I started Sawdust & Ponytails in 2025 out of pure frustration.

After being laid off, I spent much longer than I expected trying to find my way back into the workforce. I had years of experience and a career I had worked hard to build, but I found myself competing in an oversaturated job market that simply wasn't hiring.

After enough applications, rejection emails, and conversations that went nowhere, I needed something that felt like mine again.

For me, that ended up being woodworking.

As a beginner woodworker who happens to be female, I quickly ran into another frustration. I couldn't find a single shirt that actually spoke to women like me. Women who build things, make mistakes, figure it out as they go, and use whatever happens to already be in the shop.

The shirts that existed just weren't made for us.  So I made them myself.

Woodworking showed up in my life at exactly the right time. During a period when so much felt outside of my control, building gave me something I could actually put my hands on. There is something about solving the problem in front of you and watching a pile of lumber slowly turn into something useful that clears your head.

Somewhere along the way, it became much more than a hobby.

I lost my dad when I was 12. He wasn't a builder, but I still think about him when I'm in the shop. I picture him standing there watching me work and being proud of what I figured out how to make.

Woodworking gave me a place where I can still feel close to him.

I definitely didn't expect to find that in lumber and power tools, but I did.

Sawdust & Ponytails is for women who would rather build it than buy it. Women who start before they know exactly what they're doing, mess things up, learn from it, and try again.

We're not here because every cut is perfect or every project turns out exactly the way we pictured it.

We're here because we like making things.

Because women belong in the workshop.

Because you don't need permission, perfect skills, or a fancy shop to start building.

And because you should have something fun to wear while you're doing it.

Stop overthinking. Start building. Own your workshop.

If you're here, you already belong.

Welcome to the tribe.

You're officially a member of the Bad Cut Club, and we're really glad you found us.

Angela