Baby Lock, sewing instruction, pattern making, leather works, shoe making, boot making, tailoring for men, SewpBox Productions, Hollywood, Sew Powerful, purse making, Hermes bags

SewpBox Productions, https://www.sewpbox.com/

Los Angeles Trade Technical College, http://www.lattc.edu/

Baby Lock Ambassadors, https://babylock.com/ambassadors

The Sew Powerful Podcast shines a light on the people behind the mission to keep girls in school and create purposeful products in Zambia. Join us every week for a new 30-minute episode to meet new people, hear inspiring stories, and learn how you can join us in this global movement. Whether you sew or not, make purses or not, you will find something to enjoy in every episode. Listen today.

Host: Jan Cancila

Guest: Russell Conte

Jan Cancila, Host 00:04

Welcome to the Sew Powerful podcast. This is your host, Jan Cancila. You know the sound of my sewing machine means it's time for another episode. So, let's get started.

Jan 00:19

Today you are going to meet a very dapper gentleman who is the proprietor of SewpBox Productions based in West Hollywood, California. Russell Conte owned a retail sewing shop until he discovered his true passion, teaching others to sew. His portfolio includes fashion sewing, leather goods, shoe making and more. Get ready to take some notes because even for we experienced sewers, we're about to learn something new. Welcome, Russell Conte.

Russell Conte, Guest 00:56

Well, thank you, Jan. Pleasure.

Jan 00:58

How are you today?

Russell 00:59

I'm really well.

Jan 01:00

So I'm talking to you from West Hollywood, California.

Russell 01:05

Indeed, actually, that's my mailing address. But I'm in Hollywood proper.

Jan 01:09

Oh, even better, even better. And how is the weather in Hollywood today?

Russell 01:14

Oh, it's beautiful.

Jan 01:15

Yeah, I can see that. Sunny skies in California.

Russell 01:18

Indeed.

Jan 01:19

You own a business called SewpBox Productions. Tell us about the name.

Russell 01:26

Well, SewpBox. It's just a play on the word soapbox. You know, I'm very passionate about sewing. It's the one thing that has carried me through my entire adult life. And anytime I can get on my soapbox or talk about it and extol its virtues I will do so.

Jan 01:39

Now before you had this business, and we'll talk about it in more detail here in a moment you owned a retail sewing businesses. Is that correct?

Russell 01:47

Exactly. I bought a business back in 2000 that had been in existence since 1955, in Santa Monica, California, and it was a little mom and pop sewing machine shop. They did sewing machine sales and repairs. And I purchased it in April Fool's Day of 2000.

Russell 02:01

Yeah, the jury's still out. No, actually, it was quite fun, you know, kind of redeveloped it and reinvented it a little bit and ended up doing a large educational component to what we did. So we sold fabrics, we sold notions, we did a lot of machine sales and repairs. And then we started adding education into it. And we had a really large educational component to what we did. So when I ended up selling the business back in June of 2017, at that point, we had over 150 sessions of classes, every trimester, we had more than 1000 students coming through the shop every year. And I had learned over that breadth of time because people when I first bought the shop, they kept saying, Oh, please teach sewing and I'm like, I'd rather you know, take you to lunch, I'd rather do anything else in the world than teach somebody how to do something. And then I realized that was actually the thing that I really enjoyed. And so it became a really large component. And then it became the launch board for me to sell my business. So at this point, I'm on faculty at a local college and I teach fashion and tailoring and shoe making another works all kinds of stuff.

Jan 02:56

Wow, that is that is really interesting. Now, what is your affiliation with Baby Lock?

Russell 03:03

When I owned my business, we carried their sewing machines. And then I realized when I sold my business that I didn't have a sewing machine at home anymore. I was like, I'm gonna have to get a sewing machine.

Jan 03:12

This is like a car dealer, who drives all the new models and then doesn't have a dealership any longer.

Russell 03:18

Yeah, exactly. I was like, oh my gosh. So, you know, we carried several different brands. And I had always worked really well with Baby Lock. Baby Lock, it was a company that I really enjoyed, because, you know, they didn't sell boxes. They sold a lifestyle. They were really passionate about sewing and anytime that if we ever had an issue with a sewing machine, we never had an issue because we called Baby Lock, and they would tag it. Next day, we'd have a new machine, there would never be an issue. So, it was always quality and customer first. And I always felt like I was dealing with family. It was really fun to do business with them. And so, when I sold the business, I was like, Okay, well, I'm gonna need a sewing machine. So, what do I want? And then I thought, well, I'm also going to want to kind of put my allegiance with somebody as well. And so, they invited me to become a Baby Lock ambassador. And that's how that kind of developed.

Jan 04:01

Okay, and what does it mean that you're an ambassador?

Russell 04:05

Yeah, it's such an odd word, isn't it? Because they also use the term influencer.

Jan 04:09

Right. You were the ambassador and not the influencer. So, I want to know the difference.

Russell 04:14

Actually, I don't think there's much of a difference. It was just simply that term influencer's around. And I think the intent is the same. It just the word influencer, always just as one of the things to me like going, I'm going to influence you into buying something. I really appreciate the word Ambassador more. But what it simply means is that, you know, I go out and when I talk about things, I just talk about my experience with Baby Lock. And I provide patterns for them. I do different tutorials for them and that kind of stuff online, and I just support their means for bringing a product to market.

Jan 04:42

Nice, very nice. Okay, let's go back in history.

Russell 04:47

Yeah.

Jan 04:47

How did you learn to sew to begin with and what was your motivation to do that?

Russell 04:52

Well, I majored in dance at a biomed school, and that was my passion. I wanted to be a dancer and then shortly thereafter, I realized that I didn't always like the costumes. And I'm always kind of those people that I think I can always do it better even if I can't, I will try to. And so, I bought my first sewing machine at Sears. So, I just started modifying my costumes. And then that kind of led into me making costumes for other people. And that led me some years later into walking into the store to buy a sewing machine. And then I ended up buying the shop. So that's the really condensed Reader's Digest.

Jan 05:24

Wow, wow. Wow, wow. Well, you know, my granddaughter is on her school dance team. And they have these very sparkly sequin encrusted outfits, but they weren't lined. So, I mean, it was it was just so scratchy. And so, I put a lining in her costume. Well, pretty soon, I was putting linings in lots of costumes. So, word gets out when you can work on costumes, apparently.

Russell 05:52

Exactly. It's kind of like owning a truck. Can you help me move?

Jan 05:56

That's the strangest analogy to sewing I've ever heard, Russell, but okay, I'll take it. I'll take it.

Russell 06:01

I think of it very much. Because as soon as people say, you can sew, can you do this? I'm like, yeah...

Jan 06:06

Yeah? You've been sewing for a while. So, are you self-taught? Or did you take lessons?

Russell 06:11

No.

Jan 06:12

Self-taught?

Russell 06:13

As I've aged, I've kind of smartened up. And I realized that I could probably learn from somebody else's mistakes instead of making my own. But I'm the kind of person who kind of likes to drive into the wall myself about 90 times and figure it out on my own. And so I'm completely self-taught, because I wasn't raised in this fashion that you look for a tutor. If there was something you wanted to do, you just bought a book and you figured it out. So that's how my upbringing was. So, it never occurred to me that I actually could pay somebody to teach me to do something. And so that was a challenge for me, when people kept asking me to teach them to sew, I'm like, well just go buy a book. You know, it didn't occur to me that you, you know, you could actually do this as a lifestyle choice.

Jan 06:48

Mm hmm. Okay, and so right now, you're an instructor at the university. Is that correct?

Russell 06:56

Yeah. And work in a place called Los Angeles Trade Technical College. It's a community college in downtown Los Angeles. And I worked there full time, actually on faculty now. I It wasn't my intention, but the universe kind of opened doors all at the right time and this is what occurred. And so yes, I'm there full time. I am the head instructor for the tailoring program. We do men's tailoring there. I'm also teaching shoe making right now. And I'm also teaching, what else am I doing, pattern drafting for men. Whatever they kind of throw at me, I will teach history of costume, all kinds of stuff.

Jan 07:26

And are the classes in person or online now?

Russell 07:29

Yeah, we went online like everybody else in the world did and I was really reluctant to do it. I was very concerned that it wasn't going to be successful. However, it turned out to be remarkably successful. And I really ended up enjoying it. However, we are back on campus, not all faculty about 40% at this point are back on campus. And that's including the students as well. So, a lot of people are still doing things remotely. However, I'm teaching my classes hybrid. So, in the classroom, I've got basically a docking station where I can do all my camera and video stuff. And so, students can elect to stay home or they can elect to come to class, or they can do any combination thereof. So that's how I'm teaching right now.

Jan 08:03

That's interesting. So, talk to me a little bit about shoemaking. Because, well, I don't know maybe when I was a kid, I met somebody who was a cobbler, and they would just sort of repair your shoes. Now you just get a new pair but talk about shoemaking. What led you to want to do this and how difficult is it?

Russell 08:24

Well, there there's an adage in the shoe world that anybody can make one. But do they match?

Jan 08:30

Right.

Russell 08:31

I'm one of those kind of people that I like to keep my hands busy. And so, I love to make things with my hands. My first thing out of college was actually jewelry design. And then I don't know why it led into sewing. But that's where my sewing started up as well. So, I just keep the hands busy. As long as my hands are busy, my brain is healthy.

Russell 08:48

But some years ago, I decided I wanted to take a more advanced leather work training classes. So, I actually took a whole series of like leather work for really high-end leather bags, European leather bags, and I met somebody there who had done shoes. And it was one of the things is like Well, that's kind of cool, but it didn't really appeal to me. But it had always occurred to me that I wanted to make a pair of cowboy boots and I had always been something in the back of my head and I do not know why other than I wanted to do it, and somebody said, Well, I know this person in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that makes cowboy boots and teaches it. Really? And so, she sent me the information. And all of a sudden, I was making a pair of cowboy boots in Albuquerque, New Mexico about 10 years ago. And the bug hit me really hard. I was like, wow, this is a great fun. It's also a lot of work. There's nothing easy about nothing easy about it. And then I thought okay, cool. Once I'd done that, I was like, Okay, well now I want to learn how to make these other shoes. And so, I started making other shoes, and that's kind of how it kind of happened. It's just one of the things I like to do.

Jan 09:48

And do you teach others to make shoes?

Russell  09:51

Yeah, indeed at the college we actually have a shoe making course, Fashion Design 207. We start with a pair of sandals, because it's pretty easy. They're going to call to continue strap sandal, teaches people how to start working with leather. And then we actually do a classic Derby men's shoe.

Jan 10:07

Wow. That's amazing. And so, the students in your classes, what are their aspirations? Why are they signing up for these classes typically?

Russell 10:17

Well, at the college level, it's a big fashion program. And a lot of the people want to be fashion designers. And we have people all demographics of all ages because that's the nice thing about fashion. It's not age dependent. And I find a lot of people come to the program after they've done other things in their life, and they always want to try it. I think also some people come into the program, because they think fashion is going to be easy. Right, because it's just clothes. And like, yeah, it's just brain surgery. It's all of a sudden, they realize there's math involved. And so, it becomes a bit more challenging. But I think a lot of people have aspirations of being fashion designers. We have also a lot of people who are already in the industry of some sort. And they're developing more skill sets so they can do something else. So they come in for more training. That kind of stuff. I think other people come in because they want to test the waters to see what it's about.

Jan 11:02

Well, Russell, why don't we take a quick break. And when we come back, I want to delve in a little more about some specific tips that you teach people so that our volunteers who make purses can sort of learn from you on this podcast. So, we're going to get a really great tip for sewers here. So, hang on, and we'll be back in one minute.

Jan 11:29

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Jan 12:32

Welcome back. We have been speaking with Russell Conte, who is the owner of SewpBox Productions and is also an instructor of fashion design in many different formats. And we are about to learn even more. So, Russell when people are first learning to sew, what would you say is the most common mistake that beginners make?

Russell 12:58

Common mistake? Wrong needle, wrong thread.

Jan 13:01

Oh really?

Russell 13:01

Wrong stitch length. Because you know for the most part people when they first learn how to sew, they think they need rope. So, they use you know, really heavy thread. They think they need a big nail of a needle to go through this fabric. And then they don't know anything about stitch length. So, I think it's just one of those things. I typically tell people use the smallest needle you can get away with us the smallest thread, and small stitch lengths are typically going to get to give you the most optimal results. And I would say the other thing, if I were to say people tend when they first begin and this is not necessarily just predicated upon beginners, many people get very precious about their work. And I mean that in the sense that they get so concerned that they're going to make a mistake. And I'm like, well, you know what, it's sewing. You're gonna make mistakes. I've been sewing for nearly 40 years now. I make mistakes every day. It's just something you live with, and you move on through. And so, I tell people just don't get too concerned, you know, don't get so married to something that it's the last thing you're ever going to do.

Jan 13:42

Now one of the other courses that you teach is pattern making.

Russell 13:56

Yeah.

Jan 13:57

And does that involve a lot of math and three-dimensional thinking? How does that work?

Russell 14:02

It does. To put it bluntly, I sucked at geometry when I was in school. And so, when I started doing fashion, it never occurred to me that there was math involved. And it wasn't that I was bad at math, I was just really bad at geometry. And I was like all this math, all this geometry. And it kind of hit me sideways. The cool thing about it for me was that I was so passionate about it, I've grown into the point that I can actually do geometry pretty well now. But yes, there is a lot of math, and you have to be able to read a ruler.

Jan 14:28

Yeah, I owned a linen rental business. And we made our own tablecloths. And when I would hire salespeople, they were astounded that they needed to know the circumference and how to figure that out. They were like well, I thought I was done with that. But no, you have to bring that information back.

Russell 14:48

No math and fashion, married pretty deeply.

Jan 14:52

Yeah, they sure are. Some of the techniques you teach in your videos, I like them because they're very short and focused. What is your philosophy there? Why did you do it that way?

Russell 15:04

There's a place for history, and I can talk ad nauseam about all this stuff. But there's also a place when I'm trying to do a welt pocket, I don't want to know about where my technique was derived from. I simply want to know how to do A to B to C to D. And I also want it done in ways of like apples and oranges. Because that's what I tell the people all the time, I think of myself as kind of spatially dyslexic. It takes me a long time to translate what somebody else has written on the page into the three-dimensional world. And so, I had the same issue everybody else has when they're reading instructions. It's somebody's best attempt to tell you in writing how to do something in a three-dimensional world, and that doesn't work really well for me. And so, I like to do short snippet videos that kind of just go through the techniques, you know, as cleanly as possible in a way that would make sense to me.

Jan 15:49

You know, one of the ones that comes to mind is how to make bias tape. And so, I saw that, and I saw that it was a minute long, and I thought, well, this must have a commercial in front of it before we get to how to make bias tape, but no, in one minute, and one second, it was how to make bias tape. And I was like, man, this is really handy. I mean, you're making something, you don't want to spend the whole afternoon, learning how to do the next step of whatever it is on your project. So, I really liked that.

Russell 16:19

I appreciate that.

Jan 16:20

That was fantastic. You owned a business for a number of years, as did I, and you know, I think it's always fun to talk to other entrepreneurs. What were some of the challenges that you faced as a business owner?

Russell 16:35

Well, the challenge was not knowing what I was doing when I first got into it, because like a lot of other people, I'm like, oh, that sounds like fun, I want to do this. And so, on a credit card and a wing and a prayer, I bought a business that I knew, you know, I knew how to sew, right? I didn't know how to run a business. And I was really fortunate because I had an incredible staff that worked with me. And I had amazing customers who were really impassioned and really invested in making certain we were successful. And so, kind of, in spite of myself, we were successful. I would say the some of the challenges, you know, when they talk about business, they talk about cash flow, and I have no idea what they meant by cash flow, until you're in the middle of cash flow. And cash flow is king. If you don't have cash walking in the door every day, then your business comes to a standstill. And so, cash flow is really important. Having a business plan, I think is kind of smoke and mirrors. But it's also important to have a business plan. So, you kind of kind of plan ahead so you know what you're doing in your business. And things I did as a business owner early on, it didn't occur to me the importance of a bookkeeper until I was about a year into my business. And I regret that decision. Still to this day, if I were to open another business, the first thing I would hire as a bookkeeper, somebody who can manage the books, because you don't have any idea how much work is involved in doing it. And you have no expertise in it until you're right in the middle that you're trying to clean up the mess that somebody else could have taken care of how to hire them upfront. But you know, in your head, I couldn't really justify the cost.

Jan 18:02

You know, when I first owned my business, I remember that first week and my bookkeeper gave me a list of invoices and I'm like, pay this, pay this, pay this, pay this. She goes now are you budgeting for payroll? I'm like, oh, yeah, payroll. So yeah, so she saved me there. So, I had to rethink the ones that aren't due now, don't pay them now, wait for that cash flow. So that was a big learning experience for me.

Russell 18:28

It was a learning experience for me too. And it was a challenging learning experience upfront, but you know, it's something you've learned, and I will eternally be grateful for having owned my business because I had it for 17 years, because I would never be the person I am today, had I not had that experience. It really kind of tracked me into who I am today.

Jan 18:43

Right. Yeah, yeah. You know, for Sew Powerful we have our volunteers making purses, and we have people in all age range and yesterday, I talked with a nine year old girl who was making purses. And I asked her how long she'd been sewing, and she said for two years. So yeah, so she has two years under her belt here. And she was just absolutely darling. A lot of our volunteers, however, are retirees because when you're retired, you have more time to volunteer. And so, we have a wide range of skill sets of people who are making our purses from our two basic patterns and you can embellish them or leave them plain, let the fabric speak for itself, or compare and contrast. Is there a tip that you could think of for somebody who is constructing a purse, now we're not making Hermes bags. We're making something that's very practical, but you know, can you just give our volunteers a tip based on your experience?

Russell 19:48

I would say the biggest thing when you're first beginning is I think there's a sense that there's more flexibility, there's more forgiveness when you're sewing. When actually sewing is just very much like architecture and construction. When I'm drafting a pattern the more accurate I'm with the pattern that when I get to the point that when I'm cutting it, I'm really accurate at my cutting. And then when I get to the sewing as long as I'm really accurate with my sewing, everything will work together. It's when you kind of have this kind of like, oh, it'll work mentality and it get a little bit more laissez faire, about things where things start to kind of melt down. So, I would say just be very conscientious about the patterning, about the cutting and about the sewing. And then you'll be amazed at how quickly your skills progress, as well as how much more successful things will be and how much more gratification. You know, I remember the first thing I've made even though I did costuming, my first thing I actually wanted to make was a men's dress shirt. And so that's what I did, I bought pink fabric with little blue flowers on it, I do not remember if it looked good when I was done, but I wore it everywhere. I was very proud of it. But I remember that there was ease in the sleeve cap. And I only know that it's called ease now because at the point, I just thought it was a mistake in the pattern. And so, I'm like, well, somebody doesn't know what they're doing. So, I just cut it out. Not a great choice, probably. I wish I had the shirt so I could show it to you. But you know, there's reasons the patterns are like that. And so, I was more about a results. I wanted to sew so I had something to show for it. I wasn't really interested in the process.

Russell 21:09

Now I'm more of a process person. I really enjoy the process. And I enjoy the results as well. But that's not my end goal. And so, I tend to rush through everything when I was first sewing. And if you can just step back and allow yourself to take a bit more time. And then the other thing, I have a rule for myself, it's three mistakes, I'm out. And it doesn't matter if I've been sewing for 10 minutes or 10 hours, if it's morning or night. If I make three mistakes in a row, it's not going to get better, it's only going to get worse. And so, I just stopped, I give myself a timeout. And then I come back to my work when I'm more suited to be able to finish moving forward.

Jan 21:44

Oh, I like that. Three mistakes. And you just take a break. You come back to it. Right?

Russell 21:49

Yeah.

Russell 21:49

Oh, oh, I like that. Well, and you know, you talked about getting started. And for some of our volunteers, that first purse is a little bit challenging. But anybody who's been doing this, the second one is easier. And then the third, and by then you're sort of addicted to let me see how from this one pattern how can I make every single one look unique and special? So.

Russell 22:15

Exactly.

Jan 22:15

Yeah, so that's what happens. And we're always amazed that these two patterns can produce this year 24,000 unique and different purses from.

Russell 22:26

Wow, that is impressive.

Jan 22:27

Yeah, well, and our goal, our 2030 goal is to reach every schoolgirl in Zambia by 2030. And so, we have a ways to go but every journey begins with the first step. And we've actually been sending purses since 2014, so we are on our way. So.

Russell 22:45

It's very exciting.

Jan 22:46

Russell, thank you so much for sharing your expertise and philosophies with us today. And it's just always so interesting to peel back the layers of the onion and find out what the thought process was, how things got started, and how professionals got to be where they are. So, thank you so much for your time.

Russell 23:06

No, my pleasure. Thank you for having me here.

Jan 23:08

Oh, you're welcome. We'll talk to you soon. Bye bye.

Russell 23:11

Bye bye now.

Jan 23:13

If what you've heard today inspires you to want to make a difference. I urge you to explore the Sew Powerful website at www.sewpowerful.org. That's SEW POWERFUL dot ORG. The website has great information about the organization, is where you can download the free purse patterns, or even make a donation. We hope you will join us again next week when we bring you another Sew Powerful story. Thanks for listening. Now, go out and have a Sew Powerful day.