Jocelyn Drane has been growing her Shelburne-based sewing business stitch by stitch over the past 18 years.

Now a successful vendor at the Shelburne Farmers market, with product in outlets as far away as Chester, she’s quick to acknowledge that CBDC Shelburne has been the thread that has woven the business together.

 As someone who has always sewn her own and her children’s clothing, the stay-at-home mom decided to start her Jocelyn’s Sewing Room when her kids were off to school and she had time on her hands. One of her first orders was from a neighbour’s daughter, who wanted a prom dress exactly like the one Kate Winslet wore in the final scene of the movie The Titanic.

Having taken a costume design at Dalhousie University years previously, Drane knew she was up for the job.

“And I made that just from pictures.”

Word got out and more and more orders came in; Drane realized she would need more equipment and table space to service them.  So she turned to CBDC Shelburne for a loan.

Approximately $2,000 later, she was set.

“They got me up and running,” Drane says. 

She expanded into embroidery work when her mother passed away 10 years ago, purchasing an embroidery machine from the proceeds of the sale of her house.

 “I always wanted one and I said that way when I do things I can think of my mom,” she says.

But soon the projects she produced far exceeded her own requirements, so she started selling her embroidery down at the local farmers market.

“And it got to the point that I needed a better machine to keep up with the orders. People wanted bigger designs. I wanted bigger designs. I couldn't do it with the little machine that I had.”

About a year and a half ago, CBDC again helped her again with a loan, this time for $2,500. With that she bought a new embroidery machine and a specialized sewing machine that would allow her to give knits a more sophisticated finish.

“I don't want it to look like it was just some home job done. I want it to look professional.”

As well as at the Farmer's Markets in Chester, Drane’s sewing can be found at the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown.

This summer she has been “crazy busy” with an order from the Long Boat Society for 20 shirts and pants.

Drane suggests other vendors at farmers markets might consider turning to the CBDC for assistance with purchasing pottery or baking equipment. As a home-based business with its “peaks and valleys,”

Jocelyn’s Sewing Room “definitely” took shape as a result of its help, she says.