Annabel Wrigley Tells The Story Of How She Founded And Now Runs Her Own Mobile Sewing Studio In Virginia
Australian native Annabel Wrigley can aptly be described as a renaissance woman of the crafting world.
As a business woman, she owns and operates Little Pincushion Studio.
As an educator, she encourages the creativity of young minds by teaching children to sew.
As a writer, she is the author of four craft books for children that encourage self-teaching and self-expression.
As a creative, she develops sewing patterns for her classes and designs textiles on the side.
Annabel is also the happy owner of Penelope, a vintage Shasta camper replica, which has served as her mobile sewing studio since 2014.
“I think I’m in love with all things vintage really,” Annabel confesses. “And my students named [the camper]. We had a little bit of a group decision about it. [They] came up with the name Penelope.”
Penelope is a one-of-a-kind camper that is both brand new and retro. Though she explored the internet for years looking for the perfect vintage trailer to purchase and renovate, Annabel was unable to find just the right camper to bring her dream of a mobile sewing studio to life.
“I think I spent years on Craigslist, looking and calling people and making appointments to see trailers,” Annabel recalls.
When she discovered CH Camper Company, a manufacturer of vintage-style campers, she knew she’d found the perfect solution. CH Camper Company could build Annabel a Shasta replica from scratch to her exact specifications. She no longer had to dream about the perfect camper…she could create one, with all the electrical outlets, storage hooks, and shelves in exactly the right place.
“Once I saw [the custom made campers] I thought,’ I’ve got to do it.’ ‘I have to do it.’ I’ve wanted to do it for such a long time. [The camper] came, and it was really just an empty shell…. My husband and I went about planning how we would build it out. We sketched it up together.”
The camper--pink and white, and 12 feet long--is now a prime venue for hosting small parties in a unique and uniquely functional space.
“It’s absolutely perfect. It’s everything I’ve wanted inside… Down to the table where the sewing machines are. That had to be made with brackets under the table...so it would be completely free of legs and so things wouldn’t feel enclosed. Everything’s white so it feels huge in there. The shelving has little lips so that nothing falls off the shelves. We use a lot of kitchen things from Ikea to hang tools and scissors so they don’t move while we’re traveling.”
Annabel had a distinct path to Penelope: “I was always sewing on the side,” Annabel explains as she reflects on how she became the crafter she is today. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Annabel and her family moved to the United States fourteen years ago to accept a job offer for her husband. She kept after her passion even as she raised her young family in Virginia.
“When my daughter was maybe six, she started showing an interest in what I was doing,” Annabel recalls. “So I started teaching her a few things…. That’s pretty much how I started…in the front room of my house, with a couple kids.”
What began as casual lessons for her daughter and her daughter’s friends turned into a business in 2010. When Annabel outgrew her living room, she renovated her garage as a studio space. When that became too small, she moved to her current studio in Warrenton, Virginia, where she now teaches classes five days a week. Starting with children as young as age seven, Annabel spends an entire school year with a single class through weekly sessions.
“All beginners start off just learning how to use the sewing machine,” Annabel says. “Then we start on a few basic projects like bags and clothes and things. Generally as a group we make a decision about what we want to make.” The younger students tend to like making things such as stuffed animals, while the older kids opt for items like clothing. Either way, as long as they’re learning sewing techniques and building their skills, Annabel lets them create their own unique projects.
And that eventually led her to Penelope.
Penelope enjoys every weekend out on the town. Traveling in and around the D.C. area, Penelope, Annabel, and her husband can make almost anywhere a temporary party space--so long as there’s an electric connection to hook up to. From the camper, Annabel can host a party for up to five people, where they learn sewing techniques and are awarded with a craft creation all their own by the end of the party.
Even though she fills her time with managing two studios, teaching classes, and designing textiles, among other things, Annabel has plans to expand what she offers. She’ll continue to design textiles. Her new collection called Mirabel, inspired by vintage florals, was just recently released from Windham Fabrics. Next on the list for Penelope: sewing parties for adults.
“I think I could probably book it every day of every weekend….” Annabel says excitedly. “I get a lot of people wanting to have parties in it. And it definitely gets a lot of attention, that’s for sure.”
If she ever hangs up her teaching cap, Annabel says that she and her husband will throw a mattress down in Penelope and use her as their mobile getaway.
Oh, and Annabel plans to continue the pursuit of all things vintage: “I’m looking at a vintage Vespa, that’s what I want next. I may have a vintage automobile obsession.”
And she’s okay with that.
Kailyn Clay
A graduate of Trinity Christian College in English & Political Science, Kailyn has written for Brilliance Publishing & GEMS' Girls Clubs among others. She enjoys hiking and cooking.
LMake Sure To Check Out:
Little Pincushion Studio, a sweet little space where Annabel Wrigley teaches little sewing pixies everything they need to know to go forth and conquer the world of sewing and creating.