About

Hello! I am Sarah Pondevie: a wife, mother of teenage twins, and a teacher. My mother gave me first sewing machine when I was six, it was a hand crank Singer, beautifully decorated, and with a weight to it that I can still feel. I loved that machine! My mother had her own label, making unisex jumpsuits (it was the 70's!) in a range of bright colours that she sold at Fremantle Markets, along with another designer friend who had a label called Sark - which is till around! Teresa, who owned Sark, would give me bags of fabric off-cuts, and that is when I started making my own clothes. It never occurred to me to use a pattern, I just went for it. Sewing was as natural to me as reading, and growing up in Fremantle, Western Australia, which was about as bohemian as you can get, allowed me to develop my creative passions.

As I grew, my Mother started a new label, which she managed while juggling five children, and although life was chaotic, I also had unlimited access to all the industrial machinery of a fashion business. As a teenager, I would sew ball dresses for my friends, and it was clear my path was set. I dabbled in Visual Arts before capitulating and going to TAFE to do fashion. During this time, my family moved to England, and once I finished my studies, I followed with my man and brother. There, I spent three years working at Blackpool Pleasure Beach as a creative designer for the ice skating and cabaret shows. It was an exciting time of hard work and long hours. I learned a strong work ethic, the ethos that the show must go on, and how to bead g-strings!

But I wanted babies. Desperately. Blackpool was fun, but where better to bring up a family than in Perth?! So we moved home. They say, careful what you wish for, and twins was a bit of a surprise! I wanted to be an at-home mum, so I started a label making wedding dresses that allowed me to work from my studio. I later dabbled in ready to wear, then at the suggestion of a friend, went into teaching, which is where I found my true calling.

I started Workspace Fashion and Design School when the fashion department I worked for closed down. Endings are opportunities for new beginnings, and sad as I was, I knew I loved to teach, and I had to follow that passion. Rather than join another institution, I started my own school, because I knew from my years in TAFE, not everyone wants to train to go into industry - they just want to have fun learning and picking up specialised skills. Which is where I step in: I am almost schizophrenic in my interests, and will turn my hand to anything design related. Teaching in my own space, I am able work with individuals in an intimate environment that is free of assessments and pressure, and where everything is possible.

My main focus is pattern making. That is where my joy lies! And the best thing about teaching, is I can share everything I know, and help women learn to fit their bodies and feel positive about how they look. It gladdens my heart to see the online sewing community sharing their knowledge and supporting each other, particularly having worked in an industry that closely guards it secrets. Which is why I have joined the blogging community as well: it is like a global village of wise women, and I want to give back too.

So that's me! I would love to hear about you too, so leave me comments, or get in touch!