Sew Creative
Lisa Swisher
Sew Creative has been in business in Rochester since 1975. Please tell us about the products and services you offer to your community.
Primarily, we are a sewing machine business, and we offer classes. Our Learn to Sew classes have been extremely popular for the past couple of years. We also provide sewing supplies and long-arm quilting rentals – we do a little bit of everything. And with Joanne’s going out of business, we’ve picked up some of that slack.
What was COVID like for your business?
COVID was crazy. We had to close, but I was here shipping orders, putting machines in the back of people’s cars, and filling local orders.
One of our customers, her neighbors were doctors in the ER, and they could see what was happening, what was coming, and they asked her to make masks. She wanted to help, and she came to us, so we gave away fabric and elastic, and fast forward six weeks, we had sent out 15,000 masks to people all around our area.
Tell us about your personal relationship with sewing/quilting. How did you start?
It’s always been a family business. My mother started the business when I was 10. When I was little, she would always sew dresses for me. I remember very distinctly when I was 13, my mom said, “Okay, you can either go to the mall and pay for your clothes, or you can learn to sew your own.” So that’s when I really started to sew, in my mid-teens, out of financial necessity.
Why is in-person training so vital when it comes to using sewing machines?
Sewing machines are the most complicated thing that would be in your house, except for your car. They have the most moving parts, and they all have to work together just right.
It’s hard to troubleshoot with a video. Don’t get me wrong – YouTube is an awesome resource – I send people to YouTube all the time. But having someone sit with you and answer the questions you have is invaluable.
Tell us about the classes you offer.
We offer a wide variety: Learn to Sew, Learn to Quilt, and Intro to Fashion. We do a lot of introductory classes to help people get started. And we do a lot of machine-oriented classes because machines are what keep the lights on.
We also do special events, and we bring in educators and experts. In February, we have someone coming in to do a machine embroidery class.
So, when you buy a machine from us, you’re also getting the educational piece as well.
How often do you recommend getting your sewing machine serviced?
If you’re an avid sewer, then I would say once a year, you want to take it to get professionally cleaned and maintained. If you’re an occasional sewer, every couple of years to have it oiled and cleaned.
What advice would you give to a beginner?
Find a project that inspires you. You must have a goal, something you’re working towards. And come to classes. Even if the project you’re working on isn’t exactly the same as the class you’re taking, you’ll learn from the people sitting next to you. We’re here to help you get there.
How do you encourage young people to begin sewing? How do you ensure this skill is passed on and fostered?
Oftentimes, we’ll have grandmas bringing their grandkids in. If your grandma sews, your mom probably doesn’t, because it generally skips a generation. It’s nice to see grandmas and grandkids coming in together.
We also have a kids club where they can start at age 8. They get so excited because it’s always simple projects, but then when they’re done, they take their scraps and start making something else. And they’re chatting about starting a sewing club and having their friends come over to sew.
It’s fun to watch kids realize what’s possible. When you know how things are put together, you know what’s possible and what’s not possible. It’s fun to watch the evolution of their passion and see them taking it in different directions.
What is something we might not know about sewing/quilting/fabric arts, and/or something that might surprise us?
We have so many customers that are in healthcare and education – a lot of teachers. It’s really helpful for stress relief because it lets the other side of their brain do something. Many people with stressful jobs are sewists.
We’re in Rochester, and Rochester is home to the oldest and largest quilt guild in the country. RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) hosts one of the biggest quilt shows on the East Coast every year. There was also a button factory in Rochester. Hickey Freeman was an expensive men’s suit manufacturer here as well. There’s a lot of sewing going on in Rochester. There’s a lot of that kind of craft here.
Do you have any special or favorite projects you can share with us?
I love sewing for my granddaughters. That’s really what I do now. I’m a garment sewer; that’s my passion.
When I was getting married, my mom made my wedding dress. We found a $15,000 diamond collection dress at one of the bridal shops, and we went in and took pictures of it. We didn’t have cell phones, so we were coughing to try to cover the sound of the click that the camera was making! She measured me and made me a dress that looked exactly like the one in the store.
That’s the thing that I love. You can see something and make it. I can see a dress and make it into what I want to fit me. If I have a special occasion or something I really want, then I know I can do it.
Sew Creative is a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise. What is the importance of certifying your business as such?
I think it’s important because this industry serves mostly women. A lot of professional tailors are men, but recreational sewers are women. And I feel like it’s important that women know that we’re represented in the business side of things. A lot of sewing machine dealers are men because they’re mechanics. I’m not a mechanic; I’m not a technician. I’m a sewer. And that’s the kind of help you’re going to get from us.
January 2026
