Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Jessica Warren, owner of Honey Bugs Designs, inside her home office where she creates items including shirts for kids and adults, hand towels, hats and more.
Chelsea resident Jessica Warren grew up with a mom who wanted to teach her how to sew, but Warren thought that was a skill she would never need. However, when she found out she was going to have her own daughter, Warren changed her mind.
That decision paid off, and Warren is now in her 10th year as the owner of Honey Bugs Designs, creating embroidery, heat press and vinyl designs. Her daughter, Emily, was given the nickname “Honey Bug” by her great-grandmother at birth, which was the inspiration behind the business name. Even when Warren expanded beyond doing children’s clothing, she decided to keep the name for its memories.
She started out making ruffle pants with matching shirts and baby items such as burp cloths and bibs, but Warren decided to simplify her process by focusing on more shirts and hand towels. When people found out she had a sewing machine, they would ask Warren to make things for them, which eventually evolved to her purchasing more machines and changing up her inventory.
“I narrowed down the things I was making so I can keep it more organized,” she said. “I have been able to work on certain things and get better doing them, instead of trying new things and not preferring them as much.”
Three years ago, the family moved to Chelsea from Newnan, Georgia, after her husband’s job transfer. They already knew about Chelsea and had friends there, so they chose to make it their new home.
“We looked all over and really fell in love with this sweet little town,” Warren said. “The community is so fun. We get to have access to everything, but don’t have to be in it all the time. It’s not terribly far for my husband’s commute to work and we’re closer to my family in Daphne.”
At her home in Chelsea Station, Warren uses her dining room as her office. She said when people walk in her front door, her work setup is in plain view, but she enjoys the flexibility of being home with her kids while also doing what she loves. After starting out doing only embroidery, Warren said she now does that the least.
At any given time, she can have the heat press, printer and vinyl cutter all working simultaneously. While she makes more shirts than anything, she said towels come in at a close second. Her business stays fairly steady but picks up around holidays and changes of seasons.
“Whenever I get bogged down, I just tell myself this is what I prayed,” she said.
Meeting people through her children’s activities has also opened doors for Warren since the move. She makes coverups, bags and T-shirts for a local dance company and shirts for parents on her son’s baseball team. Part of why she loves what she does is because her kids do too.
“My oldest daughter was so excited when I participated in the Gingerbread Lane event at her school and seeing the other kids buy things I made to give as Christmas gifts,” Warren said.
Warren gets inspiration for her creations from just seeing what is out there, then putting her own unique spin on it to be different and suit her style.
“I look at things I like this and ask myself if someone else would like it and is it something worth spending money on?” she said.
“We all have to work hard for what we have, so I strive to make sure it’s worth someone else wanting to purchase. It’s fun when people like what you do,” she said. “It brings them joy and it brings me joy.”
Warren’s mom worked from home doing graphic design work, and she said she feels as though she is following in those footsteps.
“This is not exactly what I expected I would be doing, but I love every minute of it. I get to be there for my kids and their events. It’s gratifying and fun and I’m thankful this is what I get to do,” she said.
To see what Honey Bugs Designs has to offer, visit etsy.com/shop/honeybugsdesigns or facebook.com/honeybugsdesigns.
