WELCOME FRIENDS
Necessity is, indeed, the mother of invention, but the truth is, I cut, craft, and stitch Number 1 Wipes, because cloth is reusable. It is soft and of the earth. It is sustainable, and renewable. That is my real motivation behind what I do. I feel deeply connected to cloth, to zero-waste, to living things, to you, and to our beautiful planet, our earth home...Mama Gaia.
The making of No. 1 Wipes is a labor of love. Working with the fabric is a meditation, of sorts, for me. As the fabric is touched in my lovely work space, it is blessed. I bless the material and honor the resources used to create it. I honor the people who were part of its creation. I honor our ancestors and those who came before us. I express gratitude for the opportunity to transform the fabric into a household necessity, and I honor the home and the people who will use it and appreciate its quality. Love is literally infused into the making of each wipe.
In Love, True North
BACKSTORY:
The inspiration behind No.1 Wipes was driven by an immediate need to meet the shortage of toilet paper on store shelves, as people binge-shopped paper products, in light of COVID-19.
It was March 22, 2020. Toilet paper was hard to come by...actually, it was non-existent. My daughter resorted to ordering a 12-roll pack for $40 from overseas, with a scheduled deliver date of three weeks. In the interim, she remembered having cloth baby wipes, and pulled them out to use as "Number 1" dabbers, hoping to extend the life of the two remaining rolls of toilet paper in her home.
I had come by my daughter's that Sunday morning, so we could take a walk (stay-at-home orders were not in place yet), She greeted me at the door waving a cloth wipe in her hand, and excitedly said, "Mom, you could make these!" I began sewing at age eight, and currently design and sew for a clothing company I own (Next of Kin Clothing Co.).
And so it began. I stopped at the fabric shop on my way home, and then asked my bestie if she would help make them, and get the first load of wipes out the door. She enlisted her teenagers, who are home until school resumes. The next morning we were measuring and cutting.
In the months since the launch of No. 1 Wipes, I have added new items, each supporting my conviction to reduce the amount of single-use paper and plastic that ends up in our landfills, and create items of quality and beauty. I suppose you could say that I obsess over quality, creating and testing mockups, until they exceed my high standards. Nothing leaves my tiny sewing shop without my careful twice-over, checked and rechecked for quality. If i put my name on it, it is attractive, functional, durable and affordable.
If you are considering items for your home, your body, or for gift giving, please consider No. 1 Wipes. You are simply going to love them! Thank you so very much!
Love, True
MEET TRUE:
I am a veteran, mother of four, nana of one, and founder of several companies through the years. I have a Bachelor's degree in Communication (Journalism), but my life-long career was in health promotion. I was a personal trainer, wellness coach, and nutrition counselor for 28 years. That time overlapped fourteen years in the Army National Guard (a few years of that Active Duty, serving as a Recruiter, Readiness NCO, Journalist, and assisting with unit deployments). My favorite duty, however, was as a High Ropes Instructor, leading soldiers, recruits, and assisting with at-risk youth on building teamwork and trust, while negotiating moving elements and repel towers, 20-35 feet in the air.
My innate gifts began to surface at the age of eight. It was common that I would move rather large furniture pieces, to create balance and flow. I did not understand at eight, that I could feel Fung Shui, sense energy, and could see and reveal beauty. It eventually came to me that I see the raw, intrinsic beauty and potential of what is in front of me, and, have the inborn gifts and the acquired skills to reveal, enhance, and bring forward what I see, whether that beauty/potential is in people, physiques, interiors, garden sanctuaries, textiles, or great ideas.
My name, True North, found me. In 2001, I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. For those who don't know, The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a 2,160 mile trail that runs from Mexico to Canada, covering the U.S. states of California, Oregon and Washington. I was given the name my first day of hiking, because I couldn't find the trailhead. The folks who dropped me off at the Southern Terminus of the PCT, figured I needed all the help I could get to find my way to Canada, so they gave me the trail name of True North. When I came off the trail 4 1/2 months later, I legally changed my name to True North.
I have been an entrepreneur all my adult life, and have had my hand in several startups and businesses. It was a way I could be home with my four children AND scratch that itch! Some have done great, some have been great learning experiences. I have also had my share of hair-brained ideas, such as working on a crab boat in the middle of the Bering Sea during a brutal winter, to earn cash for college. I would not suggest doing this!
I "retired" from the military and personal training in 2011, reinvented myself (again), and began North Technologies, LLC. I traveled six months and 20,000 road miles to 50 U.S. cities, photographing and curating information for a travel app. I can tell you a thing or two about outsourcing to India. Now, that was a BIG education! Along the way, I have learned my fair share about starting a business, branding, web design, and the like. Today, I spread my time between designing websites (my passion), a creative endeavor called "No. 1 Wipes", and Journey Through Awareness (my Soul's mission). When COVID-19 finally takes a backseat, I will continue to design websites, resume holding weekly Women's Circles, and return to designing dreamy clothing for my company, Next of Kin Clothing. Until then, I'm having a great time doing what I'm doing, embracing Life, loving my family and friends, saying "Yes," and keeping my entrepreneurial skills sharp.
If you guessed that this is the Voodoo Donut truck I am standing in front of, you either know your donuts, or have camped out waiting for the truck to show up, one too many times. Either way, I like you, already.
In Love, True
MY INSPIRATION:
What inspires me? Nature and my romance with her. All things Mama Gaia...the ethereal, the unmanifest: seeds, seedlings, tiny eggs in nests, growing things, green shoots emerging from branches, freshly turned soil. Potential. Always potential.
Tapestries, Gregorian chants, ashrams, monasteries and sanctuaries. The Moola Mantra, Mooji, minimalism and spaciousness; room to breathe, to dance, to create. Open air, sunshine on my face, breeze on my skin, sand on my feet, and water. Always water.
Textures, light, patterns and color. Sometimes in touching certain fabrics or textiles, the nerves in my fingers come alive. In these moments, I can feel that what I am touching holds something within it that wishes to be expressed, if I can free my thoughts enough to listen with my heart and let it reveal itself.
Travel, cultures, stories, the texture of life and living. Tastes, experiences, adventure, spontaneity, saying "yes" to Life. Flow. Trust. Leaning in.
Crystals, women sitting in Circle, Grandmother Moon and the night sky, cycles, spirals, braiding hair, little girls in tutus and rain boots. Birth. Birthing children, birthing love, birthing ideas, birthing courage and strength, sovereignty, conviction and vulnerability.
Love. The real stuff. Friends, late night calls and the cabs to be there, love notes left on kitchen counters and tucked into luggage and lunch bags. Vintage love songs. Cradling infants, holding, deep listening and making love.
Story time, fresh sheets, wildflowers, hikes, bicycling in autumn, swirling leaves, campfire smoke, rivers, the music of crickets, frogs and owls; snowflakes, children's laughter, birdsongs, wind chimes, freshly mowed grass, airport hugs, belly laughs, girlfriends, being behind a camera lens. Excellent espressos.
Having life cave-in and rebuild itself. Saying goodbye. Saying hello. Breathing. Stillness. Life. Always, Life.