Mama Makers Are a Special Type of Maker

I don't have kids. I have poodles. Just how God designed my life. And knowing how busy my days are, I am constantly amazed at the Maker mama's I meet who seem to have super powers to do it all.

My friend Stephanie of Triple Knot Studio constantly impresses me. She is the dynamo of Mama Makers. She has 3 tiny humans, who I love and adore, a job as a scientist and still manages to make beautiful things, run her small business and be an amazing friend. It is why on the Mother's Day I am extremely excited that we have launched Stephanie's Summer Vest Kit.

Another Mama Maker I adore is Kathryn of The Stitch & Hook. I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with Kathryn and teaching her how to knit when she came to Stitch Up Chicago this year.

Getting to know Kathryn has been fabulous and feeding into her creative journey is such a gift for me. But the real gift is her Maker mama story. I invited Kathryn to share with us, to celebrate Mother's Day. And here's to all you Maker Mama's out there. You are so special!!!

The day begins at 6 am. As the alarm buzzes, and I open my groggy eyes, I spy the growing pile of crochet and knit projects that need to be worked on.

I need to get that sweater finished before the baby wakes up. And this blanket needs to go out by the end of the week. I’m already behind on that pattern deadline. And don’t forget this dress that needs to be completed by next week…

Coffee in hand, I make my way to my craft space and begin working on the last sleeve of the sweater that was supposed to have been finished two days ago. I am determined to at least finish this project before my toddler wakes up.

I settle in, take a few sips of coffee, and get started.

Suddenly, as if on cue, a howl rises from the next room. “Mamaaaaa!” My heart stops. My eyes widen. “What?! NO!” I silently scream to myself. “He’s not supposed to be up for another hour! I only got 3 rows done! I need more time! Whyyy?!”

“Mamaaaaa….” The wail continues in the next room. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, say a prayer for patience, and put down the unfinished sleeve. I take off my Maker Hat and replace it with my Mama Hat, and head into the next room to start the day with my toddler, hoping that today he might take an afternoon nap, and praying that I might be able to finish that sweater before dinner time… but knowing full well that I’ll probably just be up until after midnight again, trying to play catch-up.

Welcome to the life of this Maker Mama.

Life is full of tightropes we have to walk – at work, at home, in relationships. And perhaps no one knows this better than Mamas.

A Mama’s job is a full-time, nights-and-weekends, always-on-call kind of job. Mamas don’t usually {ever?} get to call in sick. You won’t find these synonyms in the thesaurus, but any Mama can tell you that other job titles that can be used in place of “Mama” include:

- “cafeteria lady”

- “janitor”

- “mediator”

- “professional cheerleader”

- “event coordinator”

- “caterer”

- “chief inspector”

- “head chef”

- “nurse”

- “pharmacist”

… You get the point …

So when a Mama adds a side hustle to her plate, like a little maker business, it really is a “hustle”. It means less sleep and more juggling; less down-time and more tight-rope walking. It means having more ideas than time allows. It means almost never being “all caught up”. And it means working double-time just to stay in the game.

So Mamas, how do we to try to stay sane when we are feeling overwhelmed by being a Mama and a Maker? Here are a few things I try to remember to do:

1. Stay in Community

It is so important to be surrounded by people who are like you – who struggle with the same things you do. Nothing helps that crippling burden of loneliness like hearing someone else talking about the exact.same.struggle. When you find out that you are not alone in whatever it is that you may be struggling with, you can learn to laugh about the struggle instead of feeling overwhelmed by it.

2. Stay away from Social media when it gets too overwhelming

I love how huge the maker community is online. I love that there are a million people out there doing the same nerdy thing that I am doing, and that we get to share our creations with each other. But sometimes I just have to put the blinders on. Sometimes I have to just focus on myself, my capabilities, and my little successes. I have to stop comparing my feed to other amazing Instagram or Facebook feeds. I have to see myself for what I am worth, and not in comparison to anyone else.

3. Be Fully Present

Sometimes I can wear all the hats all at once. I can be a totally awesome mama and a super productive maker at the same time. But most of the time, I can only do one thing at a time. And that means putting away the hooks and the needles and the yarn and being completely present with my 2 year old as he uses his newest toy to destroy my flowers beds. Then, when I get to return to my craft after my child is in bed (or at least contained in his jail cell of a crib), I can return 100% with a renewed purpose and energy and be totally present with my craft.

Whatever you are doing to make it all work, know that you are doing your best, and that your best is all you can do in this season of life right now. Know that behind many of those gorgeously curated Instagram pages you admire is another mama who has also been pulling her hair out trying to simultaneously take the photo AND keep grubby hands from messing up that perfectly posed set-up.

As one of my favorite crochet/knitwear designers and mamas, Justyna from @ladyjaycrochet, posted a few months ago: “No matter what stage of life you are in, give yourself grace. It’s called #slowfashion for a reason.”

So here’s to all the Maker Mama’s out there, hustling and walking tight-ropes. You’ve got this. We’ve got you. And you are not alone in the struggle.