About Sew Crafty

Sarah Gabbart

Owner, DIY Generalist, Answerer of Emails and Phone Messages

A lifelong DIY devotee, Sarah has loved to make stuff since she was first able to grip a pair of safety scissors. At the tender age of 12 she learned to sew on grandma’s old machine and has loved it ever since! After a brief stint at Parsons School of Design, Sarah returned to H-Town to study at the University of St. Thomas and be close to her family. When she realized that Houston lacked a community space to take craft classes and enjoy open studio time, she jumped at the chance to open Sew Crafty Houston, and now spends her days helping others learn to make stuff. And yes she is totally wearing Abby’s hat…

Sarah’s classes include: Intro to Sewing, Sewing Bootcamp, Gocco, craft workshops and Kids Can Sew!

Patty Holmes

Paper Craft, Amigurumi and Crochet Guru

Patty has been crafting since her parents sat her down in a chair and gave her pens and paper to play with when they work.  She has always love rubber stamping, which helped her develop a true love for paper.  Pretty paper, paper crafting, origami, altering things with paper - any paper! After winning an Amigurumi book, she decided to learn the fine art of crochet and has been enjoying the yarn arts ever since. Patty is super excited to be a part of the Sew Crafty family and can’t wait to help you on your crafting journey! Check out more about Patty on her blog, Pattykins!

Patty’s classes include: Rubber Stamping, Cardmaking, Amigurumi and Crochet!

Jenny Gabriel

Sewing and Serger Dynamo!

Happily married and the mother of 2 lovely girls, Jenny holds an Associate of Arts in Education and LOVES to sew. She enjoys teaching private and group sewing lessons in and around the Houston area. Her students have ranged in age from children as young as 8 to seniors as old as 93. And if you have ever taken a class from her you know: she rocks. She can make a serger do her bidding and practically makes her sewing machine sing!

Jenny’s Classes Include: Serger Basics for Beginners, Creative Serging for Beginners and Serger Presser Feet Made Easy

Abby Wright

Sewing Instructor Extraordinaire!

A Texas resident by relocation, Floridian at heart, Abby is an amazing seamstress and gifted instructor. She spends her days as the Director of Communications for the American Sewing Guild and some nights teaching beginners how to get their sew on at the studio! She’s an avid supporter/member of ASG, enjoys sewing and all things creative, plays with fabric frequently, creates dresses, purses, random slogans, beef jerky and really bad jokes. Abby is not only talented, but is also an awesome daughter, friend and dog mom to Micah!

Abby’s classes include: Intro to Sewing, Sewing Bootcamp and Sewing Bootcamp II!

Melissa Powers

Knitting Guru and DIY Pioneer

Melissa Powers started crafting way early. Super early. So early that it is rumored she actually made her own baby blanket. No foolin! And why wouldn’t she: Melissa hales from a line of DIY pioneers who weren’t afraid of getting crafty. She’s an avid knitter and has made more socks than the people she knows have feet, which is why she wants to teach you to knit at Sew Crafty. That way, the samples she makes for class don’t count as part of her “stash.” When she’s not increasing, decreasing, knitting or purling, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family - husband Chuck, cats Pepper and Newman, and Bruce the wonder dog.

Melissa’s classes include: Knitting 101 and 102, knitting workshops and craft workshops!

Alanna Douglas

Operations Manager

Alanna is a Houston girl. Born and raised in the Bayou City, this UH student loves the Rockets, her dachshund Daisy and documentaries. She’s brand new to crafts, but don’t think that will stop her from trying anything she can get her hands on! Check out her monthly column, Crafting for the Craftily Challenged, on the blog!

Tobiah P. Mundt

Wool, Fabric, Paper, and Paint make Tobiah a happy girl.

With the goal of erasing the line between craft and art, Tobiah Mundt lives to create crafty works of art and share her knowledge and enthusiasm with others.  Tobiah lives in the Houston area with her husband, Steve the Great, and her cat, Chatri (I attack you because I love you) Mundt. Check out her website and blog:  www.underthelicoricetree.com.

Tobiah’s classes include: Needle Felting, Block Printing and Book Making!

Ruthie Croiser

Assistant Manager

Ruthie loves recycled crafts, thrift store fashion remixing, unraveling used sweaters and knitting them into something else, etc. A big proponent of being frugal and living simply, her major focus is lightening her footstep on the earth. Ruthie loves growing her own fruits and vegetables, cooking, playing with her pets, hiking and camping with her wonderful husband Russell.

Melissa Woods

Melissa is a 2009 graduate of the University of Houston with a degree in Print Journalism, but has a major soft spot for crafts. She enjoys making her own hair accessories and sewing when she’s not writing. She’s the oldest of six kids and the mom of a feisty little Boston Terrier named Max. Rarely seen without her iPhone or cup of coffee, Melissa can usually be found holding down the fort on Weekends and Tuesdays!

Alexandra Drake

Alexandra is a native Houstonian with a love for all things Elvis and paper craft! A devotee of the Church of Martha (Stewart that is!), she can be seen frequently weilding scissors, a craft magazine and glue at most times of the day. Halloween-obsessed and into kitschy goods, Alexandra is our go to person for help with projects that feature ghouls or gratuitous amounts of polyester.

Shawn Frisbee

Super Seamstress and Millinery Maven!

According to Shawn, happiness is a warm glue gun, for realsies. Between using the term “gluing stuff together” in reference to all forms of crafting and doing her own version of “crafty cocktails” at home (before she started teaching at Crafty Cocktails), she developed a love of sewing. Shawn loves creating projects for herself and the many babies that are sprouting up around her friends in her home state of California. Happily married to her ever patient husband, still trolls the wedding blogs for new and creative ideas. When not at SCH, can be found gluing stuff together at home in her pepto-bismol pink work room.

Shawn’s Classes: Sewing Bootcamp, Begining Sewing, Craft Workshops and Crafty Cocktails