N
ow....time for some answering of the questions from here and from emails. I am in a bit of a hurry this morning and everything around my house is breaking, so I am going to do this as quick as possible!
-Did you start out on Etsy or just open an online store right away?
Yes, I started out on Etsy just selling bows in April of 2009. I began with the clothing in July of 2009, and then added the website in November of 2009. I now really use Etsy for exposure and Elmo gear apparently! HAHA!
-Did you teach yourself to sew and create?
Yes, all self taught here! I took one sewing lesson on how to make a bag, and intended on taking more, but with the orders coming in and my analness to have quick turnaround times, I never have stopped to take another. I have also learned tricks here and there from Sheila, the other owner of SheShe Made, and the expert seamstress in my opinion! And from Dorothy, our additional seamstress. They both have many years of experience.
As far as embroidery goes, I taught myself that too, and it was a LOT OF RESEARCH and TRIAL AND ERROR! Multiple clothing articles got trashed along the way. Multiple. People in the embroidery field do not like to share trader's secrets. So, there is not much help out there from the "professionals" unless they work in the stores. And then those usually are even hard to come by.
And with that said, I will be giving away limited secrets such as hooping, stabilizer, etc. Ooh! So not nice of me:) But here is what I will share...
-What stabalizer do you use?
I use 4 different kinds of stabilizer. Basically I use every kind out there. Because different material calls for different stabilizer. And I get it from a wholesale distributor in my area, sold in mass quantities (that IS NOT cheap by the way).
-Your appliques and such on your shirts are so big how do you hoop such small shirts and how do you always get it in the middle and straight?
Again, it's all about the stabilizer! I rarely hoop anything. As far as aligning it...the ruler and disappearing ink are my best friend! And I am uber anal!!
-When will you be adding home items and gifts for "him" and "her" on your web site?
I have big intentions of adding to that section, but there just isn't enough time in the day. We will probably add to it after the holidays and will take another 1/2 month off to get new items made to sell. Also, we would like to advertise our business a little further before having such a diverse and BIG inventory. So, our hope is in January of 2011!
-When are you going to have another giveaway?!
We have a giveaway going on right now over on our FACEBOOK page! Check it out and participate if you'd like to win some holiday dresses!!!!
-Where do you get your towel wraps or do you make them?
I just did a lot of research and sampling with various distributors online. That's how we get all of our supplies and inventory. I am proud of our quality we use and that, along with the our great prices is what I feel keeps our customers coming back multiple times!
-What kind of machine do you have?
I have a babylock Embroidery Professional and purchased it off of Craigslist. I love it so!
-When will your Fall/Back to School/Halloween items be available?
Within the week! I've posted some pictures on Facebook already!
-When will your Thanksgiving and Christmas items be available?
At the end of September!
-What do you sell the most of?
One word. Elmo! I bring Elmo to life on a new piece of clothing at least 2 times a week. I am so glad my child is not a fan. He wears me out! :)
-What color are your eyes?
Just kidding. Nobody asked me that.
Happy FRIDAY! Hope you have a fabulous weekend. And ckeck out that giveaway we have going on until Sunday!
