Hi, I'm Victoria Jo,

I'm the owner of Create Paradise & this is my story so far

My earliest memories of creativity are of me watching my mum make clothing. I would often see her laying out fabric on our living room floor. I would carefully watch her cutting out dress patterns, curiously studying and pondering. Watching how she put garments together, how she finished seams, and learn from her wisdom.

From the age of about 12 I started designing clothing. I allowed my imagination to flow, thinking of the colours and fabrics I would use and encouraging my mind to be creative. Being creative came freely to me. I struggled with other subjects at school because I am dyslexic, although I was unaware of this at that time. I could not understand why I was different. I used to watch other children learn and understand things faster than I could. Deep down I knew I was different. Back then I saw this as a negative.

‍‍One day my English teacher taught me something that was so valuable that it has stayed with me throughout my adulthood. Our assignment was to write a story. This concerned me because my spelling held me back. She quietly came over to me and said, “you are so good at drawing that I don’t want you to write your story, I want you to draw it". From that moment on I learnt; go with your strengths!

Go with your strengths!

Once I thought dyslexia was my weakness. Now I see dyslexia as one of my strongest abilities!

By the time I went to college I was torn between fashion design and animal care. My mind was very creative but my heart wanted to help animals heal. So, I decided to study both and find out what was best for me, in the end fashion design won. I couldn’t hold back my creative soul.

I was diagnosed with dyslexia while I was at college and both my tutor and myself thought that I would find pattern making difficult. We were both astonished when we realised that pattern cutting was one of my strongest skills. This showed me that no matter what ourselves or others think we can and can’t do, we should always believe in ourself. We don’t truly know what we are capable of until we try. Once I thought dyslexia was my weakness. Now I see dyslexia as one of my strongest abilities!

After studding fashion and textiles for two years I then decided to go to university where I studied fashion design for three years. Once I graduated I had many ideas about how to use my degree. In the end I decided to create my own opportunity. I wanted to create a place where myself and other women could learn and grow. A place that was peaceful and creative. A place where women can escape any difficulties they may face and enjoy time for themselves. So, I embarked on an exciting journey and built Create Paradise.

My desire was to create a relaxing and uplifting environment for all the women and children that attend my sewing classes. My classes were not just sewing classes; I aimed to share a creative experience with my clients. I am enjoyed teaching all the wonderful people I met and was excited about my future and where Create Paradise.

I had to close my classes in 2020 and decided to work on my own digital sewing patterns. I taught sewing classes for ten years and watched my students' confusion and frustration with sewing patterns. As an teacher, it was difficult to see my students' confidence dwindle due to a lack of directions in sewing patterns. So I set out to design my own digital sewing patterns that incorporated what I taught in my classes. I wanted to break down sewing instructions into simple, step-by-step guides to make them easier to learn from. I used my dyslexia to assist me through this process. I knew that if someone who was dyslexic could quickly learn from my sewing patterns, then so could all of my clients. It took three years of hard work, patience, and a lot of creative thinking, but they are finally ready! I hope you have a wonderful experience using my sewing patterns and sewing magazines, and I look forward to sharing more sewing tips and tricks with you as my sewing pattern range expands!