Catch Up

I wanted to get so much more done this week.

But it wasn't meant to be. One occupational hazard of working from home, and being a mother, is that your schedule is never what you plan it to be. Hence, I am a bit behind on my custom orders, and making strides to catch up. Despite that, here are a few of the things I got done.

To the right, you can see my darling "wedding" formal that I made for my neice's birthday. The little jacket is actually for another client, but they look SO cute together! It reminds me of an Austen novel, and I have other patterns already planned to play around with that idea.

Here is the set I made for Etsy this week. I especially like the blue dress. It reminds me of a 1960's dress--something you could see Samantha from "Bewitched" wearing. I also am very happy with the colors in this set. They are the 3 most requested Barbie clothing colors: pink, red, and light blue. Love it!! I also love that I didn't have to cut out any of the fabric! Woot for Emily, my fabric cutter!



As for this coming week, I will have to work VERY hard not to fall behind again since the kids are out of school tomorrow AND Monday, and... Monday is my birthday and I am SO going to party! (party, that is, in a very pregnant, Mormon, housewife kind of way, which, believe me, is full of plenty of fun!)



I have plans to get out another set like the one above, as well as a set of swimsuits (keep an eye on Etsy!), and also get really close to completing the custom order I have been working on. Phew! See ya soon!

C'mon, Barbie!

Okay, Barbie! It's time to shop for Christmas!

As planned, I have posted my first "Outfit Trio" in anticipation of the Christmas season, It contains outfits often requested by customers, and at a good price. At the VERY least, I will post one trio a week, but three a week is my true goal.

This week marks a momentous occasion: Hiring my FIRST "employee". My darling neighbor, Emily, has graciously offered to be employed in my service as official "pattern cutter", and it felt amazing to drop off my first load of fabric and patterns to her yesterday. Thanks, Emily!

I just realized that I have to take the dog to the vet....
See ya!

This Week

This last week, I have developed a strategy for the upcoming busy holiday season. Every Monday and Tuesday, I will be working on a "Holiday Pack" consisting of three outfits each. These sets will be posted on Etsy as often as I am able to post them.

Wednesday will be the day I work on custom orders. According to this schedule, I am currently booked out for custom orders until the beginning of December. So, because of demand, I am unable to take any more custom order requests except for a few select friends and family.

Thursday is design day, when I will design, cut, and prepare all the clothing for the following week's work.

Friday I get to be "Mom" full time, due to the elementary school's "early out" policy, and Friday being our long-standing grocery day.

Week-ends, of course, are for family, chores, and fun. And although sewing is fun, it's not the only thing in life that is.

Anyway, feel free to take a look at what I worked on this week.
Especially the tan jacket below. Collared jackets are a lot of work, so I don't do them very often, but the outcome is always SO satisfying, don't you think? I want one full-size!

Thanks for stopping by.

Driven

Welcome to Modest Barbie Style!

Over the past 6 months or more, I have had the privilege to clothe many of your daughters' Barbies and fashion dolls, and I see those opportunities as an honor. I am thrilled with the response my products have received, and I am desperate to keep up with demand. Most of what I make is sold before I make it, leaving my Etsy site sadly bare.

Most of you know what a difficulty it has been for me to keep up with demand, especially with the morning sickness I have been experiencing--not to mention the work that goes into each item I make. It breaks my heart when I find myself without the time or ability to fulfill every request.
Despite this, I continue to feel Modest Barbie Style to be a driving mission in my life, and my desire to provide modest options for parents of Barbie-loving daughters continues to inspire me. I am a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) and I believe whole-heartedly in its doctrines of modesty, and the resulting beauty and confidence they can provide to those who follow them.

For those of you who feel as much of a desire to emulate these doctrines (in all their variations and religions) for your daughters, both in their lives and in their play, I want to be there. I want to have the capacity to offer modest clothing for your daughters' dolls. I hope and pray on a daily basis that I can be led and strengthened--that I may have greater capacity, greater resources, and greater inspiration to achieve these goals.

For those of you who need and want modest Barbie options, I will do my best to assist you. Please be patient with the process. Please feel free to post your suggestions, as well as any words of encouragement.

Also, please come back often.

All my love to my readers,

Amy

Latest Creations

I don't exactly know where the energy came from, but I recently had this crazy desire to make my girlies matching skirts. In my Barbie clothes, I work 100% from my own designs, but I had never done anything full-size without a pattern until now. Let me tell ya--it has its own challenges. Despite those, it worked out fairly well, with only minor issues.






















After that minor detour, I came back to barbie swimwear, and got these 6 swimsuits done this week--all of which are already sold. (YAY!) I am satisfied with their appearance, having higher necklines and easier closures than my previous suits.

Next week, I am hoping to finally get some dresses posted in my Etsy shop, and maybe even have some time to make something baby-related for some new mothers in my circle of friends. Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know you were here.

The Mind is Willing

So, I took a custom order.

I know, I know... I am trying not to do that. It is just SO hard to turn down those poor, naked, or immodest Barbies!

This last customer requested that I re-make a lot of things I had already made, as you can see below.

I really do need to take a break from custom orders, though, as much as I want to take them.
I am one of those lucky people who suffer from severe morning sickness when I am pregnant, and this time has been no exception. Since I never know when I will be hit with one of those "bad" days, I need to sew on my own schedule, and not be tied down to a deadline.

My goal is to use what good days I have to finish up one more custom order that has already been placed, and make stuff to (finally) post on Etsy.

Further down the road, I will continue the process of researching textile manufacturers and packaging companies, applying for my LLC, and regulating my patterns so they can be digitized.

One day my dream of having accessible, affordable, modest clothing for all the world's fashion dolls will be realized. I just might have to have this baby (and kiss it lots) first.

Taking the Plunge

Well folks... I finally quit my day job.

I receive inquiries for Barbie clothes on a daily basis.

I have some of the sweetest comments on my blog, and some of the kindest e-mails in my inbox.
Modest Barbie Style can no longer be denied.




So the question now is...

How exactly am I going to do this?

While most of you are thinking of how you are going to survive the last 2 days before school starts again, I am thinking of Christmas. If Modest Barbie Style is bestowing me with so much success now, then I have a great opportunity to clothe armies of this Nation's naked Barbies this Christmas.


Alas, I am but one person. One lone seamstress with one sewing machine. Even at my most productive, I can only make so many items a day. It is at times like these whan I wish I had a little factory with automated Barbie clothing-making machines. WHAT I WOULDN'T GIVE!!




OH! To sleep, perchance to dream! In my dreams, my clothes would be in cute little packages on the shelves at Toys R Us or Target, and online at an "official" website, and everyone in the world would benefit from modestly-clad Barbies.








For now, I am desparately trying to get even a few days ahead of myself, with possibly even some inventory. I have never had inventory because everything sells before I can finish making it...which I am NOT complaining about!





But wouldn't it be nice to have sets and packs and outfits ready for Christmas? I think so. I think it would be DREAMY!




SO lets see how it goes. Maybe I can figure out a way to streamline. Maybe I can find myself an assistant... "Oh dear husband!... " Haha! Yeah, just watch him run the other way!



Now, my loyal followers, friends, family, and customers... Any suggestions? I'm all ears.



And don't forget: If you are interested in anything I do, you can e-mail me at modestbarbie@gmail.com.