Meet the Designer: Amanda of Deriving Mommyhood

Hi, I'm Amanda from DerivingMommyhood, and I'm beyond excited to be part of Project Run&Play! I've been a fan since the very first season, so I guess you could say I've been training and preparing for a few years. Let's back up to where it all started for me....

I watched as my mom sewed my entire life. She sewed dresses for me and my dolls and did alterations for what seems like everyone we knew, and she put up with me buying clothes knowing that I'd just ask her to alter them into what I envisioned. I tried sewing a little in college, like a pillow here and there, but never would have imagined I'd make clothing. I picked sewing back up to make a few baby things after my son was born but when my daughter came along I was no longer a math teacher and it was full on mommy mode. What this means is of course lots of joy, but I was also a mom of two under two that used to have a fairly enjoyable career. Every day I took care of babies, cooked, cleaned, then cooked and cleaned some more but everything was always in need of more cleaning and everyone was always just going to be hungry again. Sewing helped me find some sanity as no matter how my day went, if I made a dress I felt like I accomplished something. The dress stayed made, even if the house didn't stay clean and the kids didn't stay fed. The first projects were not always perfect of course, and I was mostly self taught despite having my mom next door to help me figure steps out, stitch rip my mistakes, and generally encourage me. I got pulled into sewing blogs and followed them all and practiced until things were much more wearable.

Now my older two children have two younger siblings as well, and I'm no longer next-door to my mom but across the ocean in Ireland, and I confidently tackle sewing projects from jeans to activewear. I love being inspired by the online sewing community and challenging myself to tackle new projects. I can't wait to share my work and see the awesome work of everyone this season!

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