I started quilting in 2013 when a friend gifted me my very first sewing machine, a $150 Brothers machine from Walmart. I was ecstatic and immediately started reading every quilting article I could find online. Upon my graduation from Baylor University, and after serving 3 years as an enlisted soldier, I received my commission as an Officer in the United States Army. I had two months between graduation and leaving for my Basic Officer Course and only had small, odd jobs lined up. A girlfriend of mine was pregnant at the time and I could not afford anything on her registry. I showed up to her baby shower with nothing in hand but a card and a hug. As I watched her open all the things she’d asked for, it dawned on me that she had not received one handmade item. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a charm pack, some batting and a minky backing and I got to work. On my mother’s dining room table, I drew and cut the letters for her sons name by hand, stitched up the blanket and gave it to her just a few days later. Her response was EVERYTHING! To this day it is her sons favorite!
Pleased with my work and eager to get more practice I decided to do a post on facebook asking for 3 friends to pay for the materials needed for me to make them a blanket or quilt of their choosing. In August of 2014 I used pictures of those three custom designs to create and start my initial business via facebook, Courtney Creations which has since generated thousands of dollars in revenue for me in my “spare time”.
While continuing my service in the U.S. Army Reserves, I earned my teaching certificate and spent four years in urban education teaching middle school math both in South Houston and North Philadelphia. While working full-time, I continued to learn, create and perfect the art I became so passionate about. Sewing became therapeutic for me. So much so, some of my most popular creations have all been a result of me sorting through some type of overwhelming emotion. One of the best examples of this came at the beginning of the pandemic when I found myself feeling stuck, anxious and with a desire to do something other than sit in my feelings. I quickly learned how to make masks and was able to give away over 600 masks to friends, family, doctors, and postal workers.
Another example of “creation out of crisis” was during the painful loss of my sisters last embryo. I was sorting through my own sadness and had no idea how to be an encouragement to her, so I started sewing. The result was a butterfly pillow that started as a gift to her but later became a means to promote infertility awareness. Donating all profit from the butterfly pillow sales allowed me to bless a family going through IVF with $500.Another example of “creation out of crisis” was during the painful loss of my sisters last embryo. I was sorting through my own sadness and had no idea how to be an encouragement to her, so I started sewing. The result was a butterfly pillow that started as a gift to her but later became a means to promote infertility awareness. Donating all profit from the butterfly pillow sales allowed me to bless a family going through IVF with $500.
In 2020 I began daydreaming about taking my business on full time. With future in mind, I re-branded and announced my new name; Neema Lynn Creations. Neema is Swahili for “Grace”. I chose Swahili because my father who I deeply love has a Swahili name. I chose the word grace because it is only the grace of the Lord that has sustained me in both the darkest and brightest times of my life. I am alive today because in His mercy, He has chosen to preserve me and every good thing I have, including this business is owed to His great grace. Lynn is the middle name of my mother who is also my best friend and greatest supporter. She gave that middle name to both my sister and I and should the Lord will that I have a daughter of my own one day, I will give it to her as well. I wanted the name of my business to be a reminder to me that where I am is only by the Grace of God and the love of those who mean the absolute most to me.