Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Did ya forget about me?

Hope not! I've been gone a while, huh? I have a good excuse-- I went and had another baby. OK, do the mental math and yeah, not a person-baby. I'm still good with the 5 month old (who is nigh on crawling, I tell you. Rocking on hands and knees and moving his legs-- wha-aaat?!)
So, the baby. It's this little one-- Hoot Baby. Right about 11 months ago, my husband went out of town on business, and I was lonely, bored, and decided that I needed a project. I'd never sewed a garment before in my life-- never even cut out a pattern. That first pair of pants was sad-- sad, sad, sad. The second pair was better-- but hey, you should finish your seams. Especially if you are sewing for a rowdy little boy. So those didn't last long very long. But then I made another pair. And another. And a dress for a friend. And a coat. And a skirt. And some more pants. Pretty soon I was sewing every day. I sewed while in labor. I sewed with a baby strapped to my chest. I sewed into the wee hours of the morning, during naptime, on the weekends. Along the way, I learned a whole lot, read a lot, and made a LOT of mistakes.
But then a funny thing began happening. People began asking me to make things for them. And giving me money for those things. Hmmmm. It is certainly not something I've ever thought about before. But suddenly, the path before me seemed clear, and I began to sew. I learned to draft patterns. I sampled garments-- lots of them. I hired a photographer-- our dear family favorite Cophia-- and we took a LOT of pictures. And suddenly, my spare time is filled with web design and marketing plans. I'm launching a real, live business folks. For the moment, I'm hanging out on Etsy. But I have a few little plans in my head for the months to come. I can't wait to share them with you!
I promise this little blog isn't going to turn into a plug. I love sharing my family--the work of home and hearth and motherhood-- and that isn't going to change. But indulge me for just a sec and take a gander at these amazing images Cophia created. I'm smiling from ear to ear.

5 comments:

Nicola said...

VERY cute stuff! congratulations!
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com

anellesgardening said...

Those turned out great! Glad to see you back from the edge of insanity for a minute again. ;)

Joy said...

Those look fantastic! What sizes are you going up to? I've been waiting with baited breath to see what your new line was like and it's absolutely wonderful. Congrats, Melissa! Oh, and Cophia did a great job too. :)

brown robin said...

Yeah, Melissa!!!! Way to go! Your site looks great and your work is beautiful. Such an exciting time... and you made it sound like you were stuck with a baby to your chest unable to do anything else... glad that's not the case. The world is a even more beautiful with your work online for everyone to see!

Kimara said...

My best to you! Your clothing is lovely. I wholeheartedly support women's efforts to peacefully combine creativity and motherhood. The great thing about owning your own business is YOU can control the amount of time you spend on it. So, not only do I wish you success in business, but in finding your family's balance. I look forward to watching your business grow!