This International Women’s Week, we’re celebrating Lauren and Erin, the talented sisters behind Two Sewing Sisters!
With a shared love of sewing and teaching, they’ve built a creative business centred around skill, generosity and community. From running engaging workshops to sewing beautiful custom garments, their work reflects both craftsmanship and a genuine passion for helping others learn.
What makes Lauren and Erin’s story so special is their commitment to sharing knowledge and encouraging others to explore their creativity. Through teaching and mentoring, they’ve created a supportive space where makers can grow their confidence and connect with others who love sewing.
Women like Lauren and Erin are helping shape the modern sewing community – proving that sewing is not just about what we make, but the community and confidence it builds along the way.
Read on to hear our interview with Lauren and Erin.
Q1. When you think back, what people, moments, or experiences helped shape you into the maker and business owner you are today?
Our family has always been a huge influence on our creative passions. We learnt to sew from our Nan, spending countless hours in our childhood wonderland of our Nan’s sewing room. We would cut out patterns, sew, and play dress-ups in all the incredible creations Nan made for our family. Our Grandad was also part of our early sewing journey, helping us match thread or being our chauffeur to the local fabric store so we could choose a pattern and fabric for our next project. Our parents have always supported our creative endeavours encouraging us to attend classes or helping us with projects – just last week, we were sitting around the dining room table after dinner, cutting out patterns together.
Sewing was simply part of life and family celebrations, and those early rituals taught us to love the process just as much as the finished garment.
At high school, we were incredibly lucky to have an inspiring textiles teacher, Gayle O’Keefe, who encouraged us to keep exploring sewing and to share our work beyond the classroom. She nudged us into entering local competitions like the Murray Goulburn Textile Competition and the Wangaratta Agricultural Show, which gave us early confidence and helped us feel connected to the wider sewing community. Those experiences showed us that sewing could be more than a hobby — it could be a creative pathway and eventually sharing our makes through Two Sewing Sisters.
Q2. Creative work by women has not always been given the value it deserves. What does it mean to you to build something with care and skill, and to do it your own way?
Creating something with care and skill has always felt deeply meaningful to us. Sewing is such an essential part of everyday life — every garment we wear has been shaped by someone’s hands, time, and expertise. When we make something ourselves, we feel connected to our family traditions and our Nan who experienced sewing as both a required domestic chore and artistic expression.
For us, creating a garment is a thoughtful, joyful process. It starts with choosing a fabric we love — usually a bold print that brings us joy — and pairing it with a pattern that has purposeful design features to bring the outfit together. There’s something powerful about taking those raw materials and shaping them into something that reflects your style, skills and personality.
One of our favourite moments is when someone stops us to compliment what we’re wearing, and we get to say, “Thank you, I made it.” You can see the shift as they pause and think about the work, the decisions made during construction, and the creativity behind the garment. It’s a small reminder that the pieces we make carry a story, and that the skill behind them deserves to be seen and celebrated.
Q3. What advice would you give to women who are trying to make space for creativity alongside everything else in their lives?
Making space for creativity can feel challenging, but it’s one of the most valuable things you can give yourself. The art of creating takes time — time to build skills, time to experiment, time to occasionally make “mistakes”, time to invest in the tools you need, and time to simply enjoy the process.
There is no one solution for finding the time in your life for creativity, it will look different for different people and each person will face their own challenges in making space for it in their lives. It doesn’t have to be hours at a time but making time for some moments of creativity — for example, sewing three seams at the end of the day, cutting out one pattern piece, or even just choosing fabric for the next project. Those little steps keep your creative practice moving and remind you that your creativity always deserves room in your life and is valuable. For us, even a couple of minutes of sewing a day or discussing our latest “vision” for a project brings us joy and improves our frame of mind.
At the end of the day, sewing is both practical and joyful. Without makers, none of us would have clothes to wear, so it’s worth remembering just how essential this craft is. When we make space for creativity, we are honouring a long tradition of skills, resourcefulness, and self expression – and that’s something to celebrate.
♡ The Style Arc Team
Sew it ♡ Wear It ♡ Love It ♡ Style Arc