PINNED Podcast
PINNED Podcast
Sew Magical! with Kayla- PINNED Podcast: Episode 16
This weekend I will be attending and speaking at the Sew Magical Expo!
This week I sit down with the owner and founder herself, Kayla, and discuss how an idea filled with passion in crafts turned into a huge meetup!
Want to make a shout out on the next video? Text to 1-833-4A-PINUP
Insta: @pinnedpodcastofficial
About Kayle
Founder and Owner of Sew Magical Expo
Kayla is the founder of Sew Magical Expo, a sewing/crafting expo currently based in Central FL. She has a passion for sharing her love of crafting and helping other small businesses grow together. She is a mom, Disney nerd, sewist, business woman, and INTJ.
For more information
www.sewmagicalexpo.com
FB & IG: Sew Magical Expo
YouTube: Sew Magical
Patreon:Sew Magical Expo
[inaudible] number 16 on the pin podcast.
Speaker 2:I'd like to bring a modern topics with a vintage flair. My name is Pinot Miami, and if you haven't been here before welcome, please make sure to subscribe. If you're watching on YouTube, like, and comment down below. And if you listen to listening in on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever, you're listening to, please make sure to subscribe as well. So you could get a new episode every Wednesday. And if you want to follow me on Instagram and find out about new episodes, ask questions to the guest, follow me at the pin podcast official or on my personal on at pinup Miami today's episode. I have a very special guest. Her name is Kayla and she is a founder and maker of the so magical expo. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you so much. I'm so excited too, because her expo is actually this weekend. October 2nd, no, October 2nd and third and fourth, correct? Yes, no, this one. Wow. And what made you, I want to know more about you talk about your story and how you came to start this. Like, I think it's great and I love the name. Uh, I don't know if that's cause it's an Orlando, but let me know. I want to know. Well, um, okay. So I been sewing since I was little, like six, seven years old and my grandma taught me, so I've always been sewing and I had this like love for Disney. That's a little scary and it was always like me and my son's thing. And we would always go. And so I found these Facebook groups where it's like all these same people that all love crafting and showing in Disney. And then I found a Harry Potter when it was amazed how big the community was. And it started with the idea to like have a meetup with a bunch of people. And then I really liked the idea of helping people learn and helping small businesses. I was like, okay, well maybe we can get some like small business vendors to come and people can learn more about them. And then that kind of grew from there. And it turned into a meetup in February to, by June, it was a expo. And that was our first year was last year. So this is our second year and we're super excited. I can't wait. It's at the Gaylord. Yes. I've never been, but I've heard great things. It's beautiful. It's like an indoor greenhouse type situation in the middle it's it's like being in a jungle, but with AC that's a good, that's like, I want to be in Florida with AC and I hear it. Christmas time. They have beautiful displays up. I don't know if they're going to be up. No, it's too early for that. It's too. This time, last year we had them up. They were like just in time, but this year now I'll have the fall decorations though. And those are pretty too.
Speaker 3:Ooh. So you love Disney. You've loved Disney since you were a little girl or,
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. I've had family that worked there. I, um, back when things weren't so strict, that was, you know, I went behind the scenes all the time when I was a kid. I didn't really like it so much until I became an adult. And then I found Epcot. I mean, hello,
Speaker 3:I've kind of changed tremendously. So tell me about this year. What's what do you, what is different from your first year to this year?
Speaker 2:Oh, wow. Um, a ton of stuff. It was such a learning curve. And I learned so much in the first year and we put out the survey to really make sure that we were getting what people really wanted and what we could do better. So we added a fourth classroom another day. We added a ton of different variety of classes. So we added a lot more crafting based ones. We added more topics like dapper day and, um, historical costuming and kinda just like adding more topics that the sewing and crafting community would really be akin to. And then we kind of moved a little bit more away from we're still magical, but we're not, we didn't want to be Disney centric by any means. So we have, um, more topics that span more magical things. And our goal is to just keep growing on that idea. I mean, I want to unicorn class next year, for sure. So I don't know, but we'll figure out a way to have corn based class.
Speaker 3:That would be awesome. Maybe an embroidery. I've seen people do unicorns for a baby a one time,
Speaker 2:Although it was so cute,
Speaker 3:Really looking forward, I have to sign up, but I'm looking forward to the embroidery classes, the intercourse, all these types. That's a craft that I'm really trying to get into.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's so much fun. It's addicting though. Let me tell ya
Speaker 3:At the warehouse that I have, um, they have a, uh, 15 needles, sewing embroidery machine. And I love making, like, that's how, when I host any pinup contest, I make the sashes there. Um, I just make a lot of fun stuff and I'm donating the towels that
Speaker 2:Your vintage details, right?
Speaker 3:Vintage tea towels that look like they're like old because of the stitching and the design, but they're really cute. Pinup girls doing like house duties, sexy lingerie. Yeah.
Speaker 2:That why not? Right? Like, it can be cute. It can be fun. Why not
Speaker 3:Cleaning, but we'll see it on a towel.
Speaker 2:It's the idea behind it, right? Yes.
Speaker 3:Super cute. And I'm also able to put people's names if they want, I sell it on my website in case anyone's interested at see,
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:I sell it on. I'm actually gonna remove that from Etsy. Cause I want to keep doing baby things on my Etsy. Yes. I've noticed that my Etsy does really good with baby items. And then my website for my pin, ms. Pin on miami.com. The shop bear is more rockabilly pinup stuff. Just going to keep them separate. Cause I think it keeps it better for moms that are just looking for one thing. Even though I have no kids, Pete, somebody asks me, why did I just start selling baby PIBs? It was just because, Oh, my boyfriend's sister was having a baby and I wanted her to have a baby Yoda bib. So I just made it for her. People wanted it. So I put it up there and then I realized, okay, this is a thing
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Who doesn't love baby Yoda too, by the way, I love baby Yoda. I'm not even a huge, so cute.
Speaker 3:And what was the first thing you, you started sewing, you said he started sewing and like, what was your, what, you know, your first, like for me, I've always loved the vintage dresses, but I can never fit in something my size. So that's why I started sewing. Make my own vision.
Speaker 2:Yeah. They don't make clothes for curvy girls. No, man. I started, I, the first thing I started doing was like crocheting, but then I think the first thing I ever sewed up was a stuffed animal for like my baby cousin that was being born like a rabbit. It was horrible. It like, it looked, you hated, but I mean, I completed it and I was very proud of myself, but yeah, when I, um, when I got older, I, I think it was like maybe a year and a half ago. I was like, I'm going to finally try clothes because I got tired of like, just like you said, like things not fitting the way you want it. And yeah. Now I'm like, let's, I think all my dresses are handmade now. I don't buy them from the store anymore. Um, and then my leggings, same way, like curvy leggings for somebody that's under five foot does not exist. Think about that.
Speaker 3:I've wanted to try to make my own sports bra, but I feel like, I don't know, one day
Speaker 2:I'm scared. I'm scared. That's like, that's a goal.
Speaker 3:I really work with elastics. I find that kind of difficult for me. The only elastic I uses for circle skirts, which is one of the classes I'm going to be teaching so magical expo. And um, yeah, I decided to do it with elastic, with stretchy fabric because a lot of girls, when I did have a small meetup for sewing and crafting before the pandemic and uh, a lot of the girls wanted to learn how to make their own skirts, but they had a difficulty with zippers. So I was like something quick enough to do it an hour at the sh at the convention. But you know, but easy that everyone could use everyday. Like one of the skirts I'm wearing now it's no, and I made it. It's just
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:It's super comfy. I wear to work. You could dress it up with a petticoat if you really want that retro flair. And I just love it and I'm so excited to teach it. So,
Speaker 2:Yeah. And it's such a simple starter project. Yes. If you don't know how to show or even if you don't really have a sewing machine, even there's ways to do a circle skirt with like knit fabric without a sewing machine.
Speaker 3:You're right. My first circle skirt I ever did was actually at a fel.
Speaker 2:No,
Speaker 3:It wasn't what it felt. It was, yeah, it was felt it was a Felty team material. I don't remember now, but I remember that I just, it was cause it was a really large fabric. I just did the circle. Cause I actually was able to fit it in my size. Cause it was a wide enough and I didn't even put anything in the waist. I just squished into it since it was kind of like,
Speaker 2:And it worked
Speaker 3:And saw in it and I wore it many times and I didn't care. I was like, I don't care if it's heavy, I'm just going to wear it. Cause,
Speaker 2:And it was cute. Right.
Speaker 3:Cue. And then that, that moved me to like upgrade to more. Cause then I would find cute fabric and I'd be like, Oh, I want to make this. And that's the deal. If you find the que fabric, then there you go. I see dresses now that are, plus-sized like, like for example, pinup girl clothing. I don't know if you know them. Their dresses are kind of like one 50 year old books.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I see. You might as well make a, one of a kind item for that price.
Speaker 2:Again. If you're gonna spend the money, spend the money on something that really works for you. Yes.
Speaker 3:And that's what got me into it. And that's why when I make something, I just add a little, my creativity into it, which I'm sure with you too.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. Like definitely like this, this is one of my dresses that I've made recently. And I was just like, I don't know. I wanted, I wanted a downward striped dress and you can't find that anymore as well. I'm short and curvy. So let me look longer and not wider. Right. So everything is always like this and that doesn't work for most women. Right. So yeah. It's definitely great. Like having his skill set and it's nice that we really try to get people to understand like sewing is not, does not have to be scary and you could start with something as simple as a circle skirt and really do like, just like you, like, you can make it your own. You can make it retro vibe. You can make it like, you know, modern, you can make it really into anything cause playing, Oh my gosh. Yes.
Speaker 3:Picture that you used on the flyer for, I'm also going to be teaching a class of thrifting for dapper day and the picture she uses my dapper, Dan alpha of dapper Dan inspired outfit that I made. But a lot of people think I made that from scratch. A little trick. I did was like, I went to Goodwill and I got a vest and I just literally sewed the striped fabric onto a vest. Cause I didn't know how to make a vet.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I mean, it's so like there's so many ways you could do it. You don't have to start from a pattern.
Speaker 3:And then I just like cut out what I wanted to call her to look like and just sewed it on it. Doesn't look good up close, but nobody's going to, if there is somebody that close to me.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And it's all about the pictures anyway. Yes.
Speaker 3:And then for my button down shirt, all I did was add like a strip of yellows. I just sewed strip of yellow and put yellow accessories. I hot glued the trimming on my socks.
Speaker 2:There you go. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So I'm actually taking inspiration from your circle skirts and like you're thrifting idea and I'm taking, they're hidden behind the magic curtain, some Disney plastic like shopping bags and I'm turning them into something for the fashion show. I'm not wearing it. But one of my, one of my good friends, she challenged me to do it and I couldn't back down. So I got me out of my creative like little box.
Speaker 3:Yes. Well I, today I put up a picture for Hispanic heritage month. I wanted to do something out of the box and thank you. I wanted to, it just came because I, when I was in college, I was part of the Hispanic student association and I ran their Hispanic heritage month because I feel like it's a, it's not really as celebrated as every other month. Um, and there's so much in between. So I just wanted to do something that was glam and I never see a plus size girl wearing like a couture ish gown. And I wanted all the flags on there and I couldn't find anything that had every flag. So I just said, I'm going to pay campaigning and I'm going to sew it.
Speaker 2:That was amazing. When I saw that, I'm like, there's no way. Okay. So you did the first like picture, like the sneak peek. And I was like, it's a wedding dress. I saw the white and I'm like, it's a wedding dress. It's gotta be. And then I saw you sewing up. I'm like, okay, where's she going to do with the flags? I'm really curious. What's coming out of this, like a wedding dress. Like it was amazing. I love that dress is beautiful.
Speaker 3:I did the veil because I wanted it to be, since a lot of the people came from Spain. So I kept that, that Spanish five on purpose. And then I even had a show, a closeup, but I had even the little Spanish clips that go on the head then that's what's on the veil. Yeah. I put a lot of thought into that one and I was so excited just to everyone would ask me, why are you doing this? I'm wasting all this time. I'm like, Oh,
Speaker 2:And it's a fine
Speaker 3:Awareness and you know
Speaker 2:Yeah. And you get to work with your hands and like create something. That's a challenge. Yeah.
Speaker 3:That's what he's trying to tell people. Once you find like something that you want, consider it, a challenge is just work up to it. And then from there you'll realize you could do more and more. That's all my dresses that are like the out their dresses. I do. I really try to outdo myself for, you know, just to test myself cause every dress I do, I've learned something new, which I'm sure you have as well. When you hemmed your first thing you learned, there's an easier way.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. Every time I, so I learned something new that it didn't before. And it's like, you don't even have to go to a class to get that. But you know, you know, taking a couple of classes here and there, or even just, just, just getting started, watching YouTube videos, YouTube is the best, my best friend, YouTube, you find everything.
Speaker 3:So in the first year of the so magical expo, how, how did you come up with the classes? It was just people that came up and wanted to teach in them from there.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh. At first, no, like destiny wants to do something for something they've never heard of before. Right. In the, in the sewing expo community. There's like the big three that go around and they're huge, like massive. And so they're like, um, how many people are gonna have come? I'm like, I don't know, 20, 60. I don't know. We ended up hitting one 60 in our first year, which I was blown away with. And it was just amazing. But I had to, I had like this list of ideas. And at first we were mostly sewing. I'll put them down and I was like, I just went online and I went to find anybody that I was already following or inspired by. It'd be like, will you come teach to go for what? I go, just come teach people and I'll pay you. Don't worry. And they go, why not? And so we ended up, we had, um, yeah, exactly. I found you on Instagram. And I was like, I need her to teach dapper day. I don't care what she does. I want her to teach that day. And you said yes, which I was shocked about. I'm shocked. Whenever somebody have, like, in my mind is like celebrity status to me. Like you are like, you have such a big following. Everybody just is so sweet and nice on all your platforms. I found you on YouTube too, that hooked on that. And so I was just, I was so excited, but yet it, for the first couple of years, it's going to be mostly me going out this year. We had a bunch more like people that came last year that already had teaching experience and said, Oh yeah, like, Hey, can I, can I teach next year? And so I actually had to put together an application process because you know, I, I had that app or so last year, like, you know, like you live in, you learn lots of lessons there, but it's awesome to get such variety of people in different skill sets. Um, I have one teacher who this is her second year and she hadn't really been sewing for like more than five years and didn't have teaching experience, but she is one of the favorite teachers. And so, cause she always has these like really unique hits on, Oh, if you want to like really like ruffled as a princess skirt, you just pull this one thread and Walla it's magic. And so it's, it's really cool. Just the diversity of the people we have coming and teaching and what their backgrounds are. We have a ton of music teachers, surprisingly. Oh yeah. I think we have three former music teachers.
Speaker 3:That's what I love about when I saw the layout of the schedule and the classes. It's all types of people, all different skills.
Speaker 2:And um,
Speaker 3:It's just a variety of things. If you want to improve a craft that you have or just learn something new, it's like all levels. I like it. I like it so much. And I'm really, I'm really humbled that I'm going to teach.
Speaker 2:I can't wait. And I hope you have a blast too, because my goal is not for just the guests to have fun, but the teachers and the vendors to everybody like just collaborate and inspire each other. That's all I really want.
Speaker 3:I saw this last year and I wanted to go, but I couldn't go up to Orlando. I don't know why, but I couldn't go to Orlando. So I would've gone last year, but I forgot what it was that was supposed to go with a girl that caused plays from down here. She has a place up there too. So I was like, Oh, we'll go together. But I forgot what it was, but we didn't go, but I would have been there, but I know something happened. And then that's why when you reached out to me, I said, yes, right away, because I wanted to go.
Speaker 2:Yes. Why not? Yeah. My goal is at some point in the future to be like one of the comic cons where we have all these people dressed up the entire time. I want, I want everybody to just feel free to come dressed, how extravagant and like anything they've ever made. Just I want to see it all so I can come in a gown. Yes, yes. Are the ones that can just make it.
Speaker 3:I gotta see how I put that in. My car takes up my whole back seat.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh. I need to learn that.
Speaker 3:It's cause of the, the flags, the flags, when I painted them, they turned yeah.
Speaker 2:Hard room. Right? It's like
Speaker 3:They don't crack. Cause I put that scotch guard on them, but uh, it's kind of stiff. So it takes up, I have a little Fiat. That's why maybe I shouldn't
Speaker 2:See now next year you can teach a class on how to paint on fabric and make it, make it work.
Speaker 3:The second time I did it for dapper day. Um, last year I did a
Speaker 2:Steamboat, Willie skirt
Speaker 3:And I painted Steamboat Willie in the back. And that's what inspired me. Well, I follow these guys called the umbrella guys on Instagram and I've met at dapper
Speaker 2:Day. And that was actually really cool when I met them on dapper day. Cause they were excited to meet me. And I was like, I'm excited. It's amazing what social media can like, how it brings us together and makes you feel like, you know, somebody that yeah. Cause I told them that they inspired me to make that Steamboat really dress. So shout out to them. If they live listening. I'm really nice guys. You should have them teach a class. I don't think they live in Hernando though. I mean I have teachers coming from Texas, Zuri, California. Like we have people that fly in and just to teach. That's good. Yeah. It's awesome. And they're repeats cause I followed in the group. Oh yeah. Are you looking forward to any classes or? Oh gosh. Like all of them. There's, there's quite a few that I plan on like sneaking into, I got into trouble last year with hubby. He's like, I'm out here like running and everything. Where's your disappears. You I'm like he walked in and somebody had a 19th, 12 hand-crank sewing machine to sew in all her classes because she wanted to be challenged. And um, so I snuck into the class challenge. She's knocking the class and she let me use her machine. So I like made a pair of Mickey ears last. Um, Oh gosh. Okay. I'm definitely looking forward to the dapper day class. It's like on the top of my list because I was looking for the perfect person to teach it. And when I found you, I'm like, okay, so I'm definitely gonna sneak in there. All the pressure's on Jedi robe class. Oh I cannot wait for that one. Um, merits teaching that and she has a service dog named Ketty who comes he's so sweet. And so she works for a cosplay company to now and she didn't lie, but he does now. And so she's super excited for that. I don't know like all of them, cause I get so excited walking into the classrooms and seeing, um, everybody of all skill levels making the same thing, but they all have their own spin on it and they all end up looking so different. And then everybody just seems to always be having a blast. They're, you know, they're meeting new people and I ended up making like a new group of best friends out of it last year that I, you know, like people, I don't think I would ever have met if it wasn't for the expo. And it's just so neat walking into the classes and just seeing all the questions being asked and people helping each other. I had like three, nine year old girls, coincidentally last year who didn't know each other. And they all came. This one girl forced her mom who had like a one year old with her the entire time and her grandma to come so that she could go to the expo. And like, so, cause she didn't learn, she just made all the things. Awesome. Sorry. That's okay. And uh, you know, the one thing I'm looking forward to is probably going to be the most random thing that you're not thinking about is what is the forward since everyone is so crafty that is going or wants to be crafty and is going to express themselves. I want to see what kind of masks I see. Oh my gosh. I already know about a couple that I was told to keep a secret. Oh. But it, one of them is cosplay, eat oriented. Think, Ooh, I'm super excited for that one. I'm excited to see all the types of different mass fabrics designs, the sneak peek. So it was not a crazy idea. I had. I'm like, I'm wondering all these crafty people, they're going to have all these amazing masks. We even have. One of the classes is really unique. Um, somebody came to me with this idea and I had to put it up, was to up cycle, um, park mass, uh, maps like universal and Disney park maps and turn them into a face mask. Oh. And so she teaches, she's teaching how to like coat the paper and make it more fabric light, and then actually how to set up a mask. So that one should be really interesting to see like everybody walking out with mass afterwards. So you'll get a lot of variety. Trust me. Yeah. I'm super excited and make sure that if you guys are in the Orlando area this weekend or anywhere nearby or you want to drive or fly over to the Gaylord hotel, make sure to check out the soul magical expo and sign up for the classes before they sell out. Make sure you book your ticket and I'll be there. You could hang out with me. Kayla. You're not a stranger. You can go to the so magical expo.com. Correct? Yes. Ma'am and their Instagram is the same, so magical expo. And we have this really cool Facebook group where everybody just like talks and chats with each other and asked all the questions and we do wine and chat on there every Friday. It's a new thing. We started to answer all the questions, but also to just hang out and have a drink. Oh that's when you went live. Yes. Yes. It was our second time. So I'll do another one this Friday and then next Friday, I'm going to try to go live at the expo. We'll see. We'll try it. I'm excited for that one. Come find me and make an appearance. Yes, I thank you so much, Kayla, for coming on the podcast, I, you just hit me up even more and I'm nervous but excited and I'm
Speaker 3:Ready to teach. So make sure to check out my classes on dapper day and making a circle skirt. And then next week on episode 17, we're going to have Sarah, a doc of Venay I'm gonna, when we meet her, we're going to make sure I'm pronouncing that right. She is an opera singer and soprano. She's an estate jewelry curator and the owner of songbird antique jewelry. We're going to be talking about if you haven't guessed the jewelry,
Speaker 1:Kayla and I will see you all. I had a feeling.