Welcome to Ara + Ela Handmade!

I’m Kristin, full-time bean counter by day and part-time hobby sewist by night and on the weekends. My daughters are my inspiration and the reason I created this shop! When my oldest daughter was a little tyke, I found a handmade small shop that made Grow With Me hoodies from custom designed fabrics and I fell in LOVE. The shop owner was AMAZING and taught me just about everything I know about sewing clothing.

In April 2018, I started my sewing journey by making clothes for my oldest daughter. After a while, I was asked to be a partner with the shop owner who had taught me how to sew. At the end of 2020, I decided that I needed to step back and take a break from sewing for a bit and focus on my family. My youngest daughter had recently been born and I was struggling to balance everything. At the same time, my shop partner was also ready to put more focus on her family, so we closed up that shop.

While I’ve had the time off that I needed to focus on my family, I’ve realized that I truly miss sewing for others. So I’ve decided to open up my own shop and keep making handmade children’s clothes for others. Seeing kids wear items that I have created with my own hands, brings me so much joy!