Inspiration

I am creating this blog to chronicle my endeavor into entrepreneurship. I have created a line of American Girl Doll Clothing and Accessories that are both designer inspired and Made to Match Gymboree, and will chronicle the progress, pitfalls and successes, of this line right here.

SewChicDollBoutique.etsy.com

I also periodically list items on ebay under the username SewChic_DollBoutique

My intent is to let my followers get to know me through my line. I will update this blog periodically, both to share my favorite American Girl and Gymboree memories with you, and also to update and inform you about upcoming changes to my line.

I may periodically post discount codes here as well, so check back often!

For this first post I would like to share my inspiration for the formation of my new doll clothing line.

Last summer I went to a yard sale, I'm a real sucker for a good deal, and I saw a Gymboree shirt for only 25 cents! I snagged it up without giving it a once-over, afraid someone else would notice what I was holding in my hand, and casually perused the rest of the clothes. Well, as usual, finding high end clothing for 25 cents doesn't happen every day, so I was not surprised when it was the only shirt there worth more than the quarter marked on it. I should have taken this as a sign.

When I got the shirt home I finally looked it over, and found large stains all over the sleeves. I was a little bummed, but since it was only a quarter I chucked it aside, and didn't think about it for quite some time.

I am a stay at home mom, to 1 beautiful boy, and was looking for a way to earn a little income while staying at home. When I was a child my own mother made hair bows and sold them at flea markets, etc. I am a Gymboree mom, I consider dressing my son well the one consolation to not having a girl, so I looked into making Gymboree bows. If you aren't aware, there is a large market for these bows, but I think that the girls already doing this have the market pretty well covered.

My mother taught me to sew when I was six, the first thing I made was a pair of underwear for my doll. I had a miniature plastic sewing machine, a gift from an aunt who has given me at least 3 sewing machines in my life, we really consider sewing a family affair. I made doll sized quilts and stuffed pillows for the crib, etc.

I was listening to NPR one day and a woman (I don't remember her name) said that if you buy something and never use it your cost per use is infinite. My mother-in-law had previously suggested that I offer my sewing services publicly but I never took her seriously. But then, I bought that shirt, that darn shirt, only 25 cents, huge stains. If I didn't do something with this I may have just thrown that quarter away! Now if there is anything I hate as much as I love a deal, its waste. What to do?

A few years ago at Christmas I made a bunch of American Girl Doll clothing for my little sister, and I had those patterns sitting around...it just so happened that one day I was looking at that shirt, upset with myself about not looking it over again, I threw it into the closet, right on top of my sewing basket! And there the idea was born. I cut that old shirt up and made a smaller doll sized version. As I sewed the shirt up, more and more stains became apparent to me, so that original shirt was given to my cousin for play.

I have done many alterations to those original Simplicity patterns that I was sewing with, and now I make all of my own patterns for a custom fit that you can't get anywhere else!

Check out my Made to Match Gymboree, original customs, OOAK upcycles, Jewelry and much more! All made for American Girl 18" or Bitty Baby 15" dolls.