Interview with My Bearded Pigeon from Etsy – Associated Content
There is lot of searching for vintage maps and then, sewing. Answering emails and packaging orders How do you want your craft and business to evolve? I am not sure. I never really had a business plan. Obviously I would like to reduce my (other) work

Dolls By Mary

Mary Ciske of Dolls by Mary creates these wonderful classic Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, as well as traditional styles and custom orders.  Her handcrafted dolls are available in two sizes – 15″ and 20″, and they are very reasonably priced at between $15 and $30.  They’re available with different embroidered faces, skin and hair colors, and all of the dolls’ clothing is also handmade of crisp cotton fabric.  My favorite thing is that they all have the traditional heart embroidered on their chests, just like the pair my mother made for me as a child.

Mary learned to sew from her mother when she was about 7 years old and she enjoys using those skills to make some extra cash.  She takes orders for dolls on her Dolls by Mary website and she travels to nearby craft shows to display the dolls that creates at home in ”a terrific sewing room.”  The independence to make what she wants and work when she wants to are the best part of self employment for Mary, but she tells us her least favorite part is the unpredictable income.  She wants to “keep the business small enough that I can handle it alone but large enough to make a little bit of extra $$” and says she’ll “continue making the dolls as long as doing so makes me happy and brings me some income.”

More Dolls by Mary!

The interview goes into detail on how I got started in business and as an author, and includes some advice for other work at home moms.  I had a lot of fun doing the interview, and I hope you’ll check it out.

I love to sew, crochet, paint, bake.  I look forward to learning to knit someday.  My mom taught me how to sew on her old New Home sewing machine, but I never really had a passion for it until my babies were born.  Now I can say that I am certifiably obsessed. 

I love to create..but find it hard to do while my little munchkins are underfoot so I have learned that the three words “fast”, “easy” and “affordable” make me and everyone else around here very happy. That’s why I created my blog “While They Sleep“. It is the place to go for inspiration and projects you can do while your babes are sleeping (or destroying the living room).

I believe that everyone has within them the desire and ability to create.  My goal is to inspire and encourage especially women to do just that!  It is also my goal to help those who are new to sewing say to themselves “I can do this!” and learn a new skill or two along the way. 

I also have an Etsy shop where some of my original patterns are sold.  My goal is to produce projects that are beautiful and practical but also all fall under the rules of “Fast, Easy and Affordable”.   Things you can actually get done “While They Sleep.”

I’m proud to introduce the newest pattern available in my Etsy shop: The Pod Swaddler. You can go to my shop for more details.

I do everything I do from a little corner of the kitchen.  My husband is working full time and going to school at night so I usually get a lot of what I get done while he’s away and the girls are asleep.  I look forward to someday having a room just for creating and doing projects with my girls.  I also look forward to doing a lot more with creating patterns.  My dream is to have my own pattern line someday.  But I am happy with the pace of my shop and my blog right now.  It keeps me busy but not too busy to enjoy these precious, fleeting years with my girls.

 Here’s a sampling of what you can find on the blog:

 

The Table Runner Apron

She was frustrated by fitting problems, especially for women with fuller busts, so she “pursued the fitting secrets with a passion and finally found enough of them online and in books, which, together with my analytical and problem solving brain, helped me solve fitting problems in sewing.”

Her business, JSAW Mastectomy Designs, was born in 2003 and Lillian says its still feels like a bit of a startup since she’s constantly learning new aspects of the business, like the ins and outs of online stores and website development.

Lillian designs and sews custom made nightwear and intimate apparel for ladies who have had a lumpectomy or mastectomy due to breast cancer.  Her designs are custom made to her customer’s specific measurements, they do not come in small, medium and large, all with the same bust cup size.  She actually creates a new pattern, based on the customer’s measurements, for each new garment order she receives.

The business is run from Lillian’s home office and she has a sewing room setup in the basement.  Lillian says the best part about being self employed is “being able to be there for your family when they need you.  Also being able to follow one’s own dreams and heart’s passion.”  Lillian knows the frustration of not being able to find clothes that fit, “not because of a mastectomy but because of having a body that is a combination of about 4 different dress sizes,” so she completely understands the relief of finally having clothes that fit well.

Visit the JSAW Mastectomy Designs website at www.mastectomydesigns.com, or check out her online store at http://store.mastectomydesigns.com.

Erica Leigh of Sweets & Hearts

Erica Leigh of Sweets & Hearts is up to her ears in ears!  Erica sells hair accessories such as headbands with kitty or mouse ears, as well as costumes and clothing designs, and she recently sold her 100th pair of ears.

Erica is a college student studying fashion marketing who lives at home with her mom and dad while attending school, and she started her part-time business from her bedroom in 2007 in order to bring in some extra income.  Her mom taught her to sew in high school by making tote bags, then she started experimenting with reconstructing her own clothes before learning how to make things from scratch.

The theme at Sweets & Hearts is based on providing things that are cute, colorful, and girlie yet wearable.  Her hair accessories, jewelry and clothing designs are adorable and they’re obviously a hit as her site has several hundred fans and growing daily.

Erica says the best thing about running her business is getting to set her own hours since she is “not a morning person at all” and has a pretty busy schedule.  She says the only downfall “is that sales are inconsistent and it’s hard to predict how well you’ll do the next month, or even week.  Some days are really good, but some weeks it’s hard to make just one sale.”

Her goals are to build the business to the point where it is lucrative enough that she can work it full-time and be able to afford her own place.  We predict that Erica will do that and more given her attention to detail, she even includes handwritten notes with each order and carefully packs them with tissue paper and heart stickers.

Check out Erica’s wonderful designs at her Sweets & Hearts Etsy store, or visit her blog to learn more about her.

Jill is a full-time mom and a part-time crafter who generously shares her sewing and craft projects and tips through her blog.  Recent projects include this gorgeous ruffled pillow, which is a refashioned shirt that Jill has now recycled for the second time, a recovered office chair, and my favorite, artwork for her new apartment that she made from blank canvases and tissue paper.

Jill Green of Homemade by Jill

The blog earns Jill enough extra cash through advertising to cover her craft expenses and even enough to save a bit for a rainy day.  She’s happy with that, and with being able to create “whatever is striking my fancy at the moment”, but she’s looking forward to being able to devote more time to sewing and turning her hobby into a business when the time is right.

Visit Jill’s blog for all sorts of sewing projects, home decor, paper crafts, decoupage and crazy crocheted animal hats.

Ashley Hackshaw & Boo

Ashley Hackshaw’s mother taught her the basics of sewing when she was around six years old.  Her mom used to make their clothes, bedding, and curtains, and was always taking on big household projects like re-painting the kitchen cabinets.  Ashley has since gone from career woman to stay-at-home mom of Sienna, a precocious 2-year old daughter affectionately known as “Boo”, and now she’s turned her love of sewing, painting, power tools, camera and craft supplies into a business known as Lil Blue Boo.

Lil Blue Boo includes a blog that is full of imaginative project tutorials like wagon covers, adorable outfits, and creative ribbon top curtains, in addition to Ashley’s pattern store, plus links to her painting site where you can see her beautiful artwork.  Ashley says she tries to create and experiment each day, “I fall asleep brainstorming and wake up trying to remember how I made something in a dream I just had!”  She started her Lil Blue Boo blog to share her projects and inspire others to try new things, and she loves to follow other craft and sewing blogs out there, “there are so many talented people to follow!”

Ashley says she rarely buys anything new anymore, she loves recycling and repurposing clothing, and she started making her Lil Blue Boo patterns so that “Boo” could have her own one-of-a-kind wardrobe that fit her personality.  “My daughter’s repurposed clothing always received the nicest comments and inquiries when we were out and about. I decided to publish and sell these patterns so that anyone can make their own…even a beginner who has never looked at a pattern! I use a $150 sewing machine, very few materials and I’ve come up with lots of tips along the way to share with others. I used to write detailed bond offering materials in my previous career and surprisingly this has ended up being a very transferable skill to pattern/tutorial writing.”

Originally a portrait artist, Ashley created some personalized children’s paintings as special gifts for friends and family, and she now also paints commissioned children’s portraits, nursery art, murals and faux finishes as part of her business.  Some of her nursery art and small nursery pieces are showcased in her Etsy store, as well as in local boutiques and other online stores.

Most of her work takes place in a converted spare bedroom, even though she does have a studio that is separate from the house, due to having an active 2-year-old to watch over.  Ashley enjoys the flexibility of being self-employed, and even though she is sometimes frustrated by limited output and small margins, she feels that turning her passion into a business was the best decision she’s ever made.

Her plans are to continue doing what she loves, experimenting, creating, and coming up with unique ideas and projects for others to try.  She intends to expand on her line of patterns/tutorials and focus on creating informative ebooks to provide sewers the tools they need to easily complete a project.  Ashley says that “one of the most fulfilling things for me is when I get an email from someone with a photo of an outfit they made using my directions or patterns thanking me for breaking it down into a manageable project….it is even better when it is their first sewing project!”

http://www.lilblueboo.blogspot.com/

]]> http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/08/14/interview-with-ashley-hackshaw-of-lil-blue-boo.aspx/feed 5 http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/08/07/interview-with-alexandra-smith-of-lola-nova.aspx http://sewingbusiness.com/2009/08/07/interview-with-alexandra-smith-of-lola-nova.aspx#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:20:00 +0000 S. Denise Hoyle http://sewtoday.com/?p=12 Alexandra Smith started sewing when she was about 11 or 12.  She remembers making costumes for herself and a friend on her mother’s Bernina 830, which she still owns.  She made her first quilt in the 7th grade and fondly remembers taking sewing classes in junior high.  She sewed off and on for years, then about 5 years ago she re-discovered sewing as a serious creative outlet.  Alexandra started sewing for her daughter and family, then for friends and neighbors, and people were soon asking her for more.

Last year Alexandra decided to start a blog as a way to lay the groundwork for her own business.  Since that time she says, “I have met such an amazing community of people and gained the confidence to reach for higher goals.  I have been fortunate (and busy) with custom orders, some through my blog and some through word-of-mouth.”

Her business, Lola Nova, creates a wide variety of eclectic products including home goods, accessories and children’s apparel.  Check out these gorgeous custom stuffed animals Alexandra recently made for a customer from her grandmother’s blanket.

Alexandra works out of a cozy corner in the basement of her home, she says it isn’t glamorous but she’s happy to have her own creative space.  She plans to open an Etsy store next month and is looking forward to displaying her wares at some local craft fairs this fall and winter.  Visit Alexandra’s Lola Nova blog where she generously shares project tutorials for neat designs like this summer wallet, as well as helpful sewing and gardening tips.