Amber Layne: Following the Creative Thread

Name a needle, thread, machine, or fabric – Amber Layne knows it. Not only does she know it, she understands how it’s made. She can tell you why it’s chosen. She can show you how it’s used. She is an expert in her craft, and after one conversation with her, you’ll suddenly want to take up sewing, too. Amber’s passion permeates.

What is so thrilling about a needle pulling thread? For Amber, it’s all about the act of creation.

“I believe that creation is a form of therapy,” she said. “Creating is what we are here for. It helps us be our best selves, and move through some of the good, bad, sad, and happy in our lives.”

As a sewing instructor and Amber Layne owner of AmberLayne.Co, she empowers students to create anything they can imagine.
Amber started her sewing journey as a child. Always artistic, there’s hardly a medium she hasn’t explored. “I’ve worked in interior design,
as a photographer, as a painter – I’ve had my hand in a lot of things, but I’ve always loved sewing.” But the more she tried to learn, the more questions she uncovered. “There are not a lot of options for learning the real nitty gritty of sewing. You can learn to do one thing – a project, some pants, a potholder – but I’m a nerd. I need to know the “why” behind it.”

So, Amber set out to discover every detail of sewing on her own. “I called manufacturers and asked questions, I took every class there was to take, studied under a master tailor, and I spent over a decade just learning it from the inside out.”

As her learning progressed, Amber was repeatedly asked to share her knowledge. “I was happy to do it,” she said. “I realized I wasn’t the only one searching for a comprehensive sewing education. There wasn’t a linear system for learning. It was a need, especially in this region.”

Now, Amber meets that need through private lessons, online classes, and in-person courses in partnership with the Studio School at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. Her students have seen overwhelming success, starting dance-wear businesses, upcycling vintage clothing, making bespoke utility wear, and even creating costumes in Vegas. But Amber doesn’t measure student success in business terms. Instead, she emphasizes the internal impact of the craft.

“All my life, I never felt like I fit anywhere,” Amber explained. “Teaching these sewing classes is building a community where creatives realize they aren’t as alone as this world can make them feel.”

While it might sound like a lighthearted hobby, Amber says her courses are comprehensive, requiring focus and commitment. “There’s a difference between crafting and craftsmanship,” she said. “Sometimes we don’t even know what’s inside us until we’re exposed to the right learning opportunity. There’s something inside of you that’s been waiting to be discovered all along.”

Learn more about Amber’s mission to “create beauty, make lives better, and love with abandon” at amberlayne.co.