i havent been sewing much lately. and by that i mean, i havent been sewing at all for, i dont know... almost two years? this is by far my biggest personal disappointment. for two reasons: one, i freaking love sewing, and two, making a living from selling handmade clothing is only my single lifelong dream. ive wanted to design and make clothes since i was a small child, and from ages 17-21 i had a moderately profitable indie clothing label and etsy shop (i never formally studied fashion though, id tell you more about that but theres a lot of emotional baggage and resentment that doesnt belong on here). when i was pregnant with alice, i not only made her entire nursery (for $50!), but also my diaper bag (which is still in use), nursing pillow, several swaddlers (sort of like this, but way less tacky), and i think maybe even a few tiny garments.
but then, like every other new mom in the world, i stopped when alice was born. and i dont even feel guilty about it given that i spent two weeks on bed rest and then had to recover from a c-section with zero non-husband assistance and a newborn that spent twenty four hours a day mocking my attempts to put her on a feeding and sleep schedule. i had noble crafting intentions though, my previous etsy shop had gotten to a point where it felt really messy and disorganized and i needed to completely re-focus my vision and direction so i gave myself a few months completely off so that i could have a fresh start when i felt ready.
and before i even got a chance to feel ready, we had to pick up and move back to california (definitely a story for another day), and crafts of any kind went somewhat permanently on the back burner. even after we got settled into our new place and our new jobs, it still wasnt happening. heck, in our first year living here i only got my sewing machine out two or three times. though this is mostly because if i want to sew, i have to set up a folding table in the living room like this:
honestly after a while of this i stopped caring. my old dreams and ambitions were just not realistic here in our new life, and i got used to it. until one day a couple months ago the nice lady that works in the sewing machine department at work asked me what id been making. and i said nothing. i work at JOANNS. and i literally could not think of anything id made since christmas. this was just embarrassing and unacceptable and i was determined to change it.
so i broke out a brand new notebook and started working on designs, products, goals, and branding, and started researching price points, advertising opportunities and craft fairs (i especially miss vending at craft fairs). its been REALLY fun and exciting and last week i finally got to the sewing inventory phase! and it was the best ive felt in a LONG time. im not sure exactly when the shop will be up and ready, but i do know it will be soon. in the mean time ill be posting a tutorial for this toddler dress (my first original design in over two years!) later this week:
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