Waking Hours

Anna Dobson (40) is a designer and business woman. She set up Love mo Chuisle, an Irish-tweed clothing line, after her marriage broke up. She lives in Avoca, Co Wicklow, with her sons — Rhys (10), Sonny (8) and Archie (6)

My marriage break-up made me stronger

My boys wake me in the morning. I don’t need to set an alarm. They are up between 6.30am and 7am. They are very active. They want breakfast and attention. The two older ones are very independent, but my six-year-old wants my help to dress him. He’ll tell me that he doesn’t like certain socks and he wants things matching. So he will change things 10 times.

While they have their breakfast, I get their lunches made. Then I bring them to the end of the lane at 8.45am for the school bus. They are happy kids.

I grab a piece of toast and coffee, and then I’m in my studio at 9.15am. It’s a converted garage at the back of the house. That’s where my business is based. It has a stove, a pattern-cutting table, and I have sewing machines there, too.

I set up Love mo Chuisle [love my darling], in November 2017. It’s an Irish-tweed clothing brand, and I also make accessories for girls, boys and men. It’s all manufactured in my studio. I do it all — cut the patterns, sew in the lining everything from start to finish. School is a godsend because you know you have that time. I always work while the boys are in school, and after they have gone to bed.

All of this started after my marriage break-up. All of sudden, I was rearing three boys as a single mum. I needed to be there for them.

Five years ago, I separated from my husband. Then I moved out of our family home in Donegal and relocated back to my home town in Avoca, Wicklow. My parents still live here, and they are a great support. Now I am divorced.

After the move to Avoca, I worked in Dublin for a year. I was gone early in the morning and back late, and I missed a lot of activities with the boys. It wasn’t working.

When I set up the business, it was scary. I knew that I had to put the time in, but the great thing is that I can work around the children. This whole separation thing makes me stronger, because I know that I have to do it.

All my life, I’ve had a sewing machine, and I was always making things, like cushions and curtains. Both my parents are creative. I studied fashion and textiles in Belfast, and then, for many years, I worked as a designer for companies in England.

I love tweed, and I always wanted to set up a business. It came about partly because I love dressing up my kids in chinos and waistcoats. I like to dress them nicely, and I found it really difficult, even in mass-market shops, to get nice boys’ stuff. Instead, you get these T-shirts with big logos on them. I started out making little waistcoats for them and I approached a tweed company. Then I made girls’ dresses, too.

My youngest boy loves mustard, so that had to be in the colour palette. Instead of going with the traditional plaids and earthy colours, I brought in raspberry and palm green. Those bright colours make my range stand out. The tweed is 100pc lambswool, so it’s not itchy. It’s a natural fabric and breathable.

I was always quite independent and strong and I knew what I wanted, but I think my marriage break-up made me a stronger person. It made me more goal-oriented. If I want something, I’ll get it, and I won’t let anyone put me down. It has made me a fighter. When you have small children, you have no choice. You want your kids to be secure and to have all the opportunities that the other kids have.

There is a lot of running around. In the afternoons, I pick up the kids from school and I’m around for their activities, like swimming. On Tuesday nights, I go to ukulele classes with my oldest boy. We both play it. It’s really easy, and very enjoyable. There are only four strings, so you can play a whole song with just one chord. After tea, they go to bed and I go back out to the studio. I could be working until one in the morning. I’m usually exhausted, but I enjoy having that flexibility to work around the boys.

Since I’ve moved back to Avoca, I’ve reconnected with old school friends. I take the dog out for a walk in the woods, and the odd time, I might try to get a weekend away with the girls. But I enjoy being with the kids. That’s my time out.

Life is good at the moment. The business is doing so well that I’m taking on an employee because I can’t deal with all the orders. People can buy my stuff from my website, and I have lots of stockists all over the country.

Everything in my life seems to be good compared to what it was five years ago. I’ve a business that is doing well, I enjoy it, and I get to spend time with my kids. Once I have time with them, I’m happy.

If it works out, I’d like to help people who were in my situation. There isn’t a lot out there for people in marriage break-ups. People tell you to go to the doctor and to go to counselling, but you need to be active, to go to the gym and to start your life again. If you sit around, nothing is going to get better. There is no point crying over spilt milk. The kids are happy, the business is working out, and I can see so much for the future.

I have so many things going on that I write lists in my sleep. Nobody is superwoman. There are things that I don’t get done. But I am heading in the right direction, and that’s the main thing.

Love Mo Chuisle is in selected shops including Kilkenny Design and online

lovemochuisle.com @lovemochuisle

@tweedlmc

“My marriage break-up made me stronger. I set up the business and I’m here for my kids”