The Design, The Stitch and The Wardrobe
I visited one of the bigger kids markets that SA has to offer in 2011. I was astounded by the beautiful stalls and products that were available. The range was massive, some items were just stunning. However I started to notice a certain theme…. everything was pink or frilly or pink and frilly. As mummy to 5 (at the time….it’s now 6) boys, I was really hoping to find a stall that would give me the opportunity to buy some of these beautiful items for them. To be fair there were some items, but you had to dig for them. They may have been in a nice fabric but they were plain and nothing like the same standard as there was for girls. A little disappointed I started towards the door, as I did I started to pick up snippets of conversation. I kept hearing the same thing. It almost became a chant as I walked through the hall, “there is nothing for boys”, “it’s all for girls”. Ok… So it wasn’t just me……..a small but nagging idea started to form …. I can sew ….. to a basic level, but it was a start, I could do this. I had for many years (during which I gave birth to boy after boy) toyed with the idea of starting up a ‘just for boys’ shop. I had ordered some jumpers from one of the Chinese mass producers, but when I received them they were so awful, I couldn’t bear to even put them on my boys so practically gave them away.
I went to my local Lincraft and had a look for some boy suitable patterns I bought a bib pattern and some fabric. I made a bib in a crocodile design – I look back at the picture now and I cringe -it was terrible, but it was a start. It took about 2 weeks to get my first order for a pair of pre-walker shoes….and so ‘Boysterous’ grew from there.Over the last 2 years my skills, in sewing, designing (more so the colour scheme and look of an outfit rather than pattern design) and even photography have improved immensely. I started to put my hand up to some big name US pattern designers (Peek-a-boo pattern shop, Whimsy Couture, Rabbit Rabbit Creations and Amelie and Henri to name some of the more popular ones) to ‘test’ their patterns. I found that more often than not, out of sometimes over 100 applicants they chose me to sew up, report on and photograph their design on a model. A good 90% of these patterns were aimed at girls and so I started ‘borrowing’ friends daughters for photo shoots. So began another venture ‘The Design, The Stitch and The Wardrobe’. I have a love for truly beautiful designs, not necessarily everyone’s favourite buzz word ‘vintage’ but classic, almost Victorian inspired pieces.My boyswear is definitely the priority but it sure is nice to be able to make something feminine once in a while 🙂
I went to my local Lincraft and had a look for some boy suitable patterns I bought a bib pattern and some fabric. I made a bib in a crocodile design – I look back at the picture now and I cringe -it was terrible, but it was a start. It took about 2 weeks to get my first order for a pair of pre-walker shoes….and so ‘Boysterous’ grew from there.Over the last 2 years my skills, in sewing, designing (more so the colour scheme and look of an outfit rather than pattern design) and even photography have improved immensely. I started to put my hand up to some big name US pattern designers (Peek-a-boo pattern shop, Whimsy Couture, Rabbit Rabbit Creations and Amelie and Henri to name some of the more popular ones) to ‘test’ their patterns. I found that more often than not, out of sometimes over 100 applicants they chose me to sew up, report on and photograph their design on a model. A good 90% of these patterns were aimed at girls and so I started ‘borrowing’ friends daughters for photo shoots. So began another venture ‘The Design, The Stitch and The Wardrobe’. I have a love for truly beautiful designs, not necessarily everyone’s favourite buzz word ‘vintage’ but classic, almost Victorian inspired pieces.My boyswear is definitely the priority but it sure is nice to be able to make something feminine once in a while 🙂
