Ten things I learned in my first year in business

Today marks one year since I first went live with my Etsy shop. It has been an amazing year and I feel incredibly lucky to be doing this for a living.

It has also been an educational year.

Here are just ten of the many things I learned.

1. I need to OWN my business, I mean own like flaunt it.

After nearly two decades in the environmental protection business, in May, I left to grow Phoebe&Egg. I love what I do, but when people ask I what I do, I still hesitate to say “I am a doll-maker”.  It’s just not your usual profession.

When I proudly own it, the conversation not only goes more smoothly, I often make unexpected connections. People don’t talk about dolls in daily conversations, but there a lot of people who are happy to if given the chance.

So now I always have my Moo mini cards and am happy to talk about what I do.

I own Phoebe&Egg.

2. Have patience. My husband said this the day after I officially gave my notice at my previous job. He knows I am not the most patient person, especially when it comes to my own progress.  But that is one of the best pieces of advice a new business owner can receive. 

This past summer, my first summer in "retail", business was slow. I worried. Had this all been just a crazy far-fetched idea? 

I am now crazy busy and wish I had been patient and enjoyed the slower pace last June, when I needed to be patient.

It is important to enjoy the process of growing gradually.

3. When your business is online you meet a lot of  people. Maybe more than when you sell in a bricks and mortar store ( I do both). 

I’ve met some great people. I love my customers. I also have met some amazing people who sew or craft for a living. I am not sure I would have made so many connections by only selling in bricks and mortar stores or indirectly through other online shops. It has been the direct connections, through my blog, my etsy shop, emails or Facebook or Instagram, that have been most valuable.

4. I can't do craft fairs. At least not for a few years.

I did one last year, it was fun (I maybe broke even).

I signed up for two this holiday season (back in June when business was slow), thinking that was what I needed for the holiday season. 

It was not what I needed at all. I am so busy with custom orders this fall that I never had time to create stock for one fair, let alone two.

It was with great angst that I backed out of each fair.

So fairs will not be my thing.

5. Don’t order too many supplies.  I tend to worry I am going to run out of something at a critical time. In fact I have on occasion run out of something critical. But not for long. In this day and age, most things can be obtained within a few days and stuff takes up space.

6. Assume the best. This one I got from Tara Swiger, of Share Your Enthusiasm. This applies to so much. Assume the postal service will work. Assume a customer issue can be resolved. Assume people will like what you make for them. Negative thoughts and worry drain your valuable energy. 

If I had assumed the best when the summer was slow, I would have spent more time creating back stock for fairs, organizing my photos in Lightroom, and writing blog posts, because I would have assumed I would be very busy now.  

7. Develop systems when you are slow. They are critical for when you are busy. Things like a “shipping station” or a system for how your photo files are organized (if you are getting the sense this is a problem, you are right) or a blog posting routine. After the holidays, I will be instituting a few more systems.

8. My husband is right more often than I admit. He was right about being patient. And many other things. He has been my biggest (and most helpful) fan.

9. Family time needs to be sacred. For your sanity and for your family's.  A few times I’ve been behind and tried to borrow from family time, it didn’t turn out well.

10. My customers have the best ideas. Many of my new doll ideas have been prompted by customer requests. I have then gone on to sell many more of that doll. Fancy Nancy. A boy doll. A baby with pink hair. A toddler with the wild braids. I just had a Harry Potter request.

So please, keep the great ideas coming.

And most of all,  thank you for such an amazing year.

I've been thinking about the boys....

As some of you know, in October I started a program called the Doll Friend Project. For every Phoebe&Egg doll I sell, I will also make a doll for a child in the foster care system.

The dolls serve as transitional objects, basically a comfort object.

I have a "list" of the children with just enough information to help me decide what type of doll would be appropriate for that child. I take age, sex and ethnicity into account when designing a doll for these children.

In October, I made dolls for girls. I started with them, because making dolls for girls is what I know. I was a bit hesitant to move onto the five boys on my list. Their average age was 10.

A ten year old boy is far different than a six year old. By ten, they are very aware of what the other boys think about them. By ten, they often care more about being macho. By ten, they won't cry in front of their peers. I remember ten well with my own son. 

At this age, they begin to worry about being stigmatized.  More so for this group of boys, who don't necessarily have all of the things most boys have that positively affirm their identity. 

A traditional doll will is unlikely to be a security object for them. It could be embarrassing, hidden, dscarded.

So for awhile I was not sure what to make this group. The "doll" needed to be: not embarrassing, endearing, enduring and portable.

Selfishly, it also had to be enjoyable to make. So for a awhile I just mulled, feeling guilty that I had not done anything yet.

The one day I realized that the answer had been there all along.  A pattern from ElfPop that I had pinned from Etsy onto Pinterest a few months back, with a few tweaks, would be perfect.

I made the puppies out of a soft cotton brushed twill and their spots are made from various tweeds that I have. Instead of embroidering their faces I used safety eyes and a really cool tool to attach the safety eyes from Glass Eyes Online. I also used an awl to punch the hole first. I first read about the safety eye tool on Abby Glassenberg's While She Naps blog.

Clockwise: Safety eye insertion tool, Awl, safety eyes.

A safety eye, ie, an eye that will not budge. No risk of falling off an becoming a choking hazard.

Scarves knitted with Quince Osprey yarn. Soft and yummy.

Now in My Etsy Shop

I've been sewing a lot lately.

Lots of dresses,

lots of dolls.

and boy clothes,

and dolls for foster care. 

I've been photographing a lot lately too. Not sure if I did an official brag about my new camera. But I am in love with my Nikon 5300 and the two lenses I got. Completely smitten.

What I have not been doing is listing all of this work on Etsy, which may seem like this small action defeats the purpose of why I sew. And to an extent that is true. Except I lOVE to sew. And I now love to photograph. I just get a little stressed about listing. That's for another blog post.

I just listed a few dresses and will be adding more over the week. So if your Phoebe is twitching for new clothes, take a peek and keep watching for more.

Doll Dressmaking Series: A trick for pockets

Pockets are often the perfect accent for kids and doll clothing. For kids, a lined patch pocket is easy, the lining makes for easy clean edges. 

Doll pockets are too small to line easily. And machine hemming all the edges is tricky for such a small size rectangle. 

My trick is to "line" the pockets with tulle.

Cut out two pockets. A rectangle that is 3x3.5 inches should work for Phoebe, Waldorf and American Girl Dolls. It will seem large but it will be smaller when it's done.

Tulle is sold in many crafts shops and online as a 6inch roll.

1. Place your two pockets right side up.

2. Cut a piece of tulle large to cover both pockets.

3. Lay tulle over both pockets and pin. 

4. Stitch around the edges of each pocket, leaving an opening that is about an inch for turning right side out. A larger seam allowance is better for this. Just under a half inch is good.

5. Clip corners.

6. Turn right side out. Use something like a knitting needle to carefully poke out corners.

7. Iron flat. Iron with fabric side up, tulle cannot withstand direct heat.

8. Pin pockets to dress. Pocket placement is a personal preference. I placed these with a tiny bit going onto the back of the dress.

9. Sew the pockets. If a tiny bit of tulle shows anywhere, it is easy to snip off.

View fullsize

Click to enlarge.

Pockets are not so hard and maybe even fun.

Production and the Numbers Game

Since I started my business almost a year ago, I have been playing a numbers game of sorts. The game is how much to make of one thing at a time.

This is a common makers dilemma and I'd love to hear how others have found their balance--their production Zen.

At the very beginning, I didn't know how much anyone would want of anything. I also had more time, because I hadn't opened my shop yet. Each item was an experiment in production, design and desirability. 

Back then everything was one at a time. 

As I gained customers,  I was still learning what people liked. You do not want a pile of smocked dresses, if smocking does not become a thing. But I was also working full time and wanted to accumulate some things to just have on hand.

So I made two at a time. This also allows you to fine tune what you are doing. You almost develop a system for that item. Almost. Two ends up not being enough for a system. But it is more efficient than one.

As business increased, I have played with making three, four, five and even six at a time. 

What I've found is that there is not one answer. There are a number of factors that come into play, such as:

1. Difficulty of the item, ie number of steps involved and trickiness of the steps. For more difficult items, three is the limit. It allows for an increase in efficiency, a chance to get into a mindset and conquer the details with prowess, but not enough time to get impatient or sloppy.

2. For simple items that also don't have too many pieces, five or six is great. I can get into a rhythm with this type of item. I love it and there is a great satisfaction to producing a colorful stack of something. This is where I find my zen. 

3. If I am making a new product, i won't make more than three, since I don't know if anyone other than Egg and I like it.

4. Sometimes I like to make a lot of a more complicated item, like a dress, if I want to play with  variations.

5. T-shirts and the undershorts are easy to make in large quantities. 

6. Too many of anything gets boring and if you are bored, you aren't at your best.

For me now, it's all about small batches. Small batches allows attention to detail, some efficiency  and keeps me loving what I do. 

Good-bye to three Phoebes today

Today three Phoebes all left for their own corners of the world.  One flew off to California, another to NYC and the third is on her way to Australia. 

I always get nervous on send off day. There are so many details to double check. 

Also, as the dolls go out, they are matched with a child in foster care, who also receives a doll made by me. With so many dolls going out these past few weeks, i need to make a new batch of dolls for this group of children. I have been working on a batch of puppies for a group of boys and am excited to finish these up. Photos maybe tomorrow.

Good-bye Phoebes! You are all off to good places.

Phoebe is on her way to NYC

Phoebe is on her way to Australia

Phoebe is on her way to California

A Saturday of Skirts

I've been sewing a lot lately and not spending a lot of time posting or listing. Soon, I will list and post.

This morning was skirts. Yesterday was T-shirts. soon dresses and then coats. 

Handmade Toymakers: Fluffmonger

"Griswold the sheep enjoys drinking fair-trade coffee from the local café. You’ll usually see him sitting by himself, though, due to his social anxiety."

As someone who has been sewing almost my whole life, I am always in awe of someone who started recently and quickly goes onto to not only become brilliant at sewing, but to take on the challenge of designing their own toys rather than using existing patterns.

And Jenny Ray Maj is one of those people.

Jenny recently opened her Etsy shop, Fluffmonger, where she sells her amazing collection of unique ethically sourced stuffed animals. Their shapes and personalities, as well as their “habitats” are all quite striking.

Jenny only started sewing two years ago. 

“Sewing was actually something that I never saw myself doing. 

“Two years ago at Christmas, my sister came up with the idea to sew Christmas pajamas using a tutorial she found on Pinterest.  Neither of us had ever sewn before, so my mom got her sewing machine out of storage to give us a crash course.   The tutorial recommended that you trace your favorite pajamas instead of using an actual pattern, so needless to say, we all ended up with ill-fitting pajamas that none of us ever wore.

“I had always wanted to sew stuffed animals but thought it would be too difficult.  After sewing the pajamas, I felt brave enough to try FunkyFriendsFactory’s elephant pattern and instantly fell in love.

Since then, Jenny has designed a collection of characters—Griswold the sheep,  Baxter the horse, and Falafel the llama. 

The animals are all a cute portable size, between 10 and 14 inches, and made with all ethically sourced materials (a step beyond organic), such as organic cotton fleece, fair trade hemp. Jenny even has sourced organic thread, organic ribbon and embroidery floss. I know first hand how challenging it is to create a doll or stuffed animal that is completely organic, which is why there currently is not an entirely organic Phoebe doll.

Jenny: All of the materials I use for my designs are organic and ethically sourced.  Most of the organic fabrics I use are scraps from a local zero-waste company.  Some of the cotton used for the fabrics is even grown here in NC, and the embroidery floss that I use is hand-dyed and hand-plied in the Carolinas.  The organic thread, organic buckwheat hulls, and other organic fabrics are either fair trade or come from reputable companies.

“It has definitely been a challenge to source organic and ethically made materials, but I am thankful for the people who have made accessing those materials easier.  It’s becoming more common to find organic fabrics, but organic threads, flosses, and stuffing are still hard to come by.  The most difficult part for me has been matching the colors of the low-impact dyes I use to the limited color selection of organic thread.

"Baxter the horse is a total foodie who loves to go shopping for groceries at his local co-op."

"Despite being clumsy, Falafel the llama loves doing yoga. He can only do a few poses because most, like downward dog, are impossible due to his long neck."

Griswold, Baxter, and Falafel are more than just cute, they lead interesting lives. Griswold has social anxiety and drinks Fair Trade coffee, Baxter is a foodie, and Falafel attempts yoga in the park.

Jenny, who has a background in sculpture and art education, has created three-dimensional habitats to use as backdrops for her photography.  The backdrops, made out of foam core, are a multi-disciplinary effort, involving hand drawing, computer drawing, architecture, draftsmanship, carpentry, photography and storytelling.  It sometimes can take several days to make one scene.

A holiday background in the works.

In the end they function like giant pop up books with many two-dimensional layers creating a three dimensional world. Each backdrop helps tell a story, which will inspire imaginative play with the animals.

Jenny hopes some day to bring the animals, the backdrops and her storytelling together into a children’s book.

You can find the Fluffmonger collection on Etsy and you can follow them on Facebook.

Boys: More Boy World and One Boy Off to DC

Yesterday,  a Ging doll left for his new home in DC. But before he left he was kind enough to model a few boy clothes for me. Thank you Ging and I know you'll love your new home. 

Stay tuned, I'll be putting a few boys and boy clothes on Etsy over the next few days.

Ging off to his new home in DC

Ging was asked to model a few things before he left. he was a good sport about it.

More modeling

"Gap Kids" for ging

Ging and his surfer look.

Boys in the Spotlight

As a mom, my daughters rarely lack attention. I can't say either of them "flies under the radar". But sons sometimes do.  They can be content and independent and suddenly as a mom you feel guilty because you have not given them the attention they deserve but don't demand.

Same with the boy dolls. I spend a lot of my business attention on the girl dolls. Every so often I get a boy doll request and, no offense to the girls, it is refreshing. 

This week the boys got some attention. I have a custom boy doll shipping out tomorrow. But while creating him, I went a little boy crazy. 

Today's lighting was bad (and no Nikon 5300 yet), so I only took a few photos. Hopefully tomorrow will shed some better light on boy world.

Plaid on plaid: Boy doll clothes

"Gap Kids" for boy dolls

A new boy doll with a bit of bedhead--typical boy