Becky Peelen – A lifetime of making memories…and now she’s retiring

For nearly four decades, Becky Peelen has been helping people look and feel their best through the art of custom sewing. As the owner of Becky's Custom Sewing & Design Shoppe in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood, she has created garments for weddings, graduations, performances, and countless milestone moments, becoming a trusted part of generations of families' lives.

In this special episode of Sew & So, we honor Becky as she prepares for retirement after 37 years in business. Becky reflects on learning to sew from her mother at age eight, balancing family, teaching, and advanced sewing studies, and building a career centered on craftsmanship, creativity, and care for others. Along the way, she shares lessons from influential mentors, stories from decades of custom sewing, and her belief that sewing is truly an art form—where every person is a unique canvas and every garment tells a story.

It's a heartfelt conversation about legacy, creativity, community, and a life beautifully stitched together.

(3:00) How did Becky learn to sew and who inspired her? Learn about her mother Margerite, broomstick skirts and her first store bought dress.

(7:05) When did Becky know that sewing wasn’t just a hobby…it was her path?

(8:44) How did art and her teaching career influence her sewing

(10:30) Becky talks about the season in her life when she was going to school and raising her children and teaching at night – many thanks to her mom!

( 12:21) What specific lesson did Becky learn from Harriet Sherbach?

(14:45) How did teaching influence her sewing practice?

(15:55) What made her open Becky’s Custom Sewing Shop in Milwaukee in 1988?

(16:22) Her favorite thing to talk about…the many stories of the people she’s sewed for…like the Milwaukee Sewing Granny’s, individuals and so many more!

(19:11) How does her family feel about her retiring?

(20:41) Becky is an artist and describes sewing as art. She talks about her creative process of sewing.

(24:39) How dies she feel when she looks back on the families she’s sewed for…and the memories she’s made for them.

(26:15) What’s her dream for retirement?

(27:39) What was her favorite place to visit in her travels? Here some wonderful stories.

(30:20) Some final thoughts from Becky.

Want to reach out to Becky? Facebook – Becky Peelen. Tell her you heard her on this podcast!

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