We had the good fortune of connecting with Lillia Whittington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lillia, how do you think about risk?
When it comes to taking risks, I am a jumper. I will be the first one to jump into an idea with full force if my heart tells me that it would help my community or my business. One major risk I took was in 2021, after many months of lockdown, I started an annual charity market for non profits here in the Denton Community. It was the first major market to happen post pandemic, meaning we really had no idea how the community would respond to a large public event yet. We just celebrated our second year and in total, we have raised just over $2,800 for non profits in our community. One major risk in this was selling tickets and just hoping people would shop up in general! You don’t really see community vendor markets selling tickets, even if it is for charity. We were shocked that the first year we sold out our VIP, and had over 100 people attend our market. All of this was planned on a napkin at a brunch BTW, 6 weeks before we had the actual market event!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My creative journey started at the rip old age of 4 years old when I sewed my first garment with my grandma’s watchful eye. I continued sewing all through school, and ended up going to college for fashion design. After school, I went into corporate design, where I discovered my love for pattern making and technical design. In all of this, I slowed down sewing for me though, as it was exhausting working in a corporate environment. When the pandemic happened, I quit my job to pursue my entrepreneur journey. Nowadays, you can find me teaching sewing lessons, making sewing videos, or lounging with my friends over a cup of coffee at Jupiter House in Denton. What people fail to realize about sewing and fashion design is that it really is a feat of engineering. Have you ever watched someone make a pattern? Or drape a dress? It takes a sort of finesse that only comes with years of practice. I have always had a knack for picking up things quickly, but for me the math that goes into sewing is what I always struggle with. Through patterning my first collection, to now patterning digital sewing patterns for sizes XS-2X for my first digital collection, the way I have relied on numbers is mind blowing. I think that is definitely a misconception about sewing.
My current creative project is developing sewing patterns for curvy bodies. I am starting with sizes XS-2X, as these sizes I have familiarity with grading patterns in. In 2023 though, we will be expanding to sizes XXS-5X to help people in curvy bodies design their dream wardrobes, one pattern at a time!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you’re coming to Denton, come on a Saturday morning in the early fall, around mid October. Start your day by parking anywhere on the square, and walk over to my favorite coffee shop Jupiter House and order a Jupiter’s Nectar, iced. It’s a deliciously rich coffee drink with hazelnut and chocolate that is the perfect way to start off a Texas Fall Day with! Walk a block over to the community market and shop the freshest produce, bread, sweets, and eats you’ll find in DFW. I always grab O’Brien Brothers sourdough bread loaf, Soco Beer, and an assortment of fresh veggies for my weekly lunches. Wanter around and enjoy the music, and maybe visit the Bayless Shelby house there on the property! For lunch, walk on over to Gyro 360 for a quick bite, or sit down and people watch at a patio table at Chestnut Tree. My personal favorite at Chestnut Tree is the Buddha Bowl! Hit the square and check out the shops and wander around the mini mall for a while. If the weather is nice, you can even lounge on the square lawn. You might even get to snuggle a puppy or two that walks by!
As night approaches, walk over to Hannah’s and enjoy a delicious locally sourced dinner, then head back up the street for a night cap at Free Play! An arcade with unlimited old school games.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this to my community, who since day 1 has supported me every step of the way. To the Stoke Community, TWU Entrepreneur community, and to my husband. Who is the biggest supporter of them all.

Website: https://justlillia.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/just.lilliaa

Facebook: https://facebook.com/just.lilliaa

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/lilliawhittington

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@just.lilliaa

Image Credits
Que Images (Photos 6-8)

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.