esbaby site finally up!

hello everyone!

well, all of the custom bag slots sold out, which is great. i've already have some of the fabrics come in that people have sent me to make their bags, and i'm excited to get my hands on them.

also, in big news, my website is finally up and running! i contacted this wonderful woman who plugged all of the graphics i had created for my site, into my site so that it would look exactly how i wanted to. i'm ecstatic to have my store back again - and you know what that means - can finally start taking custom orders again [as soon as i get those swatches pages back up!] the only "problem" i've had is picking which banner i like the best. here are the four samples i designed [i think if you click on them they'll get bigger]:

so let me know what you think. right now i'm using the bottom one, but that can change at any time. there may be a few things here and there that need adjusting as i get used to the new site, but i'll work out the kinks, if there are any, as they come.

my sewing studio is looking more awesome by the minute, and i think some pictures are in order soon.

hope this semi-spring wednesday is finding everyone well. and thanks to everyone who bought custom bags. i think they'll be done by the weekend, and pictures will, of course, follow!

custom bags, anyone?

just wondering if anyone would like some custom bags. thinking about stocking some slots later this week on hyena cart...drop me a line if you're interested. otherwise i think i'll whip up a few diapers.

oh, customs!

not that i'm preparing to do any soon or anything - i just thought since my last post i could talk a little about why customs are important, and pretty damn awesome, if i say so myself. i was in a coffee shop earlier this week and a woman came up to me and said "oh, i love your gloves." and i said, "oh yeah. i had someone make these for me." 

"i had someone make these for me."

how freakin' cool is that? even in this world of mass-production and mass-consumption we're still able to get back to our roots. now i'm not going to get into a history lesson here or anything, but to be able to reach out to people [via the internet, or however you choose to communicate with the world] and have people with a certain skill hand make you whatever suits your fancy is pretty nice, indeed. same goes for cloth diapers. customs means no-holds barred. you pick the print. the material the diaper is made out of [hemp, cotton, etc]. you can choose the color snaps or serging thread, if you want. so you have a child that needs a longer rise or larger waist? never a problem with custom orders. i've had customers email me after placing an order to say "hey, do you think you could add a couple of inches to the waist this time?" i've had people send exact measurements that they want the waist and rise of the diaper to be. some people like trimmer diapers, some people like more coverage between the thighs. some people want sherpa/hemp soakers, some people want all organic sherpa diapers without a print on the outside. 

so while doing instock things gives makes me happy to be sewing, i still derive pleasure from giving people what they want. for dipping back into my 15th century roots and producing something with my two hands that someone will use and possibly pass down more than once.

try doing that with a disposable diaper.

in-stock vs. customs: the psychological breakdown

reasons why i like doing in-stock items as opposed to customs:

when i make things for my in-stock store, i get the chance to make different things, but i also am able to use fabrics and other materials i wouldn't be able to use when i open for custom orders. vintage buttons, rare prints, different accessories [like custom designed wetbags, etc] are all things that won't happen with customs. i like to ask my customers what they want to see in each in-stock stocking - not just so that i can sell things that i'd think sell - but to make those things using different prints, etc, that one normally may have overlooked in the swatches list for customs - or so that i can use more expensive prints that i'd only save for times when it feels that i'm making a piece of art. i put a lot of myself into everything i make, but there's something special about getting excited at what is about to go up on sale - that you just put your heart and soul into. 

so i guess for me, making items to stock immediately is an art, opening up for customs is a trade.  and in order for me to enjoy what i'm doing, i have to keep an equal balance between the two.

a couple bags

do you like the environment?

how much?

i made a bag out of repurposed curtains from decades ago. i won't even guess at how many, but this fabric is truly one-of-a-kind and very awesome. i love it. the pink bag was something new. people seem to like pleats on bags these days, so i thought i'd give it a whirl. what next? fitteds? all in ones? covers?