08/05/2025
Helloš©· this is Barb the owner of garments by design. ļæ¼ Itās been a few days since I announced that I will be retiring and closing the business. I have read through each and every comment that was posted on the announcement of my retirement. And I canāt begin to thank you all enough for the wonderful things that were written. I will be keeping a book with all these wonderful memories. Thank you so much for loving what I do , and for your kindness and unending friendships. I am the luckiest person of all as I feel so blessed by all of you. Also ļæ¼I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of my clients for being a part of the best career I could ever ask for. So many times Iāve had people comment on how they didnāt know how I do the work that I do. To me it was just part of who I am. Iām grateful to my mom for taking the time to teach me to sew at a very young age. When she was first teaching me, she would give me a piece of paper that she had drawn lines on. She would set me down at the sewing machine without any thread in the machine and have me run the needle along the lines following them as best I could. It was a great way to introduce me to the world of sewing. It was not long after that, I was swiping washcloths out of the bathroom cabinet to cut apart and sew into barbie doll clothes. Needless to say, my mom was not thrilled that I was cutting apart her bathroom towels, however, she soon gave me pieces of fabric and let me design as I wanted. When I look back at all the years of sewing and design, I would say that my love for designing evolved around 12 years old. My mom belonged to a ladies church club in a little town, just north of us. And every christmas season this group of ladies would each be given a 10 inch doll to take home and make an outfit for. Once these doll clothes were all completed, they were mailed off to a location where children were in need of toys. My mom quickly realized that she would not have to take the time to make a doll dress if she just handed it over to me. It was my first opportunity to design for a contest. And I still remember the time she came home with the first place prize for the most unique outfit. ļæ¼ļæ¼ Iām thankful that she gave me the freedom to express my love for design. Anyone that knows of my work is aware that I love to design original garments, and I have been given so many opportunities to do that. Whether it was for ļæ¼ events, pageants, gala events, christening gowns, or fun outfits for my children and grandbabies, Iāve never passed of the opportunity for the creativity. ļæ¼ Garments by Design has been a wonderful opportunity to work firsthand on designing, and tailoring custom work for clients. But more importantly, it has been the opportunity to watch the joy on peopleās faces when a garment fits them properly and they love how they look in the outfit . So many times Iāve had people tell me I donāt think this can be fixed, itās just too big or it was too tight. And once we started pinning it for letting it out where it needed to fit the silhouette their faces would light up. There is no greater joy than helping others. As i had nentioned in the video, this career has been one heck of an adventure. Ive had the honor of meeting people from all over the world. My creations/ tailoring have been worn in a great many of the states, Germany,Sweden, Denmark, Africa, Australia, Mexico, the Caribbean, and recently Ireland to name a few. Ive had the pleasure of assisting pageant ladies for Miss Teen Iowa, Miss Teen USA, Miss America, Miss Rodeo and more. And a Special Thanks to my friend Ruth Brown as she graciously extended the invitation to attend Prom Market in Atlanta, an adventure ill never forget. I know this has been a blessed career filled with so many memories. And none of this would of come to life if it hadnāt been for the love and support of my husband Allen and our daughters. They are the foundation on how my dream of owning my own design shop became a reality. And I will forever be grateful for their love and support. Im looking forward to family time, and one day telling my grandchildren about all of these amazing people I met during my career, while I sit with them and teach them how to sew on a piece of paper with lines drawn on it. Blessings to you all. Barb BohrThey say if you love what you do youāll never work a day in your life.
