Monday, August 16, 2010

Cornucopia..celebrating the Artist under the Mommy...Butterflies and Bees Give Away

Scroll down to bottom of post for details on how to win this beautiful dress and headband.

So first tell us where your from and who you are


I grew up in a very small town in New Brunswick and then moved to Calgary, AB in 1998. I've worked in various jobs (Hotel, Administration, Accounting, Retail) but by far, I love being home with my 2 girls. It also allows me the flexibility to sew while my youngest naps and my oldest is at pre-school.


When did you start sewing?

I have done embroidery, cross stitch, scrapbooking, cardmaking, knitting - from a young age, I did not start sewing seriously until just a couple of years ago. I grew up watching my mom who sewed us clothes, costumes and decor. So I guess you could say a bit of it rubbed off on me.

So this is your first time trying to "SEW and Sell" as a business, what made you jump into this--did you always think about doing this


I've always enjoyed being crafty and I'll admit, I have a bit of an addiction when it comes to children's clothing. I'm a total fashion wreck when it comes to dressing myself, but for my girls, it's so easy. After discovering etsy and seeing what others were sewing, it encouraged me to give it a try.





Your clothing designs are very cute and classic, what happens if you get swamped with orders, any thoughts on how you would handle that?


 The key to it all though, is that my husband is very supportive of me. He takes the girls when I need the time to sew orders, doesn't complain when I come to bed late or have to sew all day on weekends.

What kind of machines do you use? 

I bought my first sewing machine 4yrs ago from Walmart for $99! It's a Brother CS4000 (Computerized) and was an ok machine, but not really one I would recommend. For Mother's Day my husband bought me a Kenmore machine which I really like!


WHY?

 
It's a Kenmore MD-27 and I may just really like it because my old machine was so crappy! lol I did do some research before I started dropping hints to my husband and while Janome and Husqavarna were at the top of the lists for quality and great machines, they were out of my budget for what I could afford just starting out. That's when I started leaning towards a Kenmore. They are great machines when it comes to quality and are reasonably priced. For $300 you can get a good machine that has all the stitches you'd need for just starting out, as well as accessories (walking foot, 1/4" seam foot, etc).


Any advice for woman getting started in boutique clothing.

If you are not a pattern maker (I am not!), research your patterns. I found when I first starting looking for patterns that while there are a ton available on Etsy, not all are good. Some have poor directions, some poor pattern pieces or the outfit just does not fit correctly once sewn. Feedback is not always helpful as I found a lot of buyers would leave the feedback before they even tried out the pattern!

Also double their shop policies, everyone has a different policy when it comes to selling items made from their patterns. Some want credit on your listing, your hang tag, or want a licensing fee, which I've typically found to be in the $20-$30 range for unlimited production for at home sewers.


great tip! 
As well, be prepared! No one wants to receive a clothing item from you with out tags. Things like labels, sizing tags, business cards and hang tags take time to get in. You don't want your product out in the 'wilds' without a tag. As a mom of two girls I can't even count the number of times I've been asked where I bought an item they are wearing or playing with, a tag with your name/logo on one side and your online shop name on the reverse is an easy way for the buyer to share with someone.

What do you have coming up for fall
For Fall I have a new Top being added to my shop, more dresses in holiday fabrics (Halloween and Christmas) and I'm hoping to add yoga pants and wet bags to my shop.  Just added  three Classic Dresses, one of which is a give away!


So ladies to win this beautiful dress and headband from Shelly's Autumn Rose Collection, pictured above, go to Shelly's Shop, Butterflies and Bees here, come back, leave a comment telling us your favorite item in shop.  For a second entry leave a comment on Shellys blog by clicking here.   **If you post on FB leave it in your comment.  Winner will be picked this friday night!

Good Luck and thanks for supporting Cornucopia  and  Handmade!


8/20

OK..So just took this off Shelly's Blog, she picked 3 winners!  Stephanie gets the dress and headband and then there are 2 other $10 gift cards!  Thanks everyone and Thanks Shelly for your genorosity and good luck with your shop and your beautiful creations!

Who is Stephanie Z who said:

THIS is my favorite item! I am getting one for Lauren for her birthday!
And I chose 2 more people who receive a $10 gift card towards anything in my shop.  Those 2 winners were Terri and Andrea B!
Congratulations everyone! And thanks for all the lovely comments about the items in my shop! Stay tuned, I just may have another contest coming up really soon.



28 comments:

Jane said...

Probably the autumn rose is my fav but like them all!

Unknown said...

I love this dress. I have it picked out to buy for my daughter's birthday in September!

Jane said...

I posted on my FB page!!

SB said...

This one is my new favourite!

charcharr said...

my fav:
Autumn Rose...Back To School...Fall 2010....ButterfliesandBees Swing Dress

A said...

I love the Meadowsweet Peasant Dress and... everything else to ; )

GingerLouise Clothing said...

Ladies,, PLEASE leave your email!!

or check back on friday night to see if your the winner!

formy2kids said...

My favorite dress is the Morning Glory Reversible Pinafore and Ruffled Bloomers on ButterfliesandBee Sews. So sweet!
Ammie
iseekbeach@ hotmail dot com

formy2kids said...

I posted about the giveaway on my Facebook page!
Ammie
iseekbeach@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

Ashley P

I would love to have the diaper covers... so so cute... the prints are amazing... but I may need some of those ruffle bloomers and matching pinafore too =)

Unknown said...

Ashley P upbeatbetty@gmail.com

I posted on her blog and I posted on my facebook.... THANKS HUN!!

I forgot to add my email to my other comment but I put it here.

Victoria said...

My favourites are this dress and the Cherry Wallflower Swing Dress! Keep on sewing! I can't wait to see what else you create!

Oh, and my e-mail is vickykim333@hotmail.com.

christine said...

I love the pinafores and bloomers, especially the morning glory one.


motorroeder at shaw dot ca

happy said...

those dresses are so sweet, and the diaper cover are cute, cute, cute.
I think i'll choose is the meadowsweet peasant dress... as my favorite.
thank you: mikthasq(at)gmail(dot) com

Gina said...

Oh I love the Meadowsweet Peasant Dress! Perfect for fall.

Hugs,
gina
gina@fabricsilove.com

Anonymous said...

I love the Meadowsweet Peasant Dress. But everything in the shop is sweet!

avemags(at)gmail(dot) com

AllisonK80 said...

My absolute fave is the cherry wallflower swing dress!

Allison (akaravos@hotmail.com)

nikki said...

Grey & Blue Wallflower Swing Dress

Shelley's work is amazing her sewing is flawless.

nicole.facey(at)rogers.com

Veronica Williams said...

Love this post. I actually have a Bernina machine and love it. Thanks for the advice on the post. Being a new business owner this is very helpful.

Veronica

Courtney Dennis said...

I love the Autumn Rose Swing dress in the cherry wallflower! Everything in the shop is so beautiful! :)
cdennis10@cox.net

Ayelet {Jenny} said...

Love this post, I need to start sewing! thanks for the tips! My favorite dress is the Autumn Rose...Back To School...Fall 2010....Big Splashy Rose ButterfliesandBees Swing Dress
I love the colours the 70`s look it is just so beautiful with all this lovely Autumn colours!

Unknown said...

So cute! Such a hard decision but I love the morning glory reversible pinafore but the swim diapers are pretty cute too!

Nice work!

Kelly said...

I love the Autumn Rose Fall 2010 Reversible Pinafore with Ruffle Bloomers - would look so sweet on my little girl :)
kelbee23@yahoo.com

mary kate said...

I love the swing dress!

Amy Hightower Murphy said...

Love them all but my favorite is the reversible pinafore in the strawberry fabric. So sweet!

Meredith said...

Love love the Reversible Pinafore & Ruffle Diaper Cover in the Fushia Poppies print, super cute!

mere@jklobo.com

andrea said...

love the morning glory reversible pinafore and bloomers!

GingerLouise Clothing said...

Thanks for everyones comments! As soon as Shelly lets me know the winner I will let you know!