New England Maker: Sewcialite

As you know by now, I love sharing about companies and products we love on the blog and our Instagram - and most especially those made right here in New England!  Next in our series of interviews from New England Makers, we have Roula Rallis from Sewcialite!   

Roula Rallis is the one-woman show behind Sewcialite, a seacoast-based company best known for their gorgeous coastal-inspired creations - all made of rope, fabric, and paint!

Tell me a little about yourself and your business.  

Roula Rallis:  I am a wife, full time IT project manager, and mom of 2 (ages 7 and 4).  Sewcialite is a part time home decor business.  I design baskets, planters, wall baskets, bowls, coasters, and most recently tote bags and clutches using clothesline rope.  All my designs are inspired by the coast and I am a huge fan of modern coastal interior design. 

How did you start Sewcialite?  Had you been making rope baskets for a while or was this a new leap for you?

RR:  Sewcialite began as a hobby and has since turned into a side hustle.  In March of 2017 I decided to make myself a basket for my home and I just fell in love with the design process!  With the support of family & friends I opened my Etsy shop.  And over the past 1.5 years I have continued to refine my designs by weaving them with fabric and hand painting them. 

What does a typical day look like for you? 

RR:  My days are typically very long!  I’m up at 6am packing lunches, orders, sometimes styling and posting products, and getting my kids ready for school!  I drive my youngest to school, I then commute 45 mins to work.  After working all day I am back in mom mode, I help make dinner, give baths, do homework.  But once my kids are in bed the Sewcialite studio opens (my guest bedroom).  My husband has been so very supportive and he does quite a bit of heavy lifting to give me time at night to design!

What is your favorite part about owning your own company?  And least favorite part? 

RR:  My favorite part is being my own boss!  Having worked for someone else my entire career it’s great to be able to call all the shots. 

The least favorite part is being responsible for everything!  Sometimes I wish I could clone myself!  I’m designing, styling, photographing, advertising, fulfilling orders, blogging, etc. it can get overwhelming at times and I’ve had to learn to say no to be able to balance my full time job with Sewcialite. 

What has been the most exciting moment for Sewcialite since you started?

RR:  I’ve been so fortunate to have a few so I can’t choose just one!  I am a HUGE fan of Serena & Lily!  It’s one of my favorite home decor brands!  They have actually liked a few of my social media posts and designs which is mind blowing!  I’ve also been lucky to connect with a few amazing interior design social influencers who I’ve worked with like Jordecor and Coastal Interiors! 

Also getting to meet many of the amazing entrepreneurs I follow on social media in person has also been so exciting and inspiring! 

What advice do you have for people just starting out?  

RR:  Be prepared to take risks and work your butt off!  Being an entrepreneur is not easy!  Success does not happen overnight! 

Make sure you have a good support system of family and friends!  They will be crucial for those rough days where you may feel overwhelmed or frustrated! 

What is your long-term goal?  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

RR:  My long term goal is to continue to slowly grow my social media presence, as it’s been the my primary channel for all of my online sales.  I would also like to design a better/bigger studio space for myself too! 

Who's one of your favorite New England Makers?  

RR: I love Watts in Maine she designs the most beautiful jewelry and she works full time. I was lucky enough to meet her in Portland this year!

Update, Spring 2021:
I just wanted to share that Roula from Sewcialite is still going strong and adding even more amazing rope and coastal-inspired products to her lineup, including items such as: tote bags, hand-beaded clutches, statement jewelry, photographic prints, and more. Her beautiful work has been featured online and in print.
Some of these newer items are pictured below but be sure to check out her accounts for more!

Keep up with Sewcialite!

Etsy | Instagram (@sewcialite_nh) | Facebook

All photos courtesy of Sewcialite.

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DO YOU OWN A NEW ENGLAND-BASED BUSINESS AND WOULD LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING INTERVIEW?  OR WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN HAVING ME STYLE, REVIEW, AND FEATURE ONE OF YOUR PRODUCTS?  
Please drop me a note.  

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More Interviews from New England Makers:

Allison Cole Jewelry + Giveaway!

I've had the pleasure of following Allison Cole Jewelry on Instagram for awhile now and fell in love with Nicole's gorgeous nautical-inspired jewelry.  Nicole was kind enough to send me one of her classic rope bracelets to style and offered to give a bracelet from her gorgeous line to one lucky winner.  Read on for an exclusive coupon code and how to enter to win a bracelet of your own!

Nicole Recomendes is the owner/designer behind Allison Cole Jewelry. Nicole has roots in New England - growing up in Hanover, MA and spending every summer on her family's boat. She has always had an eye and love for nautical style. After working in the corporate world for awhile, she followed a dream to work for herself and launched the line in May of 2015 and it really took off from there!

I've always been a big fan of nautical and New England-inspired fashion myself and so I was excited to pair her Metallic Rope Bracelet with some of our favorite nautical inspired pieces. What I really love about this bracelet is that it's simple enough to dress up or down but still bold enough to make a statement. These rope bracelets look great on their own or stacked with other bracelets and bangles.

Exclusive Coupon Code

Allison Cole Jewelry is also very reasonably priced which makes this trendy style achievable for everyone.  Better yet, we have an exclusive coupon code to share with you -- use the code BIRCHLANDING at checkout to get 20% off everything in her shop!  (That makes the bracelet I'm wearing less than $20 - such a great deal!)  

*GIVEAWAY!*  

Looking for a chance to win your choice of bracelet from Allison Cole's line?  Find the photo above on my Instagram (@birchlandinghome) and enter there!  All details and rules can be found in the giveaway post.  
Good luck!  

Bracelet c/o Allison Cole Jewelry | Leash c/o Mariner Lines

- I received this bracelet for review from Allison Cole Jewelry but all opinions expressed are my own.  Please see our Disclosure Policy for more information. -   

Photos by Adrian Pelletier Photography

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Fun feature with Allison Cole Jewlery coming soon!

I'll be having a really fun feature with Allison Cole Jewelry - and a *givewaway* coming to the blog soon!  You don't want to miss this one ;)  

Can't wait? You can use the coupon code BIRCHLANDING to get 20% off everything at Allison Cole Jewlery

Totally in love with my new black and gold classic rope bracelet!  

Local Product Love: Mariner Lines

Today I wanted to share another great New England maker, Mariner Lines.  If you're a dog-lover and a New England lover you need to have one of these beautiful hand-made nautical leashes in your life.  

Love the bait bag packaging!

When I first stumbled across Mariner Lines, I thought their leashes looked beautiful and rugged and loved that they were made in Maine.  But once I learned the story behind the brand I loved it even more as Mariner Lines was started by Stacia and her fisherman husband when their yellow lab Mariner became ill.  Sales of these handmade leashes not only help them with medication expenses for their beloved pup (who is thankfully doing better), but a portion of sales is also donated to local rescue groups too.  You can feel good about buying and using this leash knowing the good it does.    

|  Twisted Leash, White  |

This weekend we brought our black lab Harley out for a short hike in the woods with our new Mariner Lines leash.  Harley LOVES walking in the woods and was super-excited to put her new leash to the test.  You see, the second you clip a leash to Harley's collar she pulls like a competition draft horse at the Fryeburg Fair... we've worked with her a bunch and done obedience classes but none of that matters for the first 10 minutes of the walk until she gets the excitement out of her system.  

Our Mariner Lines leash held strong and I felt confident walking Harley on it.  One of my favorite aspects of the leash was the roundness of the rope in my hands.  All of our other leashes are traditional flat nylon that dig into your palms when the dog pulls; I was pleasantly surprised to see that the thick round rope did not dig into my hands at all as Harley got the initial excitement out of her system.  

The leashes are hand-spliced together using rigging line and heavy-duty brass clasps so you know they're made to last.   They come in many colors and there are even hand-knitted neck warmers for your pup and cowls for you available so you can coordinate.  All the leashes are "one fathom" (about six feet) long - I just love how they incorporate the nautical theme into every aspect of their brand!  

Happy pup.  

Overall, I really love our Mariner Lines leash - it's rugged, durable, beautiful, and stands for helping pups in need.  What's not to love?  

Follow Mariner Lines
|  Shop  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |

That face tho.  

- I received this leash from Mariner Lines as a gift, but all opinions expressed are my own.  Please read our Disclosure Policy for more information. - 

Photos by Adrian Pelletier