By Christine Bigney
Sandy Johnson is a down-to-earth woman who loves people. And she loves to sew. And she loves to sew for people. That’s why her table at the Muskegon Farmer’s Market is chock-full of all sorts of items that people need in the course of their everyday life.
I met Sandy on one of my market walks one Thursday afternoon in search of, what I call a “pull-through” apron, where you can adjust the length of the apron by just pulling on the apron strings. This simple action raises the apron closer to your neck. Of course if you pull on the apron itself it slides down the strings, making the apron appear longer, making it nicer to wear on jobs for making pies or weeding the garden. I usually buy two or three a year, but lately I haven’t been able to find any and the ones I had were in shreds.
Low and behold I come across a garment rack filled with my kind of pull-through aprons! And not only in adult sizes, but in children sizes also! What a great idea to get your little one interested in baking! And the material was good, solid material in vintage style. I bought two.
Looking over Sandy Johnson’s table I saw that she had many other treasures for sale. A large box held five or six baby quilts. A lady came up to the box, pulled one out and asked Sandy if she had any with ducks on it. “I didn’t bring any with me today, but I have one at home that I can bring with me next week. If you want to give me your name and number I can contact you and let you know exactly when I will be here,” Sandy said smiling, as she passed the woman a pencil and paper. “Some people will come back and ask me to make a specific kind of quilt in a specific design or color. If I don’t have it, I will go look for the material and make it. If the customer doesn’t like it…well? What am I out? $10? I’ll just sell it to someone who does like it! The important thing is that the customer is happy!”
Sandy found that she had a passion for sewing when she was in high school. “It just became second nature to me, Sandy said. She made all her kids’ clothes; “Until it wasn’t cool for them to be seen in clothes made by their mom!” she laughed. “They did like the jackets I made for them. Their friends couldn’t believe that I had made them.”
Sandy started driving the 10 miles it takes to get to the Muskegon Farmer’s Market over a year ago when she discovered she could make more money in two weeks sewing and producing special orders than one month at her old job. “I have even sent items all the way to Norway, so I can honestly say I sell world-wide!” Sandy exclaimed.
Other items that caught my eye were colorful knitted washcloths, baby bibs, (“I sell A LOT of baby bibs, and believe it or not, a lot of adult sized ones too!” said Sandy). There were awesome Potato Microwave Bags made in attractive vintage colors. What is a Potato Microwave Bag you ask? You place washed potatoes (no pricking needed) in the bag for 3-5 minutes and bake until done. The bag will perfectly bake corn on the cob, squash, and warm up tortillas or muffins. Perfect for a single person. The bags are made of cotton so they are easy to wash.
Stop by Sandy’s Craft Corner and see all the cool items she has to offer. And maybe you will become a regular customer also. I know I will be back every year for a couple of new aprons!