Living Beyond the Stitches: Starting WestieWear

At the beginning of 2025, I had set a one-word intention for the year. “Connection.” For the most part, my commitment to that word was during an uneventful moment in January. A moment that went overlooked and forgotten for most of the year. Looking back now, I am realizing the power of that moment, and how connection has manifested in my life.

This year was a year of connection for me. And while much of that was around family and friends, the greatest form of connection I’ve made this year has been with my new business; WestieWear™.

I didn’t start this endeavor with a business plan. WestieWear™ actually began with an immeasurable blend of blind faith, naivety, and extreme courage.

The business started with a momentary choice. A simple decision. A spontaneous yes moment that came after a long stretch of living small — not by choice, but by necessity.

After years of being increasingly limited by a chronic and undiagnosed bone infection, I had lost my zest for life. After four failed ACL reconstructions and five knee replacement procedures, my life had devolved into a constant uphill battle.

During my many recovery periods, I taught myself to crochet.

At first, it was simply something I could do when my body felt unreliable. Over time, I had acquired more than my share of scarves, blankets — and dog sweaters. Stitches that had once healed me were replaced by stitches that brought me comfort. Each crocheted stitch became a small act of self care—sometimes the only thing I could take on.

I had always dreamed of selling my work at a booth. But for nearly a decade, my body was too unreliable to even attend a festival, let alone become a vendor at one. So year after year, I would imagine having the courage to set up a display and sell some of my items. And year after year, I let the opportunities slip by. For more than 20 years, my life had revolved around recovery and survival.

I simply didn’t have it in me to commit to something I might not be able to deliver on.

Two years after my two-stage knee replacement—where they removed my knee joint for 10 weeks to treat the bone directly—something shifted in me. And a momentary decision changed my life.

For the first time in more than twenty years, I felt like I might be able to show up.

Not without risk. Not without fear.
But with just enough steadiness to try something new. Just enough trust in myself to try something that felt incredibly vulnerable.

So one August evening, I registered for a vendor booth at a local fall festival.

And with that simple act, momentum took hold. Once I had clicked “Submit,” my attention moved forward instead of inward. Ideas flooded my mind. How I might display the sweaters. How each of my four Westie’s personalities could inspire color. How something as small as a dog sweater could feel intentional and personal. It was during several late-night moments when the WestieWear™ Color Profile Experience took shape, right before my eyes.

In the weeks that followed, I transformed my kitchen into a staging area for my booth. My stash of handmade dog sweaters hung from displays. When I wasn’t adjusting the setup, I was crocheting more sweaters. And when I wasn’t crocheting, I created marketing materials. Over the course of 5 weeks, I printed banners, brochures, business cards, and signage. I created a website and CRM tool where I would manage orders. I snapped pictures of my dogs in their sweaters in a make-shift photography studio between the stove and refrigerator.

For the first time in years, I felt hopeful … inspired.

The Show, as I fondly referred to it as, wasn’t even about selling. It was about showing up. It was about standing in a moment where the outcome wasn’t guaranteed. Where possibility existed. That space that exists before you have done “the thing”. The moments before you’ve had a chance to succeed or fail. It is in that space when the world feels alive. And I savored every one of those moments. I recorded everything for social media, just in case. I allowed myself the privilege of feeling hopeful. I was creating, I was showing up. Showing up for myself as I prepared to show up for others.

On September 13, with the help of some generous friends, I launched WestieWear™ at the local fall festival. I sold one premade dog sweater and took another custom sweater order. It wasn’t much. Yet somehow, it was more than enough.

My goal had never been to sell. It had simply been to show up for myself. To be vulnerable. To be present. To be courageous. To be me.

The months that followed have been riddled with moments of gratitude. My clients—both the dogs I’ve made sweaters for and the people who love them—have shared quite vulnerable pieces of their lives with me. Stories of comfort, loss, celebration, and humanity.

My clients didn’t just buy sweaters. They trusted me with something personal. They shared stories of their beloved pets, and chapters of why they mean so much to them. And they trusted me to create something special for them.

It was in those stories where I found my purpose. To hear them, to share compassion, and to hold space where they are free to celebrate the relationship they share with their pets.

When I looked back on the past 5 months, one word came to mind: Connection. Connection between animals and their humans, connection between clients and myself. And the connecting stitches that bind the products I make for others. Products that I hope will bring comfort.

And as I write this post at the turn of the new year, I am reminded of my 2025 intention word: Connect. Just as a dog sweater is made in the round, my year has come full circle.

WestieWear isn’t about making sweaters. It’s about honoring the bond between people and their pets.

Which is why it feels so special to me and those who have expressed gratitude for their dog sweater—and the experience of creating it.

The stitches that once healed me during the difficult times are very different from those I make now. But they both serve a purpose; to connect. I am grateful to be a part of these stories, part of each journey.

Through it all, that’s enough.
And for me, it’s everything.

– Kimberly Jo, Furbaby Fashion Designer & WestieWear™ Founder