Soft Baskets

A monster has been unleashed! I absolutely LOVE these baskets!! These that I have made are simply made from flannel with quilted batting inside.
This first one was my learning experience. Still playing with proper sizing etc.

Since the first one turned out smaller than I was anticipating, I decided to try again to make a basket large enough to hold all the "stuff" that comes with my girls' doll house.

 (ignore my girls' play zone in the background)

This one turned out wonderfully - sewing wise. Cosmetically, it looks fabulous (and cute, if I do say so myself). The only thing I would do differently (especially for this size basket) would be to add an extra layer of batting inside to make the sides of the basket a little more sturdy.

These baskets are super great for letting the kids drag around, sit in, throw around, jump on, etc etc :) And it makes for easy clean ups :) And of course, makes storage cute! 

I think this larger size would be the perfect size for a child's laundry basket ...

 
*Business Thoughts*

I found how to make these from a tutorial online. The tutorial however says that it is for personal use only. So I need to make some adjustments to the pattern to make it "my own" in order to sell ....

But once I do, I think these baskets could be a success :)

I would like to create 3 different sizes .. small, medium, large. Small being the first basket shown here, and large being the other basket shown. I would create a medium that is somewhere in the middle of these two sizes.

I also want to try and make square baskets.

These baskets really do have lots of potential. I could sell them as individual baskets. I could sell them as a set of matching baskets all the same size or a matching set: one of each size, etc. :)

What would you pay for something like this?

PJ Bottoms

This was my first official time of actually making pj bottoms on my own. I used a pattern for these - but the smallest size was a 4-5. So I had to tinker to make them fit both girls :)
But now that I know how to make I could totally do it pattern-less! :) Although, I think I might use a pair of their pants for size reference! :)  Love the comfy flannel with cute patterns!

Eventually, I plan on making long sleeved shirts to go with them. I have a solid reddish color material (knit) and I want to make an applique of their initials out of the same material as their pants :) Can't wait!

*Business Thoughts*
I am thinking that cute pj bottoms with shirt to go with it ... with the option of personalizing it would be a big hit. What do you think?

How much would you pay for something like that?

Exploring My Options

In life, there is always room for growth, right? We should always be moving in a forward motion. And there is always a time to evaluate where we are, and plan the direction we want to go.

I am at the point of evaluating, moving forward, growing, expanding, and having fun while I am doing it.

I am a stay at home mom of a toddler and a preschooler. They may keep me busy, but I absolutely love being able to spend my days teaching, playing with, and taking care of them. They are my world.

Along this journey in motherhood, I discovered a joy in sewing and began sewing cloth diapers for my youngest. I soon found out there was a huge market for custom cloth diapers, and I began selling them. Unfortunately, the demand for my diapers (Little Bumperz), was greater than my supply and it became overwhelming. I just couldn't keep up and spend the time focusing on my family like I had hoped to - and completely crashed and burned.

During my break from sewing diapers, I have started dabbling in sewing other fun things. I have a lot of fun sewing a variety of things! I still enjoy making the diapers, but I think only sewing diapers became very monotonous for me - which makes it hard for me to get motivated to sew them.

I have decided I want to expand my business and make/sell whatever my heart desires. But I want to do this the "right way" this time.
First, I need to try my hand at the different things I want to make. That's where this blog will come in handy. I plan to blog about my different projects so I can keep track and get feedback. Hopefully this will help me decide what things I want to include in my shop.
Then, I need to perfect my patterns. I love putting my own flair on patterns - or designing my own patterns. So once I've decided what items to put in my shop, then I can play around and make them my own.
Finally, before I start selling items, I want to make sure I have a nice supply of products so I don't get stressed to keep up with a demand this time.
I still plan to sell Little Bumperz diapers, but they will just be a sub-store of my new boutique that will open up whenever I am ready.
Overall, I want to have fun with this! I don't want to be stressed. And I want to enjoy my family, and not take away from my time with them :)
Hope you enjoy!
And feel free to send sew-tastic fun ideas my way! :)