MEET

Stacie Grissom

Schoolhouse Homestead - Union Joint School - Franklin, IN

The Grissom Family lovingly acquired a charming 1900s grade school with the intent to transform it into their cherished family abode, affectionately named Schoolhouse Homestead, formerly known as Union Joint School. As they embark on the joyful journey of renovation, they also delight in creating themed apparel that allows their beloved family and friends to reminisce about the school's rich history.

Stacie and Sean Grissom are two Indiana natives who’ve spent the last 10 years living in New York City. They always planned on moving back to the Midwest but after their son Arlo was born in the spring of 2021, their Midwest plan narrowed to their hometown of Franklin, IN where both of their parents still live.

They feel so lucky that the Indiana town they both grew up in has thrived in the 10 years since they’ve been gone and, in the summer of 2021, they bought the schoolhouse! They had a lot of renovation work to do and are so grateful for parents who know who to hire and how to do all the things they need to do!

How does FM enable your creativity?

I was so excited to find FM as a company because I had no idea you could make limited runs of screen-printed items at home. My husband and I bought an old grade school and are fixing it up to turn it into our family home. The school was active between 1914 and 1934, and then from 1934 to ~1956 it was a barn that housed cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, and turkeys. We chose the turkey as our mascot and have been using it in all the gear! Throughout the construction we have been making schoolhouse swag like t-shirts, patches, sweatshirts, and athletic gear for our made-up track club.

I design all my heat transfers in Canva, export them, and then upload them to the FM Expressions site. Canva has TONS of logos and layouts that are so fun to play with, and I’ve been delighted with the results on our apparel.

What made you happiest about working with FM?

I am not a professional, and I really appreciated the help I got from the FM Expressions customer support team when I was asking questions about the formulas. I also LOVE the gang sheets. The gang sheets are so helpful when you want to test tiny details or a bunch of different designs for small runs of shirts, which has been so helpful for toddler and dog apparel.

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I love that I can make large designs for our gear to give to family and friends, and I don’t have to labor over vinyl Cricut cutouts if I want to make a volume of things. We have a rule where anyone can join the Union Joint Track Club, no matter how fast of a runner you are, you just have to ask to be a member. And then we’ll make you a shirt.

I also especially love the performance formula that I have been printing on athletic gear and small, stretchy knits!

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How has our product/service improved your day-to-day life?

My favorite schoolhouse clothes are these little sweatsuits we’ve been printing on for my son, which make him look a bit like a Royal Tenenbaums character or an old European man. I use the performance formula on a gang sheet, and I’ve been able to make lots of little baby clothes from gang sheets.

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I also love the crest we designed, and the sweatshirts we printed them on have been wardrobe staples. We added North American persimmons at the top, an oak tree and a turkey in the middle, and a Wendell Berry quote at the bottom of the crest.

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Stacie Grissom

"I was so excited to find FM as a company because I had no idea you could make limited runs of screen-printed items at home."

How does FM enable your creativity?

What made you happiest about working with FM?

How has our product/service improved your day-to-day life?

How has our product/service improved your day-to-day life?

Get started on your very own apparel journey with a free heat transfer sample pack

Define success.

Don't forget to keep up with Stacie and Schoolhouse Homestead.