Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
About Me
I’m Sade Sadie, a professional weaver, yarn collector (okay, hoarder), and the proud owner of Handwoven Artist. My journey started at 18, I needed experience working with customers, where better to start than at a restaurant —a tough gig that taught me one thing: the food industry was definitely not my calling. After that, I juggled two part-time jobs before landing at the emergency section of a hospital.
Working in the ER was anything but boring. Every day was a new adventure: broken bones, crazy stories, and even a guy with a firecracker in his leg (seriously, don’t try this at home). For three years, I thrived on the unpredictability of hospital life before moving on to a more... eye-opening experience at an Optometrist’s office.
At 24, I decided it was time for a change and a chance to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather, a talented pattern engineer with a sixth sense for tailoring. He could make a dress that fit perfectly just by looking at someone! I started studying in Gauteng for fashion studies, then packed my bags and headed to the beautiful Cape Town to continue my education at FEDISA.
During my studies, I had a project to make a bag that required a 50% handwoven surface, which sparked my curiosity.
Then I heard about the Cape Guild of Weavers' yearly ExTex event at Kirstenbosch, which included a week-long weaving workshop. I was hooked just hearing about it! I begged my teachers to let me finish a week’s worth of work in advance so I could skip school and attend the event.
That workshop changed everything. I fell head over heels for weaving, creating my very first woven fabric on a four-shaft loom. The rest, as they say, is history. Since then, I’ve acquired three looms, a ton of weaving equipment, and found my true calling. My fashion design studies took a backseat as I realized I was, at heart, a weaver.
I started attending workshops with Edith at The Weavers Loft—I couldn’t have asked for a better person or place to weave, surrounded by weaving looms and like-minded individuals who share my love for weaving. Weaving wasn’t just a craft; it was my passion, my therapy, and my new path.