With my mens shirts, of course. Rory and I had a blast today bringing some life to my mens collection. A huge thank you to our handsome model, Brandon. I am very happy with all of the shirts and am looking forward to putting out the sewing pattern soon-ish. You can find my shirts for sale at BrandybuckClothiers.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Lessons from Brandybuck Part 1
I have been needing this photo shoot since day 1 for the new BrandybuckClothiers shop. It was so good to finally get together with a great model and photographer to bring some life into the photos there. Just click on the photo to get to Flickr to see some of the more than 300 great shots we got. Rory and Shelby worked really well together.
My experiment with Brandybuck has taught me a few things.
Lesson one: A name that is easier to spell might have been better. Looking forward to Etsy letting us change names.
Lesson two: While dressform models seem to work well for vintage, there are very few clothing sellers who do well without live models. The bar has been set really high for photography on Etsy. So much so that I would advise people to get this part done before opening shop. I have to admit it has been a little disappointing to not have been featured in the Etsy Finds yet - since they do a fashion email about every other day. I am hoping Shelby's great modeling and Rory's photography can help with that.
Lesson three: Something I did do right because it costs a bundle to build an inventory: Make your first samples for yourself and your family. From there, your friends will see your product and if it is quality, they will buy from you. This gives you more samples to photograph and pays for more fabric. The white shirt Shelby is wearing in the photo above is for my friend Julia. The striped one is mine. The pink skirt is G's. The first tennis dress was going to be mine, but I need to get a little more ambitious about the gym before I wear one. As my friend Tera said, I can't get the butt I want by sitting on the butt I've got. (Pause typing to switch to exercise ball.)
Which leads me to lesson four: I can't get the success I want by sitting on the success I've got. Etsy runs on what is new, so I am always making something new. My newest pattern is not a bag. It is girls dresses. I am just tickled with how it turned out and how easy it is for people to make and enjoy. My gym bag did not do as well as I thought it would - sales wise. I love the bag. I love how I made the bag. I am proud of the pattern. I just did not have a super photo to sell it before. With this great photo, I am looking at it as sort of a relaunch. The Harry Chair slip cover was also launched with full size pattern pieces - you need to print with a 24" wide printer. And every time I wear that patchwork skirt I get a ton of compliments, so I am looking to put that down on paper soon. My list never gets shorter, but I can do hard things.
Speaking of Jessica Swift - the artist who made that next step print. Read about how she is launching one of her dream projects.
Inspiring!
My experiment with Brandybuck has taught me a few things.
Lesson one: A name that is easier to spell might have been better. Looking forward to Etsy letting us change names.
Lesson two: While dressform models seem to work well for vintage, there are very few clothing sellers who do well without live models. The bar has been set really high for photography on Etsy. So much so that I would advise people to get this part done before opening shop. I have to admit it has been a little disappointing to not have been featured in the Etsy Finds yet - since they do a fashion email about every other day. I am hoping Shelby's great modeling and Rory's photography can help with that.
Lesson three: Something I did do right because it costs a bundle to build an inventory: Make your first samples for yourself and your family. From there, your friends will see your product and if it is quality, they will buy from you. This gives you more samples to photograph and pays for more fabric. The white shirt Shelby is wearing in the photo above is for my friend Julia. The striped one is mine. The pink skirt is G's. The first tennis dress was going to be mine, but I need to get a little more ambitious about the gym before I wear one. As my friend Tera said, I can't get the butt I want by sitting on the butt I've got. (Pause typing to switch to exercise ball.)
Which leads me to lesson four: I can't get the success I want by sitting on the success I've got. Etsy runs on what is new, so I am always making something new. My newest pattern is not a bag. It is girls dresses. I am just tickled with how it turned out and how easy it is for people to make and enjoy. My gym bag did not do as well as I thought it would - sales wise. I love the bag. I love how I made the bag. I am proud of the pattern. I just did not have a super photo to sell it before. With this great photo, I am looking at it as sort of a relaunch. The Harry Chair slip cover was also launched with full size pattern pieces - you need to print with a 24" wide printer. And every time I wear that patchwork skirt I get a ton of compliments, so I am looking to put that down on paper soon. My list never gets shorter, but I can do hard things.
Speaking of Jessica Swift - the artist who made that next step print. Read about how she is launching one of her dream projects.
Inspiring!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Throw a kids craft party this Summer
I was browsing Pinterest this morning and saw this awesome watermelon shark. As I pinned it to my DIY board, I realized all these ideas (on my board) were the ingredients for a fun kids party. I am so glad I have a girl. Click on the link to the board above to see the watermelon shark and some other fun ideas.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
She is a natural
We had fun doing a photoshoot at Manito park. Four new patterns in the works. I have a lot of writing to do. See more on Flickr. If you check in on my photostream there, you will usually get a preview of my projects well before they are released in pattern form.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Sharing video interviews with fabric designers
Quilthome has become one of my favorite places to go online for fabric. Their selection is incredible and I get my orders lightning quick. Heidi, the owner of quilt home, did a brilliant thing at Quilt Market. She interviewed the top designers and has the videos embedded on her site. I enjoyed the interview with Valori Wells this morning when it showed up in my inbox. I think you will too. If you sign up for the newsletter at Quilt Home, you will get great coupons in addition to the video interviews.
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