Looking for Cotton Lyrca? Try WayMaker Fabrics!
I love a good divine connection. Where things line up just right to where you know it couldn't have happened without God. That's how I came across Christina with WayMaker Fabrics. As a seamstress, I continually find myself browsing fabrics I can buy. Whether in quilt shops, online or custom designs. I love FABRIC. My basement would definitely give that away. It's a medium of creativity you can do so much with! My love for fabric helps me bless people with unique gifts. My husband, would tell you it's more a passion of hoarding but I disagree!
So I came across this new fabric company in quite a unique way! I was browsing Instagram when I saw the name WayMaker Fabrics. I wonder if they are a Christian fabric company, I thought.The song "WayMaker" had been a recent hit on the radio. The lyrics spoke to my heart as it had been a pretty difficult season for our family. I'll link the song at the end of this post.
To sum up the song- Jesus is our WayMaker when the options don't seem right, He provides another way. He's the God of miracles and one who can be trusted. Sometimes that's a hard reminder when you are going through something painful we had experienced that repeatedly in 2022 with the loss of three more babies. My emotional and mental state was really struggling. Would this be the norm? Was there no answers for our infertility? But, God is so faithful at every turn He allowed tiny miracles to come through. I think remembering the small moments helps in the midst of the big tragedies.
The first miracle came when our insurance was denying fertility testing. By November we had lost our sixth child to date so I was becoming desperate for some answers. The miracle came in the dedication of a lovely lady in the billing department named Barb. She was probably busy enough, but continually advocated for me. She researched and called my insurance company following the various hoops and requirements they put forth. It was discovered in the midst of this process, that coverage for military members had been discontinued accidentally during the pandemic. This process was long, but I'd like to think worth it as now other families can get help as well where they were previously being denied. By the final loss in November 2022 I was being screened for cancer. During a biopsy the Ob-gyn accidentally cut into a polyp. Our stomachs were in knots waiting to hear the results. My Ob-gyn was amazed telling me it was truly a miracle as this particular test only surveys four percent of your uterus! Miracle #2 I'm thankful to report the biopsy came back negative. I was scheduled for surgery in early January of this year to remove the remainder of the polyp to which five more were discovered. The surgery was a success.
So what does all of this have to do with fabric? It goes back to the very mission of my business. Helping people feel unique as God created them to be. The very moment you were put in your mother's womb, God had plans for your life. With every positive pregnancy test and devastating loss I was reminded that God would make a way. I later learned that these polyps could indeed cause cancer. Although, I wish we could have found out another way I'm thankful He allowed me to know even if the road was painful. Jesus is the way maker even when it doesn't feel like He is moving He is.
In the midst of our fertility journey, my husband and I were looking into our own fabric printing equipment. I wanted something simple so I could make custom orders a little more efficiently. We aren't in a big hurry, with other financial goals to accomplish. So as I figured out logistically when I could purchase my own machinery I decided to find another business already doing this first. It would be ideal if that business had a similar desire to serve God. I literally came across Christina's business on Instagram because of her name! Nothing is ironic with God, but man it felt ironic!
The Bible says Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart in Psalm 37:4
My goal is to serve God, use everything, even down to my infertility trouble to encourage and bless others. Finding WayMaker Fabrics helped meet that need at just the right moment. God met the desire of my heart!
Now lets talk fabric! What is the quality of their fabric like? WayMaker fabrics offers a variety of fabric bases. I was looking for a knit for my project. I've recently tried their Cotton Lycra and was very surprised at the quality. Cotton Lycra is a durable fabric that makes outfits crinkle-free. Cotton Lycra can be used for things like leggings, dresses and tees.
WayMaker Fabrics Cotton Lycra is 92% cotton/8% Lycra, with a four-way stretch, 240gsm. To determine how thick a fabric is, fabrics are given a GSM or grams per square meter rating. Typically anything below a 230 GSM falls in the thin weighted category. This fabric would fall into the medium weight category. I like to feel my fabric and ordering online always poses a risk on quality. This did not disappoint. The fabric is heavy enough to be durable, yet light enough to stretch and be flexible.If you could see the cartwheels these leggings have gone through already! I was excited to find this striped fabric as it coordinated perfectly with the matching outfits I wanted to make my girls.
Our oldest daughters nickname is "Bee-ah" so naturally we needed a bumble bee outfit. The stripes match perfectly! The girls have received so many compliments on these outfits. I've washed the fabric multiple times already. I am a busy home school mom so do not have time to hand wash and work with every item of clothing we have. I literally toss it all in the washer with whatever laundry detergent was recently on sale at Sam's Club and call it good. The color on these stripes has not faded! Another win.
Who is behind WayMaker Fabrics?
I like to put a face with people I plan on doing regular business with. Get to know them and learn about their character. I'd like you to meet Christina, the founder of WayMaker Fabrics. Christina's customer service has been very nice. I recently chatted with her for a few hours via messenger just getting to know her. She's a dedicated wife and mama. There is something more satisfying about supporting someone's family vs a major box store. The personal touch is added. Here are some things I appreciate about Christina. In the brief time we chatted her heart for Jesus came out. We all want a successful business, but Christina's heart is to serve God in a way that honors Him and makes Him proud. She wants others to know Him. Finding an authentic Christian business that puts God first is important. You know their heart will be others focused and disciplined in areas you wouldn't otherwise see. I teach a lot of beginning sewing students, many of which are children. In a world filled with violence and inappropriate messages I'm constantly navigating safe things to recommend. I don't have to question whether my students will see something crude as they browse this fabric shop! Another win! Does this mean WayMaker Fabrics won't serve non-Christians? By no means- in fact that was an area I'll conclude with her heart is similar to mine in that we want people to know God in an authentic way and believer or not we are going to try and represent Him well so you can see the difference God has made in our lives and want that to!
Are they environmentally friendly?
WayMaker Fabrics specializes in American Made natural fiber products. They purchase fabric bases and print in house in the beautiful state of Kansas. Their printing process is Eco-Friendly. They use water based Eco friendly dye inks and the process has no water waste. The energy requirement is minimum from ink to heat and the fabric is finished! Not only are you buying from a family business, but an American based company! With so many fabric companies buying prints from overseas it's nice to know what you are getting.
How do I order?
Visit their site here: https://waymakerfabrics.com
WayMaker Fabrics offers Pre-Orders which means customers can get a sneak peak into the latest fabric designs, purchasing them at a discount off of retail pricing. Pre-order fabrics are open for two weeks. Once the pre-order phase ends, they print and your fabrics arrive in a few weeks! Such a neat process if you are wanting to try one of a kind designs. What fabric bases do they offer? They currently have five fabrics available with plans to further their bases in the future.
Currently on their website they list:
- Cotton Lycra
- Tencel Cotton
- Modal French Terry
- Canvas
- French Terry
As stated earlier, I am only familiar with the Cotton Lycra base at this point, but have heard good things from others who have sewn things on their other bases. Interested in trying WayMaker Fabrics? Here's a 15% off coupon you can snag this fun striped print or try one of her other fabrics from this line. Use Code: BLOG15 at checkout.
If you would like a custom outfit similar to this one let me know! As always I am happy to create something unique to your loved one in similar fabric!
In conclusion, I have put the bug in Christina's ear about a possible tour of their printing process and building for my homeschool and beginning sewing students. Stay tuned for more with WayMaker Fabrics! Happy sewing :)