Courtesy | Beth Roehrig
Beth Roehrig once altered 150 prom dresses in six weeks. She started sewing when she was 8 years old but never took formal sewing lessons. She now runs a business in downtown Hillsdale called Xpress Sewing.
“I have always been fascinated by sewing,” Roehrig said. “When I was eight years old, I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas since I had been working on my mom’s sewing machine. I made handkerchiefs for dolls and little aprons and scarves.”
Roehrig focuses mainly on bridal and formal wear alterations.
“A lot of people sew, but not many alter clothes,” Roehrig said. “When you sew, you start from scratch. When you alter, you take something apart and put it all back together, and it has to look the same.”
Roehrig often does alterations for professors and students at Hillsdale College, such as freshman Micah Hart, who brought his suit in to be altered two days before President’s Ball.
“She made a bow tie out of the extra fabric from the alterations,” Hart said. “She was very considerate of what I wanted and made me feel very comfortable.”
Roehrig also has a special skill: she doesn’t pin her alterations before sewing.
“I don’t usually pin my alterations. I just look at it and know what it needs,” Roehrig said. “You could send me a picture of yourself wearing formal wear, and I could tell you exactly what it needs without ever pinning it.”
Roehrig said she also enjoys glasswork, which she sells at her other business called MoseArt.
Roehrig was first exposed to glasswork when she worked as a glass tester and lab technician at Johns Manville fiberglass factory in Defiance, Ohio. She began working at the fiberglass factory after attending a vocational school where she studied commercial art.
“I tested the incoming raw materials and outgoing product,” Roehrig said. “I also tested marbles. I would take two platinum screwdrivers-like devices and heat them and grab a marble with them. I would pull it across the room at a steady pace to test the softening point of the marbles.”
When her daughter graduated from high school, Roehrig’s husband recommended that she start marketing her sewing skills.
“My husband said that I should open up a shop, so I worked at Johns Manville and the sewing shop at the same time for six months,” Roehrig said.
The two agreed that Roehrig would continue whichever job was more profitable after six months.
“I would sew for the shop from 4 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., and then I would work at Johns Manville from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and then I would go back to the shop,” Roehrig said.
After opening her sewing shop in Defiance, Roehrig and her husband began to make stained glass.
“I told my husband that I needed a hobby since sewing had become my job. We went to an art fair in Defiance, and a lady there from Canada had made stained glass stepping stones which were fantastic. We found a place that sold the glass and bought the books and taught ourselves how to cut glass,” Roehrig said.
Roehrig now specializes in hot glass, which requires a kiln. She also blows glass and makes her own beads. Her husband makes replica Tiffany lamps.
Roehrig’s favorite stained glass project was a commission from a hospice center where they designed and built the stained glass windows.
Roehrig’s store also carries jewelry and pottery products from local and American craftsmen.
“It’s fun to meet with the new artists, especially the young artists that are just getting started,” Roehrig said.
One such artist is 17-year-old Madeline McKinny, a high school senior from Hillsdale. McKinny makes jewelry and works at MoseArt.
“The whole experience is really cool. Beth is a great mentor, and I’ve learned a lot since I started working there,” McKinny said. “I like seeing all the regulars that come in—that come in and talk forever. Beth will do anything she can to make someone’s day brighter.”
McKinney said she is improving her craftsmanship with the help of Roehrig.
“I’ve also learned to sew on patches and hem formal dresses,” McKinny said. “I really have enjoyed learning glass work. I definitely want to improve on that in the future.”
Above all, though, Roehrig’s favorite thing about having her own business is the people.
“Meeting people is my favorite thing,” Roehrig said. “As much as I like sewing and glass and making art, my favorite thing is the people. I love being able to pray for people who need help and hearing their stories.”
