I was born in New Zealand and moved to Canada when I was two years old.   I am a Science and Math major before travel took me to Alberta where I met my husband.  He is from Costa Rica, where we spent the first years of our marriage.  I worked there in the Customer Service Training as well as the Human Resources department learning many of the things I use daily in Bumby.  We then settled in Alberta in 2005 where our two boys were born.  I wanted to cloth diaper our babies and struggled to find what I needed locally, so I made them for myself, when Bumby was also born.
I am a 6 foot tall plus size woman with large hands, head and feet.  I remember the trauma of shopping with friends walking into stores knowing that I didn’t fit anything in that store. Wasting time pretending to look around. One of my first jobs in high school was in a plus-size clothing store.  I remember this girl came into the store, sad and lonely.  We spent hours going through colours and clothing to find some items that made her beam with confidence. The whole store was cheering for her by the time she left.  I want that feeling to continue.  To collaborate with you to find something that brings you joy and makes you feel like you can take on the world and make it a better place for being in it.  The community of people to uplift and support our own journeys and to revel in our successes.  
I love to create.  I started experimenting with sewing when I was in elementary school.  I love experimenting with colours and designs to create clothing options to fit.  I love working with people to create garments that truly speak their heart.  We post completed item pictures most days, and quite often people can tell who ordered many of them.  Because their style shines through, or they shared their plans with the group and talked out what to make.  The community is what we are building, awesome clothing is only part of it. 

The name comes from a shortened version of the original.  Bumble Bees were all the rage back in 2007, so I called my cute little kitchen table business Bumble Bee Baby.  I made cloth diapers, washcloths and bibs mostly.   The name was way too long though.  We took the first 3 and last 2 letters and made up a word, Bumby.  The original logo has a cute elephant for the “y”. 

In 2010, my family moved to Red Deer. I had dabbled in wool for a bit, but this was when I really dug in.  I am so glad I did.  I can’t imagine working with any other fiber. 

Bumby used to be a team of 3 moms working together.  In fact, we just celebrated 14 years with our core group.   4 kids were raised in the workshop with the business in the basement.  2 were still in diapers and none were in school yet.  They grew up around Bumby, playing and learning together.  The oldest are learning to drive now and doing website development for Bumby. Time Flies.  

We now have a team of 4, with professionally trained members in multiple areas of sewing and design as well as technical aspects of operations.  The business is run from a commercial space dedicated to all things Bumby. We are serious about what we do and not only do it right, but do it with care and love.  The team is run with a family first attitude; recitals, sick days and family happiness comes before work.  Our team is dedicated to Bumby because Bumby is dedicated to them.

Bumby has grown a lot over the years and welcomed a lot of retailers to our network.  They all share a common thread of integrity and customer service.  They are all independent shops providing unique items and truly care about their customers.  As we grow this business, I keep getting told to go after the big fish, to expand into large scale distribution.  Our vision is about collaboration and service which would suffer greatly in a big box store.  Small retailers have been hit very hard these past few years and so many have been forced to close their doors which brings me profound sadness.  We are committed to staying the course here at Bumby, and hopefully  the future is more bright for small businesses. 

Our customers are not just customers.  We call them our Flock.  You are the basis for all we do.  Customer service is of utmost concern; we have built this business on communication and friendship.  It is a real relationship, not just about getting your money.  The website is the go between that allows us to really dig in and make amazing custom garments for you and your family.  Bumby was started with Small, Medium and Large in shorts, covers and pants.  That is 9 products.  We now have over 10000 digital patterns, with different styles, sizes, fits and products.  Every single one of them was born through collaboration.  We have zippers in sweaters and winter suits from customers asking.  We have bloomers in 3 lengths, we have several different pocket options, and the list goes on.  We listen, we talk, and we deliver. Enthusiastic collaboration is built into the very fabric of Bumby. (Get it?  I am pretty punny too!)

We care about what we make and who we make it with.  We have partnered with Unicorn Clean Products out of the USA, to not only sell their fiber care line but also wash and soften all of our fabrics to prepare for dyeing as well as finish for the consumer.  It is a clean and natural product that makes our product even better.

We also work with Cansew, a Canadian thread manufacturer, which makes a huge assortment of colours and is ISO and OEKO-TEX certified.  

We have spoken at length with Dharma Trading Company about dyes, safety and environmental impact.  They are an amazing resource and a valuable ally.

Our textile mills are in Canada and USA, they’re our trade secret.  We get asked every so often to share our supplier to compete with us.  We commission a job to knit the fabric for us and take the entire custom batch.