As a child, Judy Stokes was always looking for ways to get her mother's attention. The fifth child in a brood of six, Stokes finally found the secret: sewing.

“I would sit next to my mother while she sewed — it was the only time I got one-on-one time with her,” she said. “Once she realized I was interested, she bought me a little Singer chainstitch sewing machine. At the age of 5 I began making doll clothes and cardboard doll furniture covered with fabric.”

That was decades ago and Stokes says her love for sewing and design has never waned.

After a successful career in couture design, Stokes spent several years working in interior design. When she moved to Nevada County in 1975, her focus shifted back to clothing, and over the years she owned and operated two bridal and tuxedo shops, one in Grass Valley, the other in Nevada City.

Then one day she decided her car didn't need a house of its own and converted her garage into a spacious, elegant and professional studio, complete with a dressing room and commercial-sized mirrors. Today her business, Judy Stokes Sewing and Design, operates largely via word-of-mouth.

“My goal was to have a studio where a bride could bring her mother and friends and savor this special time,” Stokes said. “I really feel joy when I see a bride put on the exact dress she's always wanted.”

Currently, Stokes' sewing business is also operating under the name “Hems in a Hurry,” yet she's eager to focus on the higher-end, creative projects she was truly trained for: wedding dresses, alterations and design, and furniture slipcovers and cushions.

“I don't want to work frantically,” she said. “I want to work gracefully.”

Stokes' recent clarity regarding the focus of her work was impacted by a powerful chapter in her life.

In 2004 — long after raising two daughters and devoting thousands of hours to sewing and retail businesses — Stokes signed up for a six-year commitment with the Rafiki Foundation, where she originally thought she'd be teaching sewing to orphans and widows in Nigeria and Kenya. Instead, she taught school, wrote academic and art curricula and helped students develop business plans. One of her greatest joys, she said, was seeing her students excel.

Stokes arrived home in January and saw her life and her country with new eyes and renewed appreciation. That's when she began to implement a more focused vision for her tried-and-true business.

The emphasis on wedding dresses and home decor gives her a chance to draw from her vast experience in creative studio design and skill as a master seamstress (Stokes took first place in the textile professionals' contest at the Nevada County Fair this year).

“I love slipcovering,” she said, with a laugh. “It sounds funny, but it's kind of like dressing a person.”

An additional — and important — component to her work is interacting directly with customers, especially the brides, she said.“Years ago when I worked in manufacturing I remember looking at 25 wedding dresses on the rack and thinking, ‘I'll never get to meet the person who wears this, or her family,'” Stokes said. “Today an essential part of my business is getting to know the essence of a person so I can help them get the exact thing they really want. I want to know who they are as a couple, and what their venue will be like. They want to be known as who they are as a couple and I love to help interprete that into great design.”

Stokes likes to meet brides ahead of time to talk about flattering styles, appropriate undergarments and design or alteration choices. Sometimes they'll shop together for fabrics.

In her large, comfortable studio, it's clear Stokes' work is more of an art than a trade.

“I continue to do everyday alterations,” she said. “But the work that reflects self expression is the most rewarding. One bride said to me, ‘I didn't know there was someone like you in our own backyard — I thought I'd have to go to the city to get a custom designed wedding dress.'”

To contact Staff Writer Cory Fisher, e-mail cfisher@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4203.