3. Failure Teaches Success: Sachiko Aldous of Tea Rose Home

Sachiko shares with us a unique northern Japanese treat, her wide range of creative endeavors and her role as a Babylock machine ambassador for the past six years.

GUEST BIO

Sachiko Aldous was born and raised in Japan and moved to the United States at the age of 22. Throughout her life, she was always drawn to anything creative. She loves to draw, make jewelry and miniature rooms (they are available in her Etsy shop), but what she loves the most is working with fabrics such as sewing clothes and quilting. 

She has been an ambassador for Babylock for the last 6 years, and feels blessed to work with such great machines, people and company. She shares her creations on her blog, Instagram, Pinterest and Etsy. To learn more about Sachiko and her Tea Rose home blog, visit https://tearosehome.blogspot.com/ or follow her on social media @tearosehome.

LEARN JAPANESE EP. 3

“Shippai wa seikou no moto”: Failure teaches success.
"Kansha": Gratitude.

Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Intro
• 0:52 Interview Beginning
• 27:33 Podcast Outro

Transcript

Welcome to Creative Japan, the podcast where we explore the vibrant world of artists and makers united by a Japanese connection. Join us as artists from around the globe discuss their work and share their creative journeys. I am your host, Emi Takagi Stapler, a Japanese American quilter and designer. I discovered my own artistic voice, one I describe as modern meets heritage, when I found myself pulling from my Japanese culture and upbringing in my designs. 

I believe that by listening to other stories, we can grow as creatives and find new sources of inspiration. Get ready to be immersed in a rich tapestry of stories that can ignite your artistic voice here at Creative Japan. 

Yokoso. Welcome. Today I am pleased to have Sachiko Aldous with me from Tea Rose Home. She loves to draw, and make jewelry and miniature rooms, but what she loves most of all is sewing and quilting with fabric. She is a Babylock sewing machine ambassador and has been blogging about her creative endeavors for many years.

I'm so happy to have you here today on the podcast Sachiko and I look forward to learning more about your creative journey. Thank you and me for having me here. I'm nervous but I'm excited at the same time.

I'm so glad that that you you took the chance to try something new. I'm thrilled to have you here. First of all, can you share with us where you're from and where you're currently living? So I'm originally from Sendai Japan and I live in Utah.

Okay. Did you always have, like, creativity in your life? Were you always drawn to it, even growing up in Japan, or is that something that entered your life later in life?

Well, as long as I can remember that I was always making things. And of course, as a child, you know, you don't have the money to go buy things. And I didn't have access to many things. But anything I could find around the house, you know, tissue paper to empty plastic bottles and all those things, I made it into something else. And I always enjoyed the process.

Okay. So, your current endeavors are definitely something that's been continuing throughout your life. I'm curious to learn a little bit more. So I have not been to Sendai before. I grew up in the Kobe area, and I'm sure many of my listeners have not been there either. So can you just tell us a little bit about your region of Japan?

Okay, Sendai is in northern part and like Tohoku so the Japanese islands are big island to Hokkaido and then that's long one so– I'm from that top portion and I was born in Akita and my parents moved to Nigata then our family relocated to Sendai and I lived there till I moved to United States.

Okay, so weather's colder up there. What kind of what kind of foods is that known for?

So my family moved there when I was in 6th grade and I didn't see huge difference in food but the one thing I thought it was a really interesting and different it's something called zunda mochi and so are you familiar with red bean paste? Yes. It's a sweet you know we used that for dessert and stuff in Japan but basically zunda is made out of edamame and it's sweet yeah it's like a kind of chunky paste and you eat that with mochi and I at first I wasn't used to it and I thought it was really weird but now I love it.

Does it have a very smooth texture like koshi-an or is it… No…it’s more textured? No, it has chunks.  I see. Yeah. Again, I have not spent a lot of time in northern Japan, so that's not new to me. Yeah, I think that’s very unique. I’m going to go look it up after we’re done, I’m going to go look it up now.

Yeah. So like, I grew up in Kansai, and my father's from Kyushu, so we will have, you know, dishes like Akafuku with a very smooth An on top of the mochi. Yeah, I've never heard of, like, the soybean based sweet. So thank you for sharing that. Now, I want to come to your blog so I know you've been blogging for a number of years, but can you tell us a little bit about when you started that and where the where the name inspiration came from for your blog?

Okay. So I started on 2008. Before I started blogging. It's kind of a long story, but I always wanted to create. But then I had babies like first baby, second baby, and I was always making something, but I didn't think much of it in the sense to like, share with a broad audience. And I started doing stitchery pattern business. Then after I have third child, I kind of slowed down doing that, but I was still making things and of course for the babies and things around the house.

So I decided to try blogging. And then the name actually I had no idea how to name this new thing called blog, but I always like to wear a perfume called Tea Rose. It's basically that this small rose not a big, gorgeous one, was more like a small one. And I feel like that fits me and my personality too. So I just decided Tea Rose Home . So that's how the name came about.

Okay. And I know we've chatted about this, but, you know, it's not Tea Rose sewing. It's not Tea Rose clothing. It's not Tea Rose quilting. You are quite diverse in your creative, in your creative endeavors. So at that time, were you posting more about, like, things for the home or that was just a title that you felt covered, you know, everything you wanted to to share?

So because I do all sorts of things and I also when I first started blogging especially I was sharing a lot about my family life and my children, you know funny things they say, so I thought you know it's my life and what I do in my inside of my home that's why I decided to do home instead of like quilting or clothing. Yeah.

Okay. So you were sharing a little glimpses of your family life as well then. I touched on this in the introduction, but you are a Babylock machine ambassador, so I wanted to see if they discovered you through your blogging or if was that something you applied for? Because some companies there are applications for ambassadorships.

No, I think my blogging definitely helped. So I made a friends, you know, throughout the years through blogging. And so one of the friends, she was already an ambassador at Babylock, and I think she recommended me to them. And they reached out to me.

And I know that you're currently featuring their Sashiko machine, but was there a machine that you featured for them before that? Prior to that then?

Yeah. So I have been ambassador for about six years. So the first time when I signed on, I got the sewing machine. So because I do sew clothing and also do quilting and I was trying to do machine quilting as well and I talked to them about that. So I was provided by this machine that's kind of crossover. You can do both. And so I did that for about five years and now I also do Sashiko machine. Do you still have the other machine as well? Yeah. I use it Daily. 

Okay. And what is your role as an ambassador entail? What are the expectations?

So basically, I will come up with project tutorials and share them on my social media. And also, when they have special promotion and stuff, I can also share that. But it really comes natural to me. It's nothing that I have to stretch myself so much or because I already owned a Babylock before I became an ambassador and I loved it, how dependable it is and I love the features. And so I was always talking to my friends. If you're going to buy Sewing machine, just buy Baby Lock. And they're customer service and everything is excellent. 

So, yeah, so you're, you're making things that you're already making anyways. So you don't you're not having to go out of your way to try to highlight anything. And because there are so many ambassadors and they all have their own strengths in different areas. So I think that works for me too. 

So let's talk a little bit more about the Sashiko machine. This is one that you've most recently started to use, and it's a pretty unique machine. It is. So can you. Yeah. Can you tell us a little bit about what makes it unique?

So basically has does one stitch that's straight stitch. So sometimes people are like, is it even worth it to buy it? But for me, definitely and especially I started out as a hand quilter. I hand stitched, hand quilted, did all my quilts in the beginning. And as I'm getting older, you know, sometimes your hand gets like, really painful.

And then one day I was at the retailer and saw the Sashiko machine. And I first, like, honestly, when I saw that, I thought they named the machine after me, like, you know, Sachiko. Oh, yeah, yeah, Sachiko. Yeah, it was just that one word different. So, yeah, it's not like, no, it's Sashiko. And then I think I saw the demonstration and I had just amazed with this, like, how is this working?

You know, it looks like a hand stitch. I'm still new at this and I'm still learning, but there's like a YouTube videos that you can go look at. And also, Evy, she's also one of the teacher and Ambassador Abby from a bit of Stitch. She's an expert at the Sashiko machine. So she has books and a lot of videos out there. So I'm still learning, but I love it.

Yeah. No, I've always been very curious and I had the same question, you know, is it worth it for just one stitch, right? Yeah. But like you said, even if whether you're a hand quilter or you don't hand quilt and you like the look sometimes just for a time's sake, it's nice to still have that aesthetic of that hand-stitched look, but in a shorter time period.

Right. And once you learn, you can put embellishments on your project, it's not just the the quilting. Right. And there's other things you can do with the machine. So, yeah, like if you have a chance, like you can find a YouTube and see what you can do.

Yeah, absolutely. And I saw on your blog you recently made a like a sashiko sampler or table runner for your table, I think it was for New Year's. Yeah. So I wanted to ask you so obviously because I can do the single stitch, it can do a lot of the I believe it's called Moyozashi, right. Like the pattern look of sashiko. But does the machine have a capability of skipping a stitch? Would it be able to do different sashiko-like patterns?

So the machine you can adjust stitch length and also the space between those stitches. Okay. I don't think there's like a skip. I'm not sure. I don't want to give out a wrong information.

No, no. But I guess that would be pretty tedious then. Like, if you did want to give the skip look, you just be having to change the spacing like every, every time. But, I don't know, maybe it would be worth it. I was just curious if you would be able to do other patterns that had skips in it. So.

Yeah. So. All right, so it sounds like you'll be featuring it some more. And there's a lot of resources online for anyone tht may be curious to find out more about the machine.

We're going to stay on your blog for a minute. So both on your blog and Instagram, I've noticed that you have featured Japanese sewing patterns with Western fabrics many times over the years. Can you tell us a little bit about maybe your favorite pattern brands, the reasoning behind choosing the Japanese patterns and the Western fabrics.

So I always, when I first started, saw it in of course it was in Japan and I bought sewing books and I just learned things on my own back then. I don't know, sounds I'm super old, but there's no internet and there's not many fabric stores around. So I just learned a lot of things through books, and I feel like the Japanese sewing books offers very different style than what you find in, like, Western patterns.

I still like them too, but also I really love Japanese style and also to kind of combining both of them. So Western fabric and then Japanese fabric. Gets unique look. No, you can't find it at the retail stores.

Yeah. No, everything I see is so adorable, but I can't help but think I would probably be the opposite if I had started sewing clothing because in Japan I am very, very tall. I have a lot of my, my American heritage is a lot of Swedish, so a lot of high end. So I'm very tall for being half-Japanese.

And so finding clothes that fit in Japan, you know, 20 plus years ago was difficult. So when I, when seeing you doing that, I'm like, I wish I could fit into these adorable designs, but I probably couldn't. But maybe I'll give that a try. Maybe I will use a Western size pattern and use fabrics from Japan. There you go.

Yeah. the other thing I saw on your blog was you do? I don't want to call it like, upcycling. It's like. Like re-tailoring. You do some re-tailoring type work where you take, you know, clearance dresses or other clothing that may not be your taste or your size and you change them. Mhmm. When did you start doing that?

A while ago. I just love imagining and seeing potential in things. So and I love like you said, I love shopping at clearance sections or like secondhand stores. And a lot of times, I guess my eyes are looking for patterns, fabrics, not just my size or, like, what is my style? Because sometimes you can change that up and I feel like that's the fun of it.

It's kind of challenging, but it's also a really fun adventure.

Yeah. And as you're talking, I'm thinking there's only so many fabric patterns that are printed. I mean, there's thousands, but, you know, you're limited to what's available at a fabric store. But a lot of times, clothing companies have their own exclusive things, right? So if you find a pattern that you love, you can still make something out of it.

Yeah. All right. So we have to talk about your miniature sewing rooms, I think, gosh. How many years have you been making those?

I think I started around 2015? 16? But how it started was that I always collected those small miniatures, and, you know, they always. I thought they were so adorable, and I need to do something with these. So I made. I just had an empty box. So I made a sewing room or other Christmas room.

Just different theme room for myself. And I thought, oh, maybe I can. I'll sell them. So I put first few on Etsy and I sold them. But it was kind of challenging because there are all different sizes and also things inside the miniature room would move and shift during the shipping, so it was kind of challenging. So I thought about how, how can I make this work?

And it's so funny. Sometimes ideas pops in your head when you're not expecting. So I was driving home and then I thought, Why don't I make that sewing room in Altoid tins. And so I went home I just made one and I thought it was cute. So I put them put some of them in my Etsy shop and they sold out like next day. So I've been making those ever since. And it just so fun.

Like the little fabric bolts, I picture you wrapped those by hand? But then the other items, where do you source those items? Just as you find them, you just purchase them like the ones that you like? Yeah. So you can find some online like Etsy. There are a lot of sale sellers. So miniature things. Also in my area, there's a Hobby Lobby, so they sell some of those things too.

Okay, so you make some things yourself and then you mix them with other items like supply items and then create the little rooms. Right. They’re super cute. And right away when I saw them, I'm like, Is that an Altoid tin?

And I know I tend to save little tins and things because it feels wasteful to just recycle it right away. Right. So I'm curious, do you does your family eat a lot of Altoids or do you have to eat a lot of Altoids in order for you to do this, in order for you to have enough to make them? 

So yeah, that some people ask me that same question. So when I first started, I bought those Altoids at Costco because they sold them in the bulk. And of course, I'm not going to eat all the Altoids, so I will dump them in a bag and just give out whoever likes Altoids. One time I asked my husband to take it to work and just, you know, have them out for whoever you want it.

And then, like recently, I have a friend that she loves Altoids, so she got through Altoids so fast and she's been saving those and and giving me the tins. So that's very helpful, too.

Okay. So you've got outside people helping, helping contribute to those and all of them. Yeah. So talking about so you've, you've got your miniature rooms on Etsy, What do you sell any other things on Etsy?

So as I mentioned, I used to do stitchery pattern business. So I have some patterns on my shop and I'm thinking about doing more of that too. So I have three children and they're now adults and I feel like I have more time that I can spend on what I want to do. And also I kind of created a new theme, room like new theme room. And I'm thinking about adding that to Etsy shop as well soon.

How often do you usually stock the little sewing rooms, or is that just as you're able to accumulate enough to make some? So I don't really have a set schedule. I just watch how much is selling. And at the same time, I'm making a lot of quilts and clothing as well. So I was just finding time to make a whole bunch at once and then stock them.

So if someone sees one that they like, they need to grab it. Right? I assume they're all just a little bit different from each other. Yeah, because I get really bored if I have to make the same thing over and over again. So they're no different or unique. And also what I can find at the store and what's available at hand. Yeah. So if you see something you like, you know you have to and, I don't do special orders. That can be tricky as well. Yeah.

Okay, wonderful. So that brings me to another creative outlet or something that I have noticed on your Instagram account that you post quite often about different food you make. Sometimes I in your stories, occasionally on the posts. So that seems to be. Is that another big hobby or do you only post when you make something special?

I love food. You can ask my close friends or a family that I love food and going to restaurant and also trying out new recipes. And also I love making things pretty and presentable, and I feel like having good food brings people together. And yeah, so it's definitely another outlet for me to try to be creative.

Awesome. Well, everything always looks like you said. Like, it looks beautiful. It's like a piece of art, right? Oh, thank you.

Yeah. So I look forward to seeing more recipes. I was like, my mouth was watering, as I'm seeing, like, because I scrolled back for a ways, and I think you had a reel that was many different Japanese dishes. I don't remember how many how far back it was, but just making me making me a little homesick for Japanese food. I make some, but I don't make I don't make a lot. So it looked absolutely delicious. 

Here's a little bit different question for you. I know you've been creating your whole life and you've been doing the blog since, you know, 2008 or so. If you could give advice to someone that's new in the world of sewing or crafting, what advice would you give?

I say, just enjoy it. Enjoy the process. If you're too focused on being perfect and perfectionism, then sometimes you might get discouraged and you might think that, this is not for me. But if you enjoy the process and keep working at it, it really enrich your life.

And add a little twist on that. If you were to give yourself advice, oh gosh, whether it's back in 2008 or just earlier in your life, what advice would you give yourself?

I would say probably to be more consistent, maybe, because I feel like sometimes I'm a very scattered mind and I would love to quilt and I want to work on the clothing or like a refashioning and yeah, but maybe to be consistent, it's also important.

And I think that's hard for a lot of creatives because I feel like, you know, there are very organized, very rigid creatives, but I think many of us, our minds are always seeing new inspiration or finding another project that catches our attention. Juggling many things, right? So yeah, I think that definitely resonates with me because consistency can be difficult when there's just there's a lot going on in home life and there's a lot of possibility in your in your creative work and creative life.

So that brings us to our recurring learn Japanese section of the podcast. And just to give a little background on this, I wanted to be able to feature either a Japanese word or phrase for listeners to either learn for the first time or to be inspired by. So some of our listeners may already speak Japanese, but perhaps a regional phrase or word is new to them or a phrase that is inspiration for you could serve as inspiration for them. So I'm curious what word or phrase you would like to share with us.

Okay. Can I share too? Absolutely. The more the better. Okay. The first one is “Shippai Wa Seikou No Moto”, which means "Failure Teaches Success". And I really think it resonates with me because a lot of things that I did in the past, but I made some mistakes. Maybe that's why I like refashioning, too. And then, you know, it doesn't cost too much. And I try my idea, it doesn't work, like, just, “toss”. Yeah, but you gain experience, right? And then you just keep working at it. So I like I love that phrase. 

And the second one is very simple, “kansha”. Kansha is basically thankful, gratitude. And I think I have having that mindset really helps us to be happy, you know, not just the sewing and creative areas, but everything. So I love that word. 

Thank you. I love that there's both a kind of cheerleader motivation phrase that you shared and also remembering to hold that space of gratitude, right, in our lives and in our creativity and yeah, that just reduces anxiety. It can bring clarity. So it's a beautiful, beautiful word and concept for us to keep in mind.

Thank you so much for being here with me today. Thank you. I just I believe that through other people's journeys that we can find inspiration or validation in what we're doing. And I'm grateful that you're a part of this podcast today. 

So just to wrap up, can you share with our listeners where they can find you online? Website or blog, Etsy Shop, and and so forth. Okay. You can find me on my blog, Tea Rose Home, or I'm most active on my Instagram, but I have Pinterest board and Facebook and Etsy shop.

And we will have those links in the show notes as well. Okay, great. Thank you again so much for being here and I look forward to seeing all of your food, sewing and other endeavors online. Thank you so much.

Thank you for joining me today on Creative Japan. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe to stay updated on future releases. Leaving a positive review also helps me to reach more listeners like you and to interview more fantastic guests. For more information about today's guest, check out the show notes of the episode and for behind the scenes content and updates, follow me on Instagram @emiandkostudio or visit my website at emiandkostudio.com. 

Until next time, stay curious and keep searching for inspiration.