Sixty and Soaring

Wow. With the help of a good friend I have now established a newsletter for my business ( DeZines By Zahra, in case you have forgotten). I have even learned to copy and paste. Yes, I hear your loud guffaws. And, yes, I should have learned that a long time ago. As a matter of fact, I had learned it in a community ed class I took many moons ago. However, the old truism, use it or lose it, really is true and I lost it. Now I know I will be copying and pasting everything to everyone. I will join yahoo groups so that I can copy and paste. I will write e-mails to people just so that I can copy and paste. If only Dara (my good friend) had known what she had created she maybe would have thought twice.

If any of you are wondering what is happening in my business here is an update. I have had to really think about what I mean by Islamic and modest clothing. If any of you are Muslims you might question that also. I feel that for a woman to be Islamically dressed she should hide the shape of her body contours, her hair should be covered as well as her arms and neck. Her legs should be covered down to her ankles. There are different guidelines that are followed in different countries and probably in different parts of the same countries.

Case in point. I am starting to have patterns made for several items of clothing… long shirts, long tunics, abayas, and a dressy coat and dress outfit appropriate for eid or a fancy wedding etc. Many of the young Muslim women do cover but their clothes are form fitting or at least they show body contours. I will not be selling patterns in those styles. First of all, they can find patterns for form fitting clothes easily enough and why would I want to compete with established pattern makers. Secondly, I hope that this business will be pleasing to Allah. I do not profess to know the mind of Allah but I do know guidelines established for modesty in the Holy Quran and I want to follow them.

I am also going to be sending a pattern that I have made for sizing to a firm in New York. We will see how all of that shakes down.

I am excited so I hope you will be excited for me.

I survived my “ ‘Fo the Folks” experience and even enjoyed myself.  My case of nerves was as unfounded as my business idea was well received. (It definitely warrants my pursuing it.)  I arrived at the hotel around six pm and we immediately started setting up Dara’s table.  People were attracted to it like flies to honey.  I would have to say it was one of the most popular tables during the conference but, of course, that could be pride talking.  As is usual with retail, there were a few “pain in the popo” customers and “why didn’t I order in more of that” items but all in all things went well.  I really enjoyed helping people choose the correct colors and designs.  I met some interesting people and enjoyed being among over 1000 Muslims.  I do not think I have ever been is such a large group of Shia before.

All of the selling and meeting new people really exhausted me.  I will need quite a bit of down time to recover.  Even so, I would most definitely do it again.  Next year it is going to be in the Detroit area which will make it a much different conference I am sure.  Detroit is really the center of the Shia community is the USA.

I do not know why I do these things. I am going to a Muslim conference with a friend. She will be selling things. I am supposed to be testing the market for the Muslim patterns. Presenting my product to the public with neither it nor I being ready. Psychologically ready that is. I have a couple of modest patterns to sell. They are loose fitting tee shirts…long with long sleeves…suitable for exercise or casual wear. They will have assembly and layout and yardage instructions. I will also have an abaya pattern sans layout and yardage. Also a sign to put up. Mostly I am helping my friend and attending the conference. That will be a first too. We just decided to do this a couple of weeks ago. It is in Dallas. It is hot as anything in Texas this time of year. I doubt that I will leave the hotel. Too much to do.

‘Fo the folks…means Before the folks…presenting your self to the public for view. Nerve racking to say the least. Oh well. All they can do is talk bad about me behind my back. I have really never been one to care what people say. I wouldn’t be doing this if I did.

Zahra

It is Sunday afternoon. My first post. Strangely, I, who am never at a loss for words, can think of nothing to say. I started this so I could map my road to entrepreneurship. I never in my life really believed I would start a business. Why bother. There are more businesses out there than Carter has little liver pills. (You can tell I am sixty.)

Well, my friend, Dara, said there was a need for sewing patterns for Muslim garments. Actual patterns like the ones I learned to sew on back in the day. Not the stuff currently running around for free on the internet. These patterns had to be drawn out at home using your own measurements. I can just imagine what kind of clothing they would result in if I tried it. Not much better than the sacks our chicken feed came in back on my parents farm.

But how could I, an artistically challenged, out of practice 4H seamstress, get a pattern made for even the most simple Muslim garment? Hm-mm. Did it fit into my life plan to even try? Who was I kidding? I did not have a life plan. Maybe this could give my new life as a Muslim some direction…a plan as it were. (I may or may not establish a new blog about the Muslim conversion. )

This would be the first time in my life I ever really had my very own plan, the very first time I actually took control instead of just drifting along in the current of my parents’, husbands’, friends’ and daughter’s lives. It was scary. It was risky. But what the heck. Why not? My life was at a turning point. The kids I was babysitting were growing up. My daughter was settled in a new career. I had sold my property in New Mexico so why not try something totally different? I was widowed so no one to answer to but Allah. I could serve the Ummah (the Muslim community). I would be involved in “fashion” (I love clothes). That settled it. I would do it.

But how do you make a sewing pattern anyway? I had to learn somehow. I started with the phone book for schools near my home. Only one place taught fashion design and it seemed more comprehensive than I wanted to delve into. The guidelines for women’s clothing to be worn outside the home are pretty simple. Do not show the figure and do not call attention to yourself. Some women will not wear pants either as they see this as cross dressing as a man. (There are lots of opinions about how women should dress in Islam).

I will continue later.