I must apologise to my readers for my absence! I have been sewing up a storm every chance I get (i.e. when the planets are aligned in such a way that the kids are asleep and I'm not cleaning, eating or drinking cocktails). That last part could happen more often.
It has been an incredibly busy last... well 6, 12, 24 months! I still can't believe that my babies have their birthday in just a few weeks. 1 and 2 years old. I just can't believe it. And there is so much to plan and organise for their big day. I've been working out the details for months, along with setting up and opening my Etsy shop. The party theme is Peppa Pig, which I think suits a combined boy/girl party because Peppa has her baby brother George - just like Isla has her baby brother Logan. We've got mascots coming, which is going to be super exciting. I can't wait to see the kids faces. And I went crazy in Spotlight buying pink, green, yellow and blue table setting stuff, streamers, balloons... you can just imagine how crazy I went. I'm fairly certain hubby is going to look at me and say "do you think you got enough stuff?". And I am confident in my prepared response of "we can never have too much stuff for their first combined birthday party!!!". It is a very special occasion because Logan is turning one, and Isla never got to have a kiddie first birthday party because she was at the hospital welcoming her baby brother on her birthday. So we have that to make up for. Have I made enough excuses? :o)
Anyway, enough about that. I want to tell you about my Etsy shop because I feel equally proud of how that is coming along. I actually can't believe my Etsy Shop is finally open! I feel like I've been sewing for years. Technically it's been about 6 months (for the shop) but it has been a very slow process squeezing in cutting and sewing while the kids have napped during the day and after they've gone to bed at night. Thank goodness there was nothing interesting on tv over the Christmas holidays so I could just bury myself in the craft cave. It has been fun. Incredibly challenging with a few setbacks, but they have been great learning curves.
My initial focus was on creating a range using beautiful Voile and Japanese Lawn fabrics. This came from my long-standing love of Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics. I love how light and bright and colourful most lawns and voiles are - in particular how intricately detailed the prints are due to the extra-fine weave of the fabric.
Of course you might remember the Christmas dress I made for Isla out of Liberty of London fabric. The print is called Tresco and is covered in all sorts of bright coral. It is so colourful and just a bit Christmassy!
The trouble with Liberty fabric though is that it is very expensive. I do plan on creating a small number of items using popular Liberty of London fabrics for my etsy shop - but I'm not sure that my current customer base can afford clothing in that price range.
So I sourced a cheaper range of Japanese lawn and voiles that helped me to produce and offer more affordable clothing (that still have that lightweight look, soft luxury feel, and bright colours). I'm really happy with how they turned out.
These Halter Dresses are so gorgeous. Retailing at AU$25-$27, they are great value. Especially because they are really versatile and can work first as a Halter Dress and then as a Halter Top with jeans and a cardigan. The tops of the dresses are shirred so they fit snuggly and the dress balloons out like a princess dress. I also hand-sew the tulle flowers to add a special touch.
I also make Halter Tops (AU$19-$21) for people looking for something pretty but suited to more everyday loveliness with shorts or pants.
The hand-stitched tulle flowers are also used here on my Singlet & Bloomer Sets. The bloomers have more shirring along the waist and legs to create a sweet little pantaloon look. And the singlets have 2-3 tulle flowers in different configurations. These outfits are super-comfy and are gorgeously funky, while still looking girly. These are AU$27-$29.
I'm really happy with the styles and overall look of my products. And they look great on. We had a photo shoot at Hyde Park a few weeks ago - nothing major, just an excuse to have a picnic really. But I did get some great shots of Isla modelling an Halter Dress and a Singlet & Bloomer Set. I'll share those on a different post.
That's all for now xxo
Rhapsody and Thread
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/RhapsodyandThread
https://www.facebook.com/RhapsodyandThread
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