Is Class Over Yet?

From: Hillary Frank
Series: The Longest Shortest Time
Length: 14:32

A woman leaves her dream job to stay home with her baby, and then, out of boredom, starts sewing and unwittingly creates a new full-time job for herself. Read the full description.

With Intro

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Playing: Is Class Over Yet?
From: Hillary Frank

L_and_s_small For most of us lucky enough to be able to stop working and stay home with our babies, we wouldn’t have it any other way. But at the same time it can be really overwhelming . . . and then, after awhile, boredom sets in and we begin to wonder who we are other than food-dispensers, diaper-changers, and cleaner-uppers. Liesl Gibson fought the monotony by designing and sewing clothes for her daughter, which led to starting her children’s clothing pattern company, Oliver + S. Before she was really ready, Liesl found that she’d put herself right back into a full-time job. Hillary Frank, radio producer and new mom, interviews Liesl about how boredom motivated her to start a business.

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Piece Description

For most of us lucky enough to be able to stop working and stay home with our babies, we wouldn’t have it any other way. But at the same time it can be really overwhelming . . . and then, after awhile, boredom sets in and we begin to wonder who we are other than food-dispensers, diaper-changers, and cleaner-uppers. Liesl Gibson fought the monotony by designing and sewing clothes for her daughter, which led to starting her children’s clothing pattern company, Oliver + S. Before she was really ready, Liesl found that she’d put herself right back into a full-time job. Hillary Frank, radio producer and new mom, interviews Liesl about how boredom motivated her to start a business.

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

ONLY IF YOU ARE USING THE "NO INTRO" FILE: Back when radio producer Hillary Frank was pregnant, she was living in Philadelphia and she saw these baby outfits hanging in the window of a sewing shop. She was overcome with a powerful urge to learn to sew, so she signed up for a class with Liesl Gibson, the woman who designed those outfits. After class, Liesl complimented Hillary for having so much energy to sew while she was pregnant. Hillary said she was doing it now because she wouldn't have time once the baby was born. Liesl gave her this look like, Oh, honey, you have no idea what you're in for, and told Hillary she was so bored in the early days of motherhood that she didn't know what to do with herself. Which is why she started her children's clothing pattern company, Oliver and S. Liesl had previously been a fashion designer for Tommy Hilfiger. It was her dream job. But as she told Hillary, she decided to quit so she could be home with her daughter.

OUTRO:

Liesl Gibson's blog is disdressed -- that's disdressed.blogspot.com. Her children's clothing pattern company is Oliver + S. You can find it at oliverands.com. This interview originally aired as part of The Longest Shortest Time podcast, and was produced by Hillary Frank. Find more episodes at longestshortesttime.com