casey: Exciting. Cassidy Gray: And my husband is like, I want one in every color and that's the only hat Casey: Yes. Cassidy Gray: I'm gonna wear and like I'm gonna put it on my dash so everyone sees it. And I just love that like so much encouragement. When I'm like is anyone even gonna want this? He's like I'm gonna want it. I'll wear all the whole batch is mine Casey: I do, yeah. Please ask me about my wife's business because I will tell you everything. Cassidy Gray: Exactly, I it. Casey: Yeah, I love that too, man. what's something that somebody has shared with you that taught you s like was an important takeaway for you or encouraged you in the season of motherhood, business, life? Cassidy Gray: Yeah. This is always like I love this question 'cause it I recently had a moment, and I think I had posted about this on my social media, but my very best friend just had her first baby and I had the honor of getting to be there for that. And so in the midst of her like early labor, slash active labor, I got to sit down with her midwife and just get to know her and we were chatting and getting to know her story about how she got into like midwifery and She's an older woman, she's probably in her fifties. She's a she's a grandma, a new grandma. She has older children and from the outside looking in, when I see a midwife, I assume like after high school she went to college for that and has done that like a career, right? Like that's my Casey: Yeah, yeah. Cassidy Gray: thought. When in reality actually my friend was one of her first midwifery clients. Which is amazing. And so I got to hear her story of how as a young mom with child children my age or my kids' age, she was at home. She was at home and then as soon as they were in grade school, kinda went into birth work and as a doula and did that for many, many years as her children were in grade school. And then just as she had adult children and like I think her youngest were still in high school, she decided that she felt that tug to go into the medical side because a doula is really emotional support. My midwifery is that medical support and she has no background or had no background in medical. So she learned everything medical from scratch at with adult children and about to have grandchildren to get into a whole new career. And that was so encouraging for me because like we've talked about many times recently is I have all these ideas. I have this vision of what Ebon's gonna be and what I want it to be and ideas and I want it all to happen right now sometimes. And her story didn't relate to sewing or quilting. Even really small business, but it encouraged me so much in the fact that I don't have to be everything or Eben doesn't have to be everything right now. I can enjoy it in the really small business that it is and I can enjoy this season with young children and really focus on them because when they if they eventually go into, public school or or grade school, like I can Try something new then. we'll be in a new season or eventually they'll be grown and I still have life in me to make it a big business. I could open a brick and mortar at that point. Like there's nothing stopping me. I don't have to do it all now, you know? Casey: Yeah, mm-hmm. Cassidy Gray: so that was so much. I don't even think she knows how much encouragement that was. I was just like mind-blown to have a real Casey: Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: example that I could start a whole new career in 20 years. I could. Nothing's stopping me. Casey: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: So that was so encouraging. Casey: Yeah. And letting things take the time that they need to take this is really and having the patience to do that, that's I feel a lot easier said than done. Cassidy Gray: Totally. Yeah, it's really easy to wanna just do it now. in my head it all works out, so it must work out in real life. but just like having that patience like you said and just and just enjoying it too. You know, I don't want to start something where I don't get to enjoy my children when they're two and four, you know, and I have a little princess running around holding a little baby doll, Casey: Yeah, yeah, yes. Cassidy Gray: you know, or my son's building Legos and like I want to enjoy this very fleeting season. As much as I do love quilting and serving other families, I wanna make sure I'm enjoying my family first. and so yeah in the season we're in I love how Ebon functions. I love the growth that we're having having and how it runs right now. And sometimes I have to slow myself down a little bit, but yeah. Yeah, and I love your growth that you've been having too. It's been beautiful Casey: Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Well speaking of Yeah. Cassidy Gray: to watch summer flora just bloom, truthfully. It's been amazing. Casey: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Also I've been a whirlwind. And I mean, Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: I I think so I had like an Instagram account where I and I think I had like maybe four followers and like it was nobody I knew. I didn't share it anywhere for a long time. And it Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: was just like I d I just shared like random quilt pictures just as I was learning new quilts and then Maybe last fall I shared like well so my husband from the from the beginning was like these are good and you should you should sell these and I feel I Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Totally. Totally. Casey: have a little bit of hesitation of like I I feel so my sister has an ADHD and I kind of wonder if I have a little bit because it can be genetics I kind of wonder if I have a little bit of undiagnosed ADHD but it's like anytime I would seriously Cassidy Gray: Feel like I'm feeling a little good. Casey: there's so many things she does I'm like that sounds really familiar Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: But there's it's like I I had a little bit of hesitation 'cause I don't it's easy for me to be like, yeah, I need to make it a business. Time to Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: time to drop everything and sell this and so I had a Cassidy Gray: Hopefully it just Casey: little bit of hesitation and I wanted to make things a little bit better before I jumped into into selling them, Cassidy Gray: Mm. Casey: but I got to a point I had finished like a couple patterns and it was my first time doing stars and I was like okay I think I think we could give it a try. And I gave Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: it a try and Yeah, same thing. It was just it everything sold really fast and it was like I wasn't really planning. I my initial motive for selling quilts was I wanted to quilt more, but it's expensive. I was like I wanna Cassidy Gray: Totally. Casey: just I wanna make more I wanna make more quilts, but Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: I'm gonna have to slow down for the budget, but I was like, Maybe if I make them for somebody, I can make them for somebody else rather than like I I gift Cassidy Gray: yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Casey: a lot of baby quilts to our friends, which I is like the most special thing for me and I I love doing that. But I was like if I just throw in a couple extra for clients or if I do a little drop then then I can cover making a quilt for them and I can cover making a quilt for a friend who's just had a new baby and and then it kind of just it rolled from there and we've we've run with it and yeah it's I don't have a business plan but we're just we're just we're just seeing where it goes and it's yeah it's a beautiful thing and I I think about a lot of I don't know like the big names where it's like the big indie quilt pattern designers like Penelope Handmade or there's like a couple that I could just I I can't even think of their names right now but it's like it's it's cool to see other indie quilt pattern designers kind of come in with their own style and and go grow and it's like, yeah, I don't know, we could be the next Penelope handmade. We could be the next generation of Cassidy Gray: That's good. Casey: and I think it's too beautiful to see like they're not in the same season of life as us. They're they're older than us. They've been running their businesses for a long time and that's encouraging for me too to slow my role down a little bit of yeah this is gonna take time and it's gonna take time to to expand and to grow and to scale and and to make yeah to make it bigger. I don't know. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. I feel like that relates to quilting in general. I know we're both quilters, so relate too, but yeah, like quilting it's so easy to want to speed it up and okay, if only I can make so many quilts. But in reality the beauty of it is that it takes a long time. The beauty of it is the amount of time that it takes and It's easy in our super fast paced world to think like okay, if I could just do it quicker and better and faster. but in reality, that's not what quilting's about. And it's easy to Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: fall out of that and then to just kind of realign yourself with actually this is how it's meant to be, is just to do things slowly and on purpose. And yeah. Yeah, that's amazing. Casey: And I feel too that definitely comes and goes with seasons, at least for me too. Like there was in January I finished three baby quilts in like two weeks. And then it's Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. Casey: like and then it's like later on I'm working on another quilt and it took me way longer than I thought it would. And Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: it's just that I feel it that's just how how it is. You can't you can't at least I don't know, it's hard to put making a quilt on a timeline because it does take so much time and especially balancing motherhood and everything else that comes with in in that season of life there's like managing that timeline is is hard at least for me it's hard to manage that timeline or or to give like a firm timeline of how long was this is this gonna take like it's gonna depend Cassidy Gray: Totally. Casey: it's gonna depend on what life looks like it's gonna depend on the pattern on the on fabric shipping timelines on it's yeah it depends Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: on so many things Cassidy Gray: Yes, that's always and that's something I had a lot of people in one of my recent big spurts of growth were like, can you give me a price on this quilt? And I'm like, it's so hard because it depends on the fabric, it depends on the size, it depends on the pattern. I mean, it depends on so much. And that was one of the biggest struggles I had was like I want to give people an accurate, you know, number, but I really don't know. Like I really don't know how to do that. And so that was a big big thing 'cause quilts just vary so much and that's again part of the beauty of them is that they're all different. And they all vary so much. but yeah, I love it. It's also, I was gonna tell you, this is all got also kind of like a little fangirl moment because you were one of the first like quilting creators that I really took a lot of inspiration from early on. and I know you started recently as well, but you blew up so fast, and I thought your page was so professional and amazing, and I was like, I love this. Casey: Thank you. Cassidy Gray: I actually applied for one of your quilt patterns before I started selling them, and I had put in the description like, I think I'm gonna start selling quilt. Like I just you know it's so No, I know. I love it. It's just Casey: exciting and I'm man, I'm sorry I missed that. That would have been so fun to read. Cassidy Gray: a full circle moment. So when you asked me to be on here, I was like, this is legit. Like this is so cool. So I love it. Casey: Yeah, no and Yeah, it's it's it's I feel like that is another weighty part for me is knowing that there's so many other moms or other just women out there who are wanting to learn how to quilt and and are getting inspired from your quilts, from my quilts and Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: like learning taking the jump to learn how to quilt because they've seen a picture of our quilts on Pinterest or they've seen a picture on Instagram and somebody had messaged me and I feel we're just like a little bit of internet friends. No, I'm gonna see a message back and forth, but she was awake with her baby at night and was just like you know like feeding the baby back to sleep, was on her phone trying to stay awake, and and she saw one of my quilts and she said, I've never I don't even own a sewing machine, I've never sewed before, I've never quilted before, but I knew that I was gonna make that. That is the and I was like, what a beautiful thing. And I'm just honored to to I don't know, be encouraging other people to to pick up a new craft and And so pick up a new scale and and yeah, I don't know. I can't put the words to it, but it's it's really it's weighty and it's honoring and Cassidy Gray: Well, I think too, I'm s for both of us it's been so life changing. Yes, in creating a business, but Casey: Yes. Cassidy Gray: even just in serving our families and creating quilts for our babies and knowing that those are gonna be heirlooms that we're keeping forever and so and I feel like that that's something I've loved about creating patterns is like wow, these patterns that were in my head are now in they're physical in other people's homes where they're now getting to create their own heirlooms for their kids or their family. Like that is a really cool that's really cool. Like that's just cool. I love that. Yeah, that's amazing. Casey: It is, yeah. Yeah. And I don't feel Cassidy Gray: Okay. Casey: I don't feel like a professional. Like I don't feel like I have it all figured out or put together or everything in my quilt patterns are perfect or social media is like such like a a trippy mind game in right now. I'm in I feel like I'm in the the the throes of like no social media motivation and I feel my yeah anyways that's such a silly game to play but Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: just yeah, just putting it out there and and having somebody else be able to produce a beautiful work of art from that and and Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: even somebody had said these are these are the patterns that I can work with right now because I can't read a complex diagram and I just need somebody to t to tell me how to do it in that my mom brain is gonna be able to comprehend and not comprehend but like There's a lot of us w sewing at night and I don't just you just need something meditative and easy and just yeah, I don't know how to I feel I'm losing my Cassidy Gray: I love it Casey: train of thought a little bit, but Cassidy Gray: Actually my next quote pattern that's coming out, I'll share a little bit about it because it's so simple. It's actually it's cool, it's a really cool story. It came about by accident. So when I first learned how to sew, I was obsessed with like nesting seams. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. I was like, wait a minute, so you put them together, like you nest them, you sew it, and it's a perfect point, like if you do it correctly. I Casey: Insane. Cassidy Gray: was like magic, it's so cool. And so I had practiced Casey: It's Cassidy Gray: a million blocks, and they're just little four-inch blocks or whatever. And I was like, you know what? I need to do something with these. I hadn't made a quilt top, I hadn't done anything, and so I just put together a quilt top. I didn't know what the finish look I didn't know what it was gonna look like. I just pieced pieces together, and now it's my son's quilt. He was transitioning from his crib crib to his toddler bed, and he still uses it like two years later. And this is so cool. So the pattern that I'm coming out with is for absolute like I've never sewn before beginners. Absolute brand new because it was brand new to me. it's and it's literally just like two steps. It's sewing strips, cutting, and then nesting seams, and that's basically it. Casey: Yes. Cassidy Gray: And it's like that same idea of just repetitive, tell me what to do, and I'm just gonna and it's and then by before you know it, you have a quilt top put together, and that's so exciting. Casey: Yeah, nesting seams. I I texted I just I delusionally thought I could just learn how to quill all by myself and I could just figure it out. And I cut a Cassidy Gray: Really? Casey: bunch of blocks and I sewed them together and none of my seams aligned. I was making I had intended to make it as a gift for a friend who had just had a baby and I put it together and everything was like mismatched. I was like, How on earth do people do this? It was like that this makes Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: no sense. This looks horrible. And then that That's when I finally decided, okay, I should probably actually look up how how to do this. And then I I s read a blog about nesting seams. And I remember t texting my mom. I was like, I've never done drugs, but this must be what drugs feel like because this is insane. I was like taking every piece out of my sewing machine and just perfectly lined up corners. I was like, my mind is blown. Cassidy Gray: Yes. The dopamine hits of nesting seams are real. Like you every time I won't even Casey: Yes. Cassidy Gray: like continuously sew, I'll just sew a piece and just look at it. Like, yeah, yeah. Why is it taking so long to make a fill? Casey: Yes. It's like it's such a Cassidy Gray: Because I look at all of my corners after I do them. Casey: Mm-hmm. Yeah, no, it's the high is unreal. Cassidy Gray: I love it. I love that that's universal because it's so satisfying. And it's exciting to think that people using our pattern are gonna get that experience as well and get to feel proud of themselves. Casey: Yes. Cassidy Gray: And it's so cool. Casey: Yes, definitely. Matt, I feel like I'm losing my train of thought, but I had a thought on that too, but Cassidy Gray: I know. We're just chatting at this point. Casey: I okay, so I speaking of just the time that things take, yesterday I asked if just on social media if there's any like random questions people had that they would be interested to know from Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: the answers from other makers and business owners. And one of them was what part of your business would surprise people if they saw how long it takes? And I feel this is such a good one for quilting. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. To be completely honest, cutting a quill Drives me absolutely crazy. Drives me crazy. I do not like cutting quilts. I actually had someone ask a Q I did a QA a few weeks ago and one of them was like, What's your favorite and your least favorite part? And I was I almost don't want to answer because I don't want it to seem like I have a least favorite and like that Casey: Right. Cassidy Gray: I don't enjoy it, but I really don't enjoy cutting quilts or cutting out pieces. and actually one of my favorite parts is planning a quilt. I love getting especially I mean custom quilts especially. but if it's a person project or it's a pre-made quilt. I love just piecing fabrics together, doing all of that. But yeah, cutting quilts take or cutting fabric takes forever. And I mean and it's just repetitive and your hands hurt. And it's just one of things you're glad when it's done. You're like, okay cool, that's done. Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: Now I can kind of get to the fun part. Casey: Yes, yeah. Cassidy Gray: Business stuff, I would say more on the back end. Setting up the website took a lot longer than I initially anticipated. we chose to use Shopify, it's very plug-and-play, but it still has a lot of code involved in it, and I'm not I'm like not Cody at all. Like that's not Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: my language. I speak English, I don't speak code at all. My husband, Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: again, very into like the tech, so if I had a big problem, he was able to kind of figure it out. But man, I was like, I thought I just picked my colors and like put in my Texts and what I Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: like my pictures, but it was. I mean, it was pretty like I had to really think about it, go through it multiple times, and so we were working on it up until the morning of my launch of just making sure like there's no bugs and making sure buttons led to the correct locations. I'm sure you really I know you just fixed your like reviews. I'm like, I haven't even thought about reviews yet, like that hasn't even come to Casey: my goodness. Such a experience, yeah. Cassidy Gray: Yeah, and just making sure your business looks pres presentable has taken so Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: long. I know you're talking about being in a lull with social media. I think a lot of people can look at social media and think like, Man, you much have so much like b roll and content and I'm like, I'm literally if you see content, I just took the picture or like I just did it that day. I don't have I mean now after doing it for a certain like months I can go back and grab Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: things, but really everything is just kind of flying by the seat of my pants right now. And yeah, it's all pretty time consuming I would say. Casey: Yeah, definitely. And I feel yeah, my motivation for social media comes and goes with seasons and there's like seasons where I have all these ideas and I can film all these beautiful things and I can make all these like intricate videos and but I mean video editing takes a long time and doing voiceovers takes time and it's just it's a lot to sift through and yeah this just in this season I just don't have the energy to make Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: like a a two a one minute long video with 180 video clips and a voiceover and transitions, and it's just it's a lot, but it's I Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. Casey: feel I feel maybe the energy is starting to come back a little bit. And I I was trying to film a reel this morning just because I was like, okay, what am I doing? I'm cut- I'm actually cutting fabric for a quilt today. I was like, okay, maybe I can do this something here. Cassidy Gray: That's the way you make it kind of fun. It's like, okay, let's work on angles and like how to, you know. It goes fast when you're filming, Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: I feel like. So that's good. Casey: Yeah, I feel I love I I also feel like just the the Instagram social media game. I feel Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: it's like such a I don't know, my a mind trip because there's content that I feel is so beautiful and I look at it, I'm like, wow, that's so inspirational and I love it. You can tell it took so much time for somebody to put it together and then you like look at at least sometimes I look at like how many views? Like is this something I should do? And it's like three thousand views and you're like, how did that I'd only get 3000 views. I loved that. That was beautiful. And then some Cassidy Gray: Totally. Casey: I don't know other random video that looks like somebody took like two seconds to make it and it's kind of like almost like clickbaity and it has like seven million views and it's like well Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: that's that's not the content that I want to make. And so I don't know, trying to like manage. social media growth but also maintaining an authentic brand voice and making things that feel authentic and beautiful and a representation of your business or what you're trying to do is it's a mind game and it's so tough and I Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: I have no strategy for social Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: media. Cassidy Gray: I'm literally just flying by the seat of my pants. I I really enjoy the slow old school Instagram. So I still love posting just I guess carousels, but just a single photo. I just enjoy that. It's just, hey, here's my pretty quilt that I made. Casey: Yeah, yeah. Cassidy Gray: reels are fun. I haven't really gotten into like the quilt with me's and those sound great, but to be honest, a lot of my quilting is like five minutes here, five minutes there, maybe twenty minutes. Casey: Yeah, definitely. Cassidy Gray: And so if I were to like set up every time, I'm like, this is gonna be a kind of choppy Not very aesthetic video because it's at my kitchen table, or it's you know, sometimes I sneak into my bedroom to like clip something or get something done. And Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: so yeah, that's just the season of life I'm in. And I've had to accept that like and I might not have the most social media growth and get to utilize the bat that the best right now. but that's okay. Like it is what it is. I posted a reel Casey: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: yesterday and we were headed out. I was dropping off a quilt actually to a friend, and we were meeting her after one of her baby appointments, and we were like, I gotta go. I was like, yeah, but I need to, I don't have any content of this beautiful quilt I made. So we stopped Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: in this field and I literally set up my tripod, did one video of my quilt drop, and we booked it. Like that was it. And I was like, well, good enough for me. I mean, whatever. I can't sit Casey: Yep. Yep. Good enough. Yeah, yeah. Cassidy Gray: here for 20 minutes and make it perfect. but yeah, it turns out great either way. And yeah, I think that's what people like too. Casey: Mm-hmm. And it was a beautiful quilt. I did see it. It was beautiful. I loved the scallop edges. That's been something that I've always wanted to try, but I have not I've not given it a try yet. But it's so it's so cute and it's such like another, I don't know, artistic, personalized touch that you can add. It's Cassidy Gray: Yeah. It was a beast to make those scalloped edges. And I also waited until the very last minute to finish it. She's gonna have this baby in a week and a half or something and I was like I'll have it's gonna be fine. I'm very optimistic. Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: And then I was working on the scalp touches at like one AM and I like, these are not fun. I'll do if I but they were they were great. Casey: no, okay. Good to know. Cassidy Gray: It definitely was just a learning curve and I didn't anticipate I should have, I should have anticipated kind of the difficulty that came with that. I was just like, it'll be fine. It'll be fine. Casey: Yeah, yeah. Cassidy Gray: But it did turn out so f so beautiful and just a different style, something different that's not Casey: So good, yeah. Mm-hmm. Cassidy Gray: seen. So I love that she gave me that challenge. It was a very, it was like completely custom. She gave me the fabric and everything. And she was like, I really Casey: Amazing. Cassidy Gray: want the scalloped edges. I was like, let's do it, girl. Let's do it. I got you. So yeah. Casey: Yeah. No time no time better to give it a shot. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. And I told her, I was like, You're my guinea pig. I haven't done them before. She was like, fine with me. I was like, okay, let's do it. So Yeah. Yeah. I love that too. I love when Casey: Perfect, yeah. I love that. Cassidy Gray: people give you the chance of like, you can test it on me. Like I'm gonna love it either way. Like it's it's handmade, so it's not gonna be perfect regardless. And of course I'm not gonna give her something that's like not cute at all, right? Like I would definitely Casey: Yeah, yeah. Cassidy Gray: stop. But you know, just I love that trust of like, I think you can do it. You know, I think you're gonna be really Casey: Yeah, yeah. Cassidy Gray: good. So that was really cool. Casey: Yeah, definitely. We this past summer some friends and I got together and we like all of us made a couple quilt blocks and then I I was entrusted to piece it all together and to quilt it all together and we were gonna surprise a friend with it and normally I just do standard like walking foot quilting on my machine. But I decided Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah. Casey: well I c so I di I use my walking foot still, but I did an orange peel design so yeah, I was moving the quilt around and it was different and it was a learning curve but I don't know, it was it was fun to just try something new and to share that with a friend and it didn't really feel like there was a lot of pressure around it. Like it it was gonna come it was gonna come out beautiful even if it wasn't perfect. My and my quilting was not perfect. The the orange peel design definitely had some some waves to it, but it was good and it's yeah, it's it's really special Cassidy Gray: There you go, that's good. Casey: to share those with friends and yeah. Cassidy Gray: Yeah, I love that so much. That's amazing. Yeah, and like we talked about earlier, it's like the kind of redundancy. Sometimes things can like okay, I'm doing the doing the same blocks, I'm doing things so to get to try something new and really test my skills too, because if I've been doing the same patterns and kinda making the same baby quilts for a few months and then getting to see like, ooh, actually I didn't know I could kinda pull that out, like that's pretty cool. Yeah, that's pretty awesome. So it's Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: cool to see where I've progressed to skill wise. Yeah. Casey: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, that's really cool too to look back on to see your first quilts to now. It's it's Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: we talk about doing the same thing over and over again, but I really do feel like that's where skills are built is doing the same Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: thing over and over and over and nesting a million seams and cutting a million blocks and it's it's something that only happens with time and that's a really beautiful thing as well. Cassidy Gray: Totally. Yeah, yeah, I know, I love that so much. And learning your machine too. learning what your machine can handle, learning what you can handle. Yeah, I think that's underestimated too. how do I utilize my machine best? what Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: little knickknacks are involved in here? And I just figured out how to like actually zigzag on my machine. It's it's forty years old, so it there's no screen, there's no anything, and a bunch of knobs. And I'm like, how do I work this thing? And I don't really use zigzag very often. And I was doing a project recently and I was like, I figured it out. Like I go I can just go Casey: Yeah, I love that. Cassidy Gray: in and out of zigzags now, and that was so rewarding. Yeah. Casey: Amazing. Yeah. Yeah. No, definitely. There's I my machine is computerized and there's so much stuff I have not even looked at yet. There's there's a lot in there that I really w should Cassidy Gray: That's amazing. Casey: take the time to figure out. But there's Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: a lot in there and I even non-computerized machines, there's a this a learning curve for every single one because everyone is different and yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: I love it. Casey: Well just some more fun questions. Do you have any current personal works in progress that you're excited about? Could be anything, quilting, home projects, it's anything. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Well One really excited one that I I've actually put it off for a while. but when we made our big move a few months ago, we ended up getting we got rid of our old couch, got a second hand couch, and the shape of it is gorgeous. It has it's like a sofa, has sloped arms. it's so elegant and gorgeous. The color of it is like this mustardy brown and it could totally work in other homes, but I like kind of darker furniture. I like darker woods, a lot of like gold antique y looking stuff so I told my husband the other day I was like I'm over it. It looks like the Great Depression in here. And he was like, That's a good way to put it. It's just like dark and Casey: That's so money. Cassidy Gray: I was like, I need to change it. So I'm gonna make a slip cover for it. And I know we have young kids and a lot of people say not to do a light colored couch. But if I'm making a slipcover and I can wash it, I could also make a new one if I really needed to. So Casey: Yeah, yeah. Cassidy Gray: yeah I'm gonna make a slipcover for it eventually. I'd love to have it done kind of by Thanksgiving and Christmas so that with all the decor and things in our home. It like I don't know, ties it together better instead of it being kinda dark and just meh in our home, so yeah. Casey: Yeah. No, that is so exciting. And I've seen people sew slip covers before and it's it's so beautiful and it's so awesome and definitely something on my list, but something I have not had the maybe the math mental capacity to figure out yet. But it's I I can't wait to see how that goes. Cassidy Gray: Yeah, to be honest, I'm just gonna do like little fitted sheets with like the elastic background for all the covers and then from what I've seen I'm just gonna pin along all the seams and then sew where the pins are and then reverse it. So I'm not I'm really not gonna do much math. I'm just gonna like figure it out. So we'll see. We'll see. Casey: Yeah, I'm excited to see. You'll have to share pictures of how that goes 'cause that'll be that'll be exciting. Yeah. So Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Yeah, I will. But yeah, that's my current work and project, so Casey: Exciting. As an artist, what has been inspiring you lately? Where do fresh ideas come from? How do you stay inspired? Cassidy Gray: To be honest, I feel like I'm not trying to do anything new. Like my goal isn't to really I don't know, my goal's not, I feel like when we think of inspirations, like what's something that's new that's never been done before. I actually look back and see like what has been done that's kind of been lost, whether that's generationally or that's like advice, sewing advice, all these things. but so yeah, that's where a lot of insp my inspiration for patterns comes from is like we also live somewhere that's really rich in American history. In like civil war history. And there's a lot of quilting history in that. And I think it's so beautiful to look back like what were we making back then and what's been lost. They're still so beautiful, they just might not be as popular anymore. And so I would say that's where I get a lot of my inspiration as to what I'm doing now is more historical and more what's been done before that's been lost. Yeah. Casey: Beautiful. Yeah, I love vintage and antique quilting books. Just the quilts in there are they're timeless, like truly timeless. You could put them anywhere, any decade, any time frame, and it's gonna look beautiful. And that's that I I really appreciate and really love the the art in that. Cassidy Gray: Yeah, a hundred percent. And even just the like the colors, the fabrics that were used, are just so timeless and like kind of primitive and natural looking and I really enjoy that too about older styles. Casey: Definitely, yeah. If you have an hour to yourself, what are you gonna find yourself doing? Cassidy Gray: Yeah. If I can't be productive at all, it's it's totally limited to okay, what's just enjoyment for you? I'm probably sitting in the shower with like steaming hot water and just just Casey: Yeah. Amazing. Cassidy Gray: enjoying myself, or I'm sitting in the grass. but I think in being a business owner, motherhood, there's so much coming at me all the time to just have a moment of like, I'm just gonna enjoy like just being for a little bit. That's probably where you'll find me, just enjoying the sunshine. Shine or yeah. Casey: Yeah, just and at least for me, I feel that's something that's actually kind of hard to like just sit and do and to just be and to do nothing and to not have anything in my hands and not have anything running through my mind of I need to get this done, I need to do this, I need to start this. I it's just that is yeah, a beautiful thing and a skill that I would love to I love to practice. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. It's forced, it's like you need to go to your room and relax. And my husband's like, I got the kids, we're good. You just go take a minute. And that's been so nice to have those breaks where you do force yourself, like put my phone down, just I'm gonna sit and like just realize that it's okay. Like things can t can wait a minute, you know. Yeah. What about you? Where would you Casey: Mm, mm. Yeah. Cassidy Gray: find yourself for an hour? Casey: I honestly, wow, I should have maybe thought about this question for myself because I don't even know. I feel Cassidy Gray: Ha ha ha. Casey: like I feel like I do really like working on personal projects and working on yeah, just stuff for my own kids. I would really love to sew more clothes for my kids. I've sewn a couple garments for myself and I tried sewing a like I'm losing the word, but it's like a jumper dress for my daughter. And I printed out the pattern and I cut out all the pieces and then I was cutting the pieces out of paper and I kept thinking to myself, This looks really small. But I'm just gonna go with it 'cause I think I I'm gonna trust the pattern and then I put everything together and I th it looks like maybe it would fit an eighteen month old and my daughter is four So it's like Cassidy Gray: Okay. Casey: this I I need to I need to stop with the paper patterns and I bought like a Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: forty dollar projector and that changed Cassidy Gray: Go. Casey: the game for me for cutting out pieces for clothes and I've only done it a couple times, but I would love to make more clothes for my kids. I think that would be really special and rewarding. And if I have a projector, Cassidy Gray: Yeah, and we'd Casey: I don't have to mess around with the paper and I can get the sizing right Cassidy Gray: yeah. Casey: the first time without printing 25 pages and taping them together and then finding out it's the wrong size. Cassidy Gray: Yeah. At least you have it maybe for a one-year-old birthday party. You're like, it's just in the closet, it's ready. I can just grab it. That's awesome. And Casey: Yeah, right. Yep. Yeah definitely. Cassidy Gray: clothes are so rewarding. I haven't really ventured into clothes, but I've made a few little bonnets and I'm like, this is so fun and so different Casey: So cute, yeah. Cassidy Gray: and I love it. So that must be so rewarding. That would be amazing. Casey: Yeah, definitely. Definitely a goal to to make more time for that. I feel Cassidy Gray: Yeah. Casey: in in just the nature of having a creative handmade business, there's a lot of making for others and I just really would like to make more for my kids. And that's something that yeah. Who's this quilt for? And I just want to be able to say it's for you more than I do right now. Cassidy Gray: Totally. And that's something speaking of trying to avoid burnout that I've realized that if I'm making for our family, it's a little easier to avoid that burnout 'cause I mean I feel a sense of purpose, you know, making for others, but making for our family, that sense of purpose o purpose obviously is a little bit greater and it just means a little bit more getting to like no I'm in the middle of making our daughter she moved from her crib to a toddler bed and so I'm in the middle of her quilt. and it's and speaking back to like seeing how your skills have grown. So say her baby blanket too and now her toddler bed blanket Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: or I'm like it's so crazy to see all that but yeah I totally get what you're saying about wanting to do more personal projects and especially with Christmas coming up and wanting to make gifts too. Like man it's Casey: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right? Cassidy Gray: crazy. Casey: My delusional self is like, I could just make everybody a quilt for every h and it's like Cassidy Gray: Totally. Casey: not possible. There's slow down a little bit here. Maybe something smaller. Cassidy Gray: My mom really likes the quilt. My mom really loved the quilts I posted yesterday. She was like, that is really cute. And like you could tell she was like, that's really cute. And I'm like, I really want to make her one, but at the same time, that would be a lot to add to my plate. So it's just that tug-of-war of, you know, what do I do? But yeah, I get that too. Casey: Yeah, just start one now for next year and then keep it in and then it'll Cassidy Gray: Yeah, seriously. Casey: be a it'll be a an even bigger surprise next year. Yeah right yeah. Cassidy Gray: remember a year and a half ago when you really liked that c Casey: Seriously. Like not an unrealistic timeline. Yeah. That's awesome. Cassidy Gray: yeah, totally possible. Yeah. Casey: I guess last question is where can people find you a social media website and then I'll I'll link that for everyone. Cassidy Gray: Yeah, it'd be awesome. you can find me at my social medias on Instagram at Ebon Quilting Co. It's E-B-E-N. And then my website where my patterns are available. And then anytime I have custom quilt openings or pre-made drops will be available there. It's ebbinquiltingco.com. Casey: Well, thanks so much. This was such a fun and encouraging conversation and I'm I'm really excited to to share this with everyone and just yeah, I feel it's gonna be encouraging for any other business owners or quilters, sewists, anybody trying to figure it out. It's just yeah, I really appreciate your time and and know that yeah, setting aside time for an hour-long conversation in in a season of young Cassidy Gray: Duh. Casey: motherhood is not always easy, but yeah, I appreciate your time so much. Cassidy Gray: It was so refreshing to me and such an honor to get to be asked to be here and get to speak to other women, speak to other small business owners and just let everyone know we're all just figuring it out. no one's got Casey: Yeah. Cassidy Gray: it all together. So that actually means so much. So thank you for having me. Casey: Yeah. Definitely yeah, Thanks for listening to the handset make. If you enjoyed today's episode, follow along, leave a rating or review, and send it to a fellow mom or maker who might love it as well. You can find me on Instagram at summerflora.co and you can shop quilt patterns fabric and notions anytime at Summerfloralinen dot com. See you in the next one.