Sigh. I don't know why I try to be what I'm not in the sewing arena. The consensus on being a successful Ebay designer is to do custom designs and then churn them out factory style. And if you won't do that, to at least mass produce the same style in different fabrics by stacking fabrics, cutting multiple garments at once and then producing them factory style. Each summer, I find myself giving this the ol' college try. And each summer it drives me crazy. It's so not me.
It is beyond tedious to sew the same thing over and over. I currently have in my sewing room the last of 6 renditions of the same simple sundress. And I decided to grant myself permission to throw it out. I cannot bear to sew this design one more time. The whole point of sewing to me is to CREATE. To express myself through fabric. Yes, I realize that I am also running a business and it should be about the money as well. But if it's all about the money and never about the passion...well, then I've sold out my talent. It makes me feel like a Sewing 'Ho.
So the Quilting Cotton Sundresses are going the way of the dinosaur. I cannot do this anymore. Marketing strategy might dictate that you find out what sells and bring it to the market. But I will create what I love, create what my imagination envisions and let the chips fall where they may. I'm reclaiming my creative integrity.
Last night this meant sweeping the slate clean. It was extremely refreshing to free myself from market demands. Out went everything that was started simply because it reflected current market trends. Instead, I began work on a soft, plush sweater knit in a warm red sparkling with subtle strands of blue, yellow and green. Yes, I know it's June, but this is what my heart demanded. I paired it with an ethnic batik. The play of the feminine knit against the funky batik was so totally unexpected that the customary brightly printed summer cottons (soooo "Tom, Dick, and Harry", as my Mom used to say) began to recede into distant memory.
To Thine Own Self Be True...
Charity
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3 comments:
Charity, we've got LOTS in common.... ;)
Love your blog; lots of good thoughts there.
I'll be a frequent visitor now!
Hey, Lisa! Feel like I've found a new friend. Thanks for stopping by. :)
Chairty - I am SO with you on this. I also can not stand to reproduce the same item over and over just because it sells, or it's "in". Good job in being true to what you really want to do!
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